Old Speck Mountain Hiking Trail Guide: Map, Trail Descriptions, Pictures & More

Old Speck Mountain is a 4,170 foot mountain located in the Mahoosuc Range in Oxford County, Maine. It is also part of the Eastern White Mountains that stretch from New Hampshire to Maine. Old Speck is the 4th highest mountain in the entire state of Maine. The Appalachian Trail, which runs from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine. The AT runs .3 miles away from the summit of Old Speck.

Elevation: 4,170 feet

Elevation gain: 2,674 feet

Distance: 7.6 miles roundtrip

Duration (book time): 5 hours

Difficulty: Moderate

Trails

Old Speck Trail (AT)

The most commonly used route to the summit of Old Speck follows along the AT most of the way. 0.4 miles from the trailhead, there is a split with a right fork climbing The Eyebrow, a steep hike up a cliff face with excellent views. The left fork stays at a moderate grade but eventually merges with the Eyebrow trail shortly. You can choose to go either left or right at the junction. About 3.5 miles from the parking area, the AT turns right, and the summit of Old Speck is a few hundred feet on the left hand side after emerging from the gradual, forested ridge. To descend, simply retrace your steps the way you came back to the trailhead parking lot.

Trail map

Alternate routes

Speck Pond Trail

An alternate, much longer route to the summit starts from the Speck Pond Trailhead and ascends to the summit of  Mahoosuc Arm. The trail will descend for about a mile until you reach Speck Pond. There are tent platforms and lean-to shelter here for hikers to spend the night. Fees will apply – $6 per hiker. To reach the summit of Old Speck, hike 1.1 miles from the Pond until you reach the summit and viewing platform.

Camping and Overnight Hiking Options

Camping is not allowed in the State park, but outside of this area camping is permitted. The Speck Pond Campsite offers hikers tent platforms, an AT-style shelter, and a composting privy.

Parking

The parking area for the Old Speck Trail is located in Grafton Notch State Park, directly after Mother Walker Falls and Moose Cave.

The Speck Pond Trailhead is located on Success Pond Road, which runs from Berlin, New Hampshire to Grafton Notch, Maine.

Directions

To get to the Old Speck Trail parking area

From I-95, take exit 63 for US-202/ME-115/ME-4 towards ME-26/Gray/New Gloucester. Take a left turn after exiting the ramp and merge onto Route 4. Take a sharp right turn onto 26A North. You will continue driving for roughly 70 miles until you come to a parking lot on your left and side with a sign labeled “hiking trails”.

To get to the Speck Pond Trail parking area

Travel on Success Pond road for roughly 1.5 more miles after the Mahoosuc Notch trail parking area, and the parking area is 0.8 miles down a right-hand side dirt road.

Weather Forecast

Below is the next four days of weather for Old Speck Mountain. Be sure to check conditions the morning of your hike as conditions change rapidly in the mountians.

Gorham, NH

Today
Mostly sunny, with a high near 48. Northwest wind 20 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 45 mph.

Tonight
Partly cloudy, with a low around 36. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Tuesday
A slight chance of rain showers after 7am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 49. West wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. New rainfall amounts less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Tuesday Night
Rain showers likely before 8pm, then rain likely between 8pm and 2am, then scattered rain showers. Cloudy, with a low around 36. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Wednesday
Scattered rain showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 43. Southeast wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Wednesday Night
Isolated rain showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 39.

Thursday
Scattered rain showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 52. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Additional Photos