Indian Trail on Mount Kineo

Accessible only by boat, and considered one of the more challenging hikes near Maine’s Moosehead Lake, the Indian Trail at Mount Kineo is worth the trek for the views.  

Rising 1,789 feet, Mount Kineo is the dominating feature of Moosehead Lake, with a distinct 700-foot sheer face. 

Just under one mile, the Indian Trail starts out flat and climbs sharply along a cliff’s edge until you reach the top. Once there, the job’s not done yet. The only place to catch the worthy views is from the top of a historic metal fire tower, which was used by the Maine Forest Service until about 1960 and is enclosed by tall pines. Climb to the top and take in impressive vistas of Moosehead Lake, towering trees, and the distant mountains. 

Mount Kineo itself is noteworthy for its role in providing necessary felsite that the region’s Indigenous people used to craft tools. Be sure to keep your eyes open for peregrine falcons, too. A pair of these fastest birds on earth, once nearing extinction in the 1960s, was discovered nesting at Mount Kineo in 1987.