Ragged Mountain

Town: Rockport-Camden
Length: 3.3 miles
Connects to: Spruce Mountain

The Ragged Mountain trail offers some of the steepest and most strenuous hiking in the midcoast region. The reward, however, is worth it. Ragged Mountain, rising up 1,200 feet, has an extensive, open summit supporting wild blueberry and fragile alpine flora.

From the rocky ledges along the ridgeline of Ragged Mountain, hikers are greeted with westerly vistas across the Georges River watershed all the way to Mt. Washington, the White Mountains, and Maine’s western mountains, while island-speckled Penobscot Bay lies to the east, with the Acadian and Downeast mountains framing the horizon.

Ragged Mountain is presently the focus of an ambitious conservation effort undertaken by our neighbor, Coastal Mountains Land Trust (CMLT). The Georges Highland Path intersects with the CMLT trails at several places offering significant additional miles of trail.

Trail Map

Download the printable map.

Directions to the Trailheads

There are five trailheads that hikers can use to access the Ragged Mountain area: Barnestown Road (north), two on Hope Street (west), Route 17 (south), and Hosmer Brook (east).

The Barnestown Road trailhead also serves the Bald Mountain Trail, a former section of the Georges Highland Path that is now maintained by CMLT. The parking lot here is 1,000 feet south of the intersection of Barnestown and Gillette Roads in Camden (see map).

The western trailheads, the Thorndike Brook Trail and Round the Mountain Trail, are on Hope Street in West Rockport. From the intersection of Routes 17 and 90 in West Rockport, travel 2.5 miles north on Route 17 and turn right onto Hope Street. Travel 0.5 miles to the parking lot on the right (see map). If the parking lot is full, continue on to the new Round the Mountain trailhead. A short way up this CMLT multipurpose trail is an intersection with the Thorndike Brook Trail.

The Route 17 trailhead also serves the Spruce Mountain and Mount Pleasant trails to the west of Ragged Mountain. The parking lot here is 2 miles north of the intersection of Routes 17 and 90 in West Rockport (see map).

Note: The Route 17 trailhead is our most popular launch point for hikers and as a result, parking is often difficult on summer days. If you want to hike Ragged during this time, we suggest using the Hope Street trailhead. It’s also an easier hike to the top from here!

The Hosmer Brook trailhead is located at the Camden Snow Bowl behind the lodge.

The corporate sponsors of the Georges Highland Path are critical to its success. Patronize them and say “thank you!”