Needle and Leaf Trail
- 0.5 mi
- round trip
- 140 ft
- climb
- 186 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Aug–Oct
- best months
Needle and Leaf Trail is a short, easy hike in Maine's Hirundo Wildlife Refuge, managed by a non-governmental organization. The trail is about half a mile long, with a total climb of about 140 feet, and it makes a quick out-and-back from the low point at 132 feet to the high at 186 feet. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Old Town run to highs around 79°F in July, with lows in the mid-50s. Winters are cold, with January highs near 27°F. Several other trails start close by. Trappers Trail is about 0.1 mile away, Beech Trail about 0.2 mile, and Lady Slipper Trail about 0.4 mile. For winter, the Kirkland Connector cross-country ski trail is about 5.6 miles away.
Local outfitters
- Northeast Whitewater48 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
- Trappers TrailHiking0.1 mi
- Beech TrailHiking0.2 mi
- Hemlock TrailHiking0.3 mi
- Lady Slipper TrailHiking0.4 mi
- Thornplum TrailHiking0.6 mi
- Field to Forest TrailHiking0.6 mi
- Wabanaki TrailHiking0.7 mi
- Kirkland ConnectorCross-country skiing5.6 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
East / West LoopHiking · ~15 min drivePhoto: Dave Kleinschmidt, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)- Beech TrailHiking · Next door
- Newport/Dover-Foxcroft Rail TrailHiking · ~43 min drive
- Stillwater River TrailHiking · ~14 min drive
- Hemlock TrailHiking · Next door
- Scutaze TrailHiking · ~45 min drive
- North Buzzy Brook TrailHiking · ~17 min drive
- Lady Slipper TrailHiking · Next door
- Interconnected Trail System 84Hiking · ~19 min drive
- White Pine TrailHiking · Next door
Best time to visit Needle and Leaf Trail
Best months: August–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° / 6°
13 wet
Feb
31° / 8°
11 wet
Mar
39° / 19°
12 wet
Apr
52° / 30°
13 wet
May
65° / 41°
14 wet
Jun
73° / 50°
13 wet
Jul
79° / 56°
13 wet
Aug
78° / 53°
11 wet
Sep
70° / 46°
10 wet
Oct
57° / 36°
12 wet
Nov
44° / 27°
12 wet
Dec
34° / 16°
14 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Old Town 2 W, ME, 5.6 mi away at 127 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors
