Pleasant Mountain – the Perfect Perch for Viewing the Hills and Lakes of Western Maine

Summer Visitors Enjoy Historic Waterford Flat and Keoka Lake
July 6, 2009
Cruising on the Songo River Queen to the Songo Locks in Naples, Maine
July 9, 2009

Pleasant Mountain – the Perfect Perch for Viewing the Hills and Lakes of Western Maine


Maine lakefront real estate buyers are finding out what area hikers have known for a long time – you can see a lot of great lakefront real estate (and other nice vistas) from the higher reaches of Pleasant Mountain.
At 2006 feet, Pleasant Mountain, the tallest mountain in western Maine, overlooks Moose Pond, Beaver Pond, Long Pond and more. Trails include Bald Peak in Bridgton, The Ledges and Southwest Ridge Trail in Denmark and the Fire Wardens Trail in Fryeburg.
Thanks to the work of Loon Echo Land Trust, the trails are well-marked. Trail maps are available at kiosks.
What many people don’t realize when they get to the top of Pleasant Mountain and enjoy the views, is that in 1845 Caleb Warren constructed a crude shelter on Green Pinnacle, the peak where the defunct fire tower stands.
In 1850, Joseph Sargent purchased Warren’s twenty acres and converted the building to a bowling alley. He also built a 2-story hotel, which opened on June 25, 1850. Visitors were met at Plummer’s Landing on Long Lake where they’d arrived via steam boat. They were taken by carriage to the base of the mountain and could either climb or ride up.
Sargent’s hotel was destroyed by fire in 1860. Caleb Warren regained the land and in 1872 he sold it to Charles Gibbs, who built a hotel for 20 guests. The grand opening was on July 4, 1873. Carter’s Band of Boston performed and over 300 guests attended.
In 1881 the hotel closed, but was reopened in 1901 as the Pleasant Mountain Hotel Company, Inc. The completely renovated hotel included a telephone. Due to high costs and vandalism, the hotel closed in 1904. John Pike of East Fryeburg purchased the buildings in 1908. After tearing them down, he used the lumber for construction on his farm.The 48-foot fire tower was erected by the Maine Forestry Commission in 1920 and was manned until 1992.
By the 1930s, adventurous locals had scouted out the skiable slopes, which were cow pastures at the time. Bridgton Academy students and town residents cut the first crude skiing trails in 1936. The following year, Roosevelt’s Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) cleared the Jack Spratt trail from top to bottom. The rest is local skiing history.
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