This trail starts on a fire road, near the Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery in Orland, Maine. The Capstone Trail veers off to the right after crossing a stream. The route is easily runnable, winding through birch and spruce trees and tops out on granite slopes on the Stuart Gross Trail, with views of the Penobscot Narrows, surrounding ponds and other hills on a clear day.
The Capstone Trail is groomed for mountain biking, with bermed switchbacks and a few jumps (fun for runners too!). Follow the Capstone Trail for about 1.7 miles up, keeping to the primary Capstone Train through two intersections with other loops before merging onto the Stuart Gross Trail. Follow the summit loop around the cap of the mountain, and then return via the same route back to the parking lot gate on the fire road. The total is 5.3 miles, though could vary slightly depending on the lines between rock cairns/blue paint blazes marking the granite top, and whether you decide to take the mountain bike jumps head-on or skirt around them.
This trail offers some quintessentially near-coastal Maine views and similar terrain, but is far less travelled than the mountains of nearby Acadia National Park.
Activities, Access & Maps | Great Pond Mountain Conservation Trust (greatpondtrust.org)
