Enjoy stunning views and challenge yourself physically with the Moosehead Pinnacle Pursuit. This popular hike takes you to the summit of six Moosehead Lake mountains, including Mount Kineo, Number Four Mountain, Whitecap Mountain, Eagle Rock, Big Moose Mountain, and Borestone Mountain.
Getting out on the trail to take in the beauty and majesty of the great outdoors is one of the top activities here at Moosehead Lake.
Whether your idea of a hike involves a short stroll down a well-worn path or something a little more wild and rugged, you’ve come to the right place. Moosehead Lake has a wide variety of hiking trails to choose from, with choices for all levels of hiker.
One of the most popular and easier hikes leads to the 1963 crash site of a B-52 bomber on Elephant Mountain. Serious hikers looking for a real challenge, however, should consider attempting the Moosehead Pinnacle Pursuit.
The Moosehead Pinnacle Pursuit Challenge
The Moosehead Pinnacle Pursuit Challenge is fairly simple: hike to the summit of six different mountains in the Greenville area. There is even a website for the challenge, where you can earn Pinnacle Pursuit badges. All you have to do is register, then summit all six peaks.
Of course, saying that and doing it are two very different things. One look at the details shows why:
Mount Kineo summit –
3.8 miles, round trip, climbing 737 feet to an elevation of 1,450 feet.
Number Four Mountain summit –
3.3 miles, round trip, climbing 1,373 feet to an elevation of 2,890 feet.
Whitecap Mountain summit –
6.5 miles, round trip, climbing 1,909 feet to an elevation of 3,644 feet.
Eagle Rock summit –
6.3 miles, round trip, climbing 897 feet to an elevation of 2,290 feet.
Big Moose Mountain summit –
4 miles, round trip, climbing 1,647 feet to an elevation of 3,196 feet.
Borestone Mountain summit –
3.5 miles, round trip, climbing 962 feet to an elevation of 1, 923 feet.
Clearly, these hikes are not going to be knocked out in one day.
In fact, many hikers sketch out a week or even multiple dates to complete the challenge. One popular strategy is to pair up your Borestone and Number Four hikes, as well as Mount Kineo and Big Moose. Whitecap and Eagle Rock are hefty enough for their own days.
Earning Pinnacle Pursuit Badges
There are numerous rewards for achieving all six summits.
First and foremost, there is the reward of the experience itself. The hike, the views, and your personal sense of satisfaction and achievement. Priceless.
Then, of course, there are the bragging rights. A sense of pride you can share quite easily if you’re a registered Moosehead Pinnacle Pursuit member. That’s because registered members who complete the challenge receive official Pinnacle Pursuit patches and stickers commemorating the achievement.
In fact, there are a variety of Moosehead Pinnacle Pursuit achievements you can pursue.
Beyond the regular challenge, there’s also the Winter challenge. This involves reaching all six summits between January 1 and April 15 of the same year.
More extreme hikers can go for the Ultra challenge of hiking to all six summits in under 48 hours. Wow!
If you think that’s something? How about the Winter Ultra? That involves completing all six hikes within 48 hours between January 1 and April 15 of the same year. Now that’s an achievement!
Visit the Pinnacle Pursuit website for trail maps, the registration form, and other details. You can also find the challenge on Facebook.
Spend the day out exploring the endless natural beauty of the area, then head back to Lodge at Moosehead Lake for some well earned R&R. Perhaps a rejuvenating drink in the game room or a soak in your room’s jetted tub. Ahhhh, perfect!