Hiking Mount Tire’m

Trail Name: Mount Tire’m

Location: Waterford, ME

Distance: 1.2 miles

Elevation Gain: 577 ft

Difficulty: Easy

Pets: Allowed

In the summer, there are very few days when the humidity isn’t suffocating and the heat isn’t unbearable. Whenever this rare occurrence happens, my pup Boone and I like to have a doggy/mommy day. Last Friday was one of those days. We slept in, snuggled on the couch, and decided over breakfast that we would go hiking. After breakfast, we slowly packed our things into the Subaru. Our destination: Mount Tire’m in Waterford.

The trailhead is located right off of Plummer Hill Road in Waterford, about 0.1 miles down the road from the church on the left. If you use the AllTrails app (like I did) it will bring you straight to the church parking lot. Don’t park there. Instead, keep driving and park in the small dirt pullout by the trailhead. There is only room for about 4-5 cars in the pullout, so it probably fills up fast on the weekends, but we were the only ones there when we arrived around noon on a Friday. If there are no spots left, you can park at the church and walk up the road to the trailhead.

Mount Tire’m is owned and maintained by the town of Waterford. It is accessible half an hour before and after sunset, seven days a week. There are no fires or overnight camping allowed. Dogs are permitted on the trail.

This trail has a short, yet steep climb to the summit. I believe the total distance from the parking lot to the summit was 0.6 miles. Following the trail was really easy and the terrain was welcoming to a range of hiking abilities. I really enjoyed the dense forest setting that this trail offered. It was very calm and peaceful.

The summit was comprised of rock ledges that overlooked Keoka Lake as well as other surrounding lakes and mountains. The rocks were pretty hot from the sun, so we found a spot in the shade to enjoy some water and snacks. Boone also got to meet several other pups at the summit, which he was very happy about.

After resting and digesting, we continued to the end of the trail to view the “bear caves”. Then, we descended down the trail back down to the parking lot.

I can honestly say that I really enjoyed this little hike. The trail was well-maintained, easy to follow, good for families and dogs. It would also make a really great sunrise or sunset hike, due to it’s length.

Pro tip: Be sure to stop for ice cream at any of the local ice cream stands on your way home!