French's Mountain Trail
- 0.8 mi
- loop
- 199 ft
- climb
- 761 ft
- high point
- Loop
- route
- May, Jul–Oct
- best months
French's Mountain Trail is a short loop on French Mountain in Maine, a non-governmental land unit about 0.8 miles long. The route reaches a high point of 761 feet, rising from a starting elevation of about 597 feet to that peak before dropping back close to the start. The climb is front-loaded, with the steepest stretch at about 0.5 miles, where the grade reaches 17 percent. Total elevation gain is 199 feet and total loss is 195 feet, so the round trip is nearly flat. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from the nearby New Sharon weather station put July highs around 79°F with lows near 57°F, and the station sits roughly 280 feet below the trail. September stays mild, with highs around 72°F and lows near 46°F. The trail sits within easy reach of other outings. Belgrade Lakes Bouldering is about 0.3 miles away, Sanders Hill Trail is 0.6 miles away, and Sanders Hill climbing is 0.8 miles away. Mt Philips is about 1.8 miles away.
- Belgrade Lakes BoulderingRock climbing0.3 mi
- Sanders Hill TrailHiking0.6 mi
- Sanders HillRock climbing0.8 mi
- The OutcropRock climbing1 mi
- Blaisdell TrailHiking1.2 mi
- Roxy Rand TrailHiking1.7 mi
- Mt PhilipsRock climbing1.8 mi
- Great Meadow StreamCanoeing5.2 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Lambert TrailHiking · ~3 min drivePhoto: Knightway, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Kennebec Highlands TrailHiking · ~3 min drivePhoto: Knightway, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- Whistle Stop TrailHiking · ~26 min drive
- Quill Hill TrailHiking · ~3 min drivePhoto: Knightway, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Round Top TrailHiking · ~5 min drivePhoto: Knightway, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- The Mountain TrailHiking · ~3 min drivePhoto: Knightway, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
- A-TrailHiking · ~5 min drivePhoto: Knightway, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
- Monataka LoopHiking · ~6 min drivePhoto: Knightway, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
- Mount Phillip TrailHiking · ~3 min drive
- McGaffey Mountain CrownHiking · ~6 min drivePhoto: Knightway, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Best time to visit French's Mountain Trail
Best months: May and July–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
27° / 7°
10 wet · 8 snow
Feb
30° / 9°
9 wet · 7 snow
Mar
39° / 18°
10 wet · 5 snow
Apr
52° / 30°
10 wet · 2 snow
May
65° / 42°
12 wet
Jun
73° / 51°
13 wet
Jul
79° / 57°
12 wet
Aug
78° / 55°
10 wet
Sep
72° / 46°
9 wet
Oct
57° / 36°
11 wet
Nov
44° / 25°
10 wet · 3 snow
Dec
33° / 15°
11 wet · 6 snow
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at New Sharon, ME, 5.7 mi away at 480 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Route details
- Distance
- 0.8 mi
- Climbing
- About 199 ft
- Summit
- 762 ft
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time
- About 0.5 hours
Questions about this route
How long is the French's Mountain Trail on French Mountain?
About 0.8 mi.
How much elevation gain is on the French's Mountain Trail?
About 199 ft of climbing round trip.
How hard is the French's Mountain Trail?
It is rated easy.
How long does the French's Mountain Trail take?
About 0.5 hours round trip.
Conditions and forecast on French Mountain
Daily highs and lows, wind and the chance of precipitation at the summit and route start for the next 7 days, from the Open-Meteo model.
Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors
