In the northeast corner of Waldo County, on the east side of Frankfort near the Penobscot River, there’s a cluster of low hills with interesting names like Downs and Treat hills, and Heagan, Mosquito and Mack mountains (the latter just across the Prospect town line). In their midst, rising high above them all, is the namesake Mount Waldo, which tops out at 1,064 feet and is the only one in the neighborhood with hiking trails.
The trail on Mount Waldo’s north side has been a staple in the AMC Maine Mountain Guide for many years. The fourth edition (1976) describes it thusly: “This attractive mountain with many open ledges… best known for its granite quarries on its east side… Walk up cart road… across open fields and ledges to the top. There are good views to the west all the way up and on top… views of the Penobscot River Valley to Penobscot Bay… to summit 1 mi.”
From Tyler Lane, this route passes the brushy lower fields and then heads across the top of the upper, still active blueberry fields. Turning the corner and climbing steadily over bare bedrock, expansive views open up to the west and north. On a good day you can see all the way to the mountains along the Appalachian Trail corridor, including the peaks of the White Cap and Barren-Chairback ranges some 70 miles distant.
In “The History of Mount Waldo: Frankfort, Maine,” author Ernestine “Pat” Lewis wrote that “the panoramic view from the summit of Mt. Waldo resembles a painting with Mother Nature as the artist. Many have said that on a clear day Mt. Katahdin and the White Mountains are visible in the distance.” That was in 1996, and the grand vistas from the extensive ledges on the mountaintop are still there for hikers to enjoy.
On the hike up to the old quarry on Mount Waldo, you’ll find a rusting iron winch drum, cables and other remnants of the former quarry works. Photo by Carey Kish
Locate the bronze USGS marker on the summit outcropping and you’ll have also found several old carvings dating to 1876. The capitalized name “P. KANE” is clearly discernible, as is “LOON” preceded by what looks like the initials T, J and C. Just beyond, drink in the long view south to the unmistakable bulk of Mount Megunticook and Ragged Mountain in the Camden Hills, as well as Islesboro out in Penobscot Bay.
A hike on Mount Waldo isn’t complete without a visit to the old quarry on the mountain’s east slope, designated a National Historic Landmark in 1974. From the end of Mount Waldo Road, it’s a steep half-mile trudge up an old road to the quarry pond and its graffiti-covered walls. Look for a rusting iron winch drum, cables and other remnants of the former quarry that operated from 1836 to 1966, excepting several idle stretches.
Mount Waldo’s gray granite was used in the construction of nearby Fort Knox, built between 1844 and 1864. Mount Waldo granite can also be found in other notable structures in the United States, including the Washington Monument, the United States Senate Office Building, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the United Nations building, the Philadelphia Mint, the Empire State Building and the Brooklyn Bridge.
On the same route you hike up to the quarry pond, oxen teams once skidded the huge granite blocks down to a wharf on the Marsh River, where they were transported by schooner and later scows to Bucksport. The oxen were replaced by an ingenious incline cable railroad, and the scows superseded by trains drawn by powerful locomotives. Only the wharf remains of the old riverside granite works, now a public boat launch.
After a private recreational facility venture failed to materialize, the state took ownership of Mount Waldo. And when efforts to establish it as a state park faltered, the property was transferred to the town of Frankfort in 1988. Concluded Lewis: “Mt. Waldo, once the lifeblood of the community, nurturing and embracing all those who fought for existences in her domain, now languishes in the tranquility of her life. She is truly memorialized in stone.”
Round out your Mount Waldo adventure with a tour of Fort Knox and a 360-degree panorama from the observatory high atop the Penobscot Narrows Bridge. Photo by Carey Kish
Round out your Mount Waldo adventure with a tour of Fort Knox and a 360-degree panorama from the observatory high atop the Penobscot Narrows Bridge. Include a scenic 1-mile stroll on the Eastern Channel Trail on the backside of Verona Island for bonus points.
Carey Kish of Mount Desert Island is the author of “Beer Hiking New England,” “AMC’s Best Day Hikes Along the Maine Coast” and the “AMC Maine Mountain Guide.” Follow more of Carey’s adventures on Facebook and on Instagram @careykish
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