Kelly Mountain
Location: Brighton Plantation, Maine
Mileage: 1.27 Miles
Elevation Gain: 341 Feet
Trail(s)Used: ATV Trail
Views: From Fire Tower Observation Deck
Difficulty: Easy/Moderate
Hiking List(s): Maine Town High Point
Day two of our mini-Maine weekend, and I’ve been looking forward to this hike since our last trip up here. The trickiest part was figuring out which of the many ATV trails in the area would get us there. After a tasty breakfast buffet and a quick stop at the local grocery store, we made our way to Amy’s dad’s camp. A quick look at the map later, we jumped on the ATV and set off toward Kelly Mountain.
Kelly Mountain, the tallest peak in Brighton Plantation, Maine, is part of the Longfellow Mountains.
Riding along one of the many ATV trails in the area, I noticed quite a few people out enjoying the beautiful weather today.
The end of the ATV road leads to the summit of Kelly Mountain, where we parked the ATV.
The hike up the ATV trail to the summit of Kelly Mountain was fairly easy, with clear signs of recent ATV activity and foot traffic along the way.
The ATV trail evens out as you arrive at the summit plateau of Kelly Mountain.
The wooded summit of Kelly Mountain, standing at 1,676 feet, sits right beside the fire tower.
The fire tower on Kelly Mountain, built in 1925, was probably around 40 feet tall, though I’m not certain. Its nearly vertical ladder made it one of the few towers that actually made me nervous to climb.
From just below the Kelly Mountain observation deck, the views stretch out to the north, west, and east. I couldn’t bring myself to go all the way up onto the deck.
Amy is walking down the 0.6-mile stretch of the ATV trail back to the car.
It was a fairly quick hike up and down with a short stop at the summit of Kelly Mountain. The fire tower here was one of the few that bested me, thanks to the nearly vertical climb to the observation deck. Most towers have stairs, handrails, and easier access, but this one had a small opening that left me wondering how to squeeze through and safely get my feet back on the iron rung ladder. I still made it as high as I could for some nice views. With rain clouds in the distance, we decided to hurry back down to the ATV, which had a cab to wait out the rain if needed. A nice little hike once you figure out where to start the trail.
