Hikes to Try: The Elephant in Winter

I am not sure how Maine’s Elephant Mountain (3,772 feet, located north of the village of Andover) got its name—the peak doesn’t resemble an elephant from any direction; there is nothing about it that offers tusk or a trunk; it is not noticeably burlier than other mountains in the northeast. The nearby Appalachian Trail skips Elephant Mountain, favoring Old Blue Mountain (3,600ft) to the south and Bemis Mountain (3,592ft) to the northeast, even though Elephant is higher than both and is part of the same general topographic crest. For sure, Old Blue and Bemis are more attractive as mountains go—Bemis has many open ledges along an extended ridgeline; Old Blue has a semi-open top. 

A winter wonderland of evergreen saplings on the thinned slopes of Elephant.

Elephant, on the other hand, just lurks, wooly with fir trees, hunching over its smaller neighbors. ​On that account alone it could very well be called Wooly Mammoth or just Mammoth. The mountain’s only claim to notoriety is its height—just enough to qualify for inclusion in New England's 100 highest peaks portfolio (at #98). If not for the list, the only people who might visit it would be foresters, loggers, hunters (none likely going as far as the summit), and an occasional wildlife biologist conducting research on Canada lynx or pine marten.

1915-1945 series USGS map showing Elephant and the old A.T. Route/ logging path up Clearwater Ravine (click image to enlarge). The elevations shown have since been revised.

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​Because the mountain is accessibly more broad than steep, it does see a lot of logging. Aerial imagery dating back to the 1950s shows ample evidence of timber harvests and haul roads on the mountain, and older topographic maps show trail routes that were plainly created for logging (before the Appalachian Trail was re-routed over Old Blue Mountain--1960s?--it followed such a path up the ravine of Clearwater Brook to the Elephant-Old Blue col).

Over the last twenty years or so there has been a succession of logging cuts on Elephant, upslope as high 3,600 feet, sparing only the skinny trees on the mountain’s crown. ​​The tree thinning has created some interesting glade views, better in winter when snow cover obscures the unsightly obstacle course of logging slash. The logging has also made the mountain very accessible: in the summer months (as of 2020), one can drive a mile up the haul roads before running into water bars and washouts, then by road on foot as far as 2,700 feet.​

Recent logging on the north side of Elephant.

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Skid trails continue further up the mountain, and from there several herd paths choices continue the rest of the way (the herd paths are tricky to parse in deep snow). In summer, the round-trip hike is 6-ish miles; in winter between 7 and 9 miles depending on approach. The primary logging road is located off South Arm Road, (a good gravel public way) about 8 miles north of Andover. ​

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Ascending via logging skidder trails.

Winter desolation: traversing a logging clearing at 3,600 feet.

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​I chose to do Elephant in winter when the evidence of logging was buried in deep snow and the thinned, frost-capped saplings made for idyllic, postcard scenery. It took me two trips: the first, a late-start solo, breaking trail through knee-deep and deeper snow to 3,400 feet, and the second (with a few friends) going the rest of the way. For the second trip, I brought my skis and made good time both up and down the logging roads. ​

A few friends celebrate reaching the summit of Elephant.

​There is a summit register cannister at the top (typical PVC pipe cylinder), and a small, hand-made sign. Dangling below the cannister are two rubber elephant trunks—which are (according to rumor) sometimes used as props in unwholesome smartphone selfies (we did not touch them, and neither should you).
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I enjoyed hiking Elephant and I hope you will, too. It is a good choice as an easier winter bushwhack when the higher trailed peaks are made inhospitable by subzero winds—or the crowds are too thick. 

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