RESTIGOUCHE UPLANDS
Mount Carleton Provincial (Outdoor Enthusiasts! will be there Labour Day Weekend), in N.B. Atlas Area Number 24, has 7 trails, 45 km. total, 1.8 km. to 9 km. that range from easy to difficult. Rugged and beautiful wilderness. Be prepared, bring a portable stove if backpacking. Register before hiking and camping. Hike up 4 mountains including Mount Carleton, highest in the Maritimes. Tumbling waterfalls, beaver ponds, brooks, huge trees, fresh berries, lots of wildlife. Trail guide and map available from Tourism N.B.
Sugarloaf Provincial Park (Outdoor Enthusiasts! were there Canada Day Weekend in 2007), in N.B. Atlas Area Number 6, has 20 km. of easy to moderate walking trail. Five cross-country ski trails that are great walking trails. It has wonderful forests, streams and lakes. Magnificent view from top of Sugarloaf Mountain.
The Charlo Dam Loop Hiking Trail, in N.B. Atlas Area Number 7, is 6.2 km. in length. It is easy to moderate. This trail is described in the "Apppalachian Highlands" section of "A Hiking Guide to New Brunswick" by Marianne Eiselt and H.A. Eiselt. Make sure you have the latest edition because this hike has changed since the first edition. Take Highway 11 to exit for Charlo. You take Morris Street toward the Charlo Airport. When you see the premises of the airport get on Charlo Dam Road. Follow this road 1.3 km. to a Stop Sign. Turn left and immediately right at a sign saying "Adventure Charlet." There is parking for more than 2 dozen vehicles. Pass the small cabin and walk down the wide dirt road to the chalet of an outdoor club. Continue past the main house and a few smaller building. The trail keeps the Charlo River to its left and passes a cascading mountain brook to its right. The trail crosses Charlo River on a bridge and turns immediately to the right. The waterfall created by a dam is worth a picture or two. The loop starts here. The loop is made up of two loops each 2.5 km. Keep track of your distance. Because the trail is hard to read for the second loop back to where you started. From time to time leaves of the trees make it hard to see the 2.5 marker for the second half. If you miss the marker, you could end up going straigh and end up in bear country. After you get off the main ski trail you will come to a powerline road along a power line. This area has a lot of bears and lots of deer. If you end up on the powerline road, go back the way you came until you come to the sign showing you two trails 2.5 km. Take either one of these trails and it will get you back to the start of the loop. It would be a good idea to carry the "New Brunswick Atlas" and "A Hiking Guide to New Brunswick" in your backpack. Having someone in the group who has a GPS and knows how to use it would be a great idea for all our hikes.
The trail to Squaw Cap Mountain from highway 17 is not marked. If you are driving from Edmundston, you will see a sign saying "Squaw Cap Mountain" on your right. After that look to your left for a rock cut with a wall to keep rocks from falling on the highway. At the end of that wall you will see an all-terain vehicle trail on your right. If you come to another rock cut stop because you just passed the trail to Squaw Cap Mountain. The trail is on your right while the two rock cut walls are on your left. If you are driving from Campbellton the trail is on your left while the two rock cut walls are on your right. If you are driving from Campbellton, you will not see a sign saying "Squaq Cap Mountain" on your left or right because there is no sign.
When you come to the Upsalquitch River on highway 17 you take the Robinsonville road south to the TransCanada Trail. From the TransCanada Trail going north you can leave it at two trail exits to get to Squaw Cap Mountain. Both exits are about 14 km. to Squaw Cap Mountain. However, these exits are about 12 kms. from each other on the TransCanada Trail. When in this area do the trail of twenty bridges that cross the Upsalquitch River. Great river for boating or fishing. It is really a great place if you like the outdoors and want to correct with nature.
Finding your Pace -
Those who make hiking a regular event in their lives, soon learn they have a certain pace that they are most comfortable with. Hiking in groups can often be fun. But, if there are many varying paces, the hike can become a logistical nightmare, and even dangerous, if it leads to stragglers getting lost or left behind for some reason. Group hikes should be organized so that all hikers can be accounted for at all times. If this is not possible, it is better to just hike only with those whose pace is compatible.
