Cranberry Peak Hike Via the Bigelow Range Trail

Cranberry Peak Panoramic

On the difficulty scale, the Bigelow Range Trail hike from Stratton village to Cranberry Peak falls somewhere between a Family Hike and Weekend Warriors. The 3.2-mile (one way) jaunt feels like a long 3.2 miles thanks to the continuous climbing and bounty of bucket-sized rocks (there’s loose gravel in a few spots) that can slow your roll. This said, the trail is well maintained by the Maine Appalachian Trail Club, there is no truly steep climbing and only a couple places where hand usage is necessary on scrambles.

Bigelow Range Trail SignDistance: 3.2 miles (one way); elevation gain 2,044 feet
Time: 4-6 hours round trip
Difficulty: Family Hike/Weekend Warriors
Recommended Gearhiking boots or trail runnerstrekking poles (optional); bug repellent (optional at your own risk)
Directions

For kids, the Cranberry Peak hike offers plenty of trail entertainment, from the aforementioned rocks to a cool cave, plenty of sheep laurel and blueberries (when in season) growing trailside, and a 360-degree summit view of the Bigelow Range, Flagstaff Lake, and Sugarloaf. In the words of my ten-year-old nephew: “That was a hard hike, but it’s satisfying to reach the top.”

The hike begins at the end of Currie Street (Google and other maps list the road as “Curry,” but the actual street sign is spelled “Currie”). The hike begins with a couple short but steep-ish hills mixed between flat stretches. It doesn’t take long for the stretch of rugged and steady climbing that lasts until the side trail for Arnold’s Well (no water), close to a point where the two-mile mark is painted on a rock.

It’s also worth noting that the majority of the hike occurs in a mixed forest; we found the biting insects to be malnourished and ravenous.

Bigelow Range Trail Boulder
Big rocks add to the trail fun for kids.

Around the two-mile mark, the trail opens up unto some rock ledges that offer the kiddos rock scrambling distractions and partial views of Flagstaff Lake. Don’t worry if you can’t see over the treetops here, there’s no shortage of views on the summit (weather permitting of course; sorry, no refunds).

Bigelow Range Trail Ledges Area
Entering the ledgy area.

A short distance from the ledge area is a side trail for “The Cave,” a detour that’s worth checking out. The cave requires a rock scramble to get inside. On the backside, the cave opens up to a plateau covered by a giant slab of granite.

Bigelow Range Trail Cave Sign
Never mind the fact that the sign looks like it came from a horror movie poster, the cave is a cool side attraction.
Bigelow Range Trail Cave Entrance
Don’t worry, there’s nothing lurking inside. As far as you know.
Bigelow Range Trail Cave
Inside the cave looking out onto the plateau. Probably not a good place to be during earthquakes. 

Cave survivors continue along a ridge with some short ups and downs for approximately another mile before tackling an open rock scramble to the Cranberry Peak summit at an elevation of 3,213 feet. 

Bigelow Range Trail Preview
Getting close…a glimpse of Cranberry Peak from the Bigelow Range Trail.
Bigelow Range Trail Summit Scramble
The last scramble to Cranberry Peak.
Cranberry Peak Sign
As the sign says, you can continue on for another 1.7 miles to the Appalachian Trail junction. We didn’t do this, but my understanding is that the descent from Cranberry Peak on that side is steep. Check out our post on hiking the Appalachian Trail over the Bigelow Mountain Range if you want to turn this hike into an overnight trip.
Cranberry Peak View Flagstaff-Lake
The view of Flagstaff Lake from Cranberry Peak.
Cranberry Peak View Bigelow-Range
The mighty Bigelow Range.
Cranberry Peak Dog
This was the first real hike for our new puppy. She loved it!
Tags
Posted in
Family Hikes, Maine, Maine Trail Reviews, Uncategorized, Weekend Warriors
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Wow! You made it all the way to the bottom. If you enjoyed this article, please check out my book, Open Season: True Stories of the Maine Warden Service on Amazon or at www.wardenstories.com. You can also follow Northeast Hikes on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, as well as contribute to our sponsored Google+ Community.

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