Hiking Douglas Mountain

Trail Name: Douglas Mountain Loop Trail

Location: Sebago, Maine

Distance: 1.5 miles

Elevation gain: 475 ft

Difficulty: Easy

Pets: Not Allowed

About a month or so ago, I made the decision to hike at least one day a week. I decided to choose Sunday as the day I would hike, because I tend to be unusually lazy on that day and I wanted to change that. Now, Sundays are my favorite day of the week, filled with nature, tranquility, and exhilarating exercise! This hike took place in June, on a wonderful Sunday morning with two of our favorite people, Katie and Andrew. I enjoyed this hike so much that I added it to the list of hikes in Southern Maine that I would do again. If you know me, then you know that is a big deal.

We started this hike around 8:30 to try and avoid crowds. It worked. We were one of two cars in the very large parking lot, which was great. We decided to take the longer trail up and the shorter trail down, which meant we ascended up the Eagle Scout Trail. This trail was nicely maintained, wide, and gradual. It follows orange blazes and is about 1 mile in length. We were also surprised to find that the beginning part of the trail is shared with snowmobiles/ATV’s. We were met head-on by a side-by-side, which was kind of alarming.

Once we were 0.8 miles in, we met a steep incline, which lasted for about 0.4 miles, or until we reached the summit. We meant to add the Nature Woods Trail, which is marked by green blazes, to our hike up, but we missed it. It would have added on another 0.5 miles to our hike, which would have been nice, because this hike is on the shorter side.

The summit is very interesting and beautiful. It features a stone observation tower, which provides fantastic, panoramic views of the surrounding lakes. The tower features some really neat, built-in stone steps. Only a few people can fit on the tower at once, so we were respectful about how much time we spent observing.

To descend, we chose the ledges trail. This trail was marked with yellow blazes and added another 0.5 miles to our hike. There was another trail option, the Woods Trail, which would add 0.75 miles to the hike. At the end of our hike, we were pleasantly surprised to pass through these very neat stone pillars.

In total, this hike was about 1.5 miles in length. I would estimate that it took us roughly 30 minutes to summit and 15 minutes to get back down. All in, we probably spent about 2 hours here. I would highly recommend this hike. It is very gradual, well-maintained, and provides great views for how short of a climb it is. All of this makes for a very family friendly hike that can be enjoyed by hikers of any ability. I believe the signs at the bottom of the trail said it was not pet friendly, but I saw quite a few people with dogs, which was very interesting.

I hope this inspires you to plan your next adventure! Until next time, friends!