Tucked into the western mountains of Franklin County, Four Ponds is a 6,018-acre stretch of Maine backcountry that rewards those willing to earn their views. The park takes its name from the chain of remote ponds — Long Pond, Round Pond, Sabbath Day Pond, and Moxie Pond — scattered through dense spruce-fir forest and connected by sections of the Appalachian Trail.

This is not a drive-up-and-picnic kind of place. Four Ponds draws hikers, backpackers, and anglers looking for genuine solitude in one of New England’s least-trafficked wildlands. The AT corridor running through the property offers multi-day backpacking with lean-to shelters along the route, and the ponds themselves hold native brook trout that pull fly fishers back year after year.

In summer, the hiking is outstanding — expect rocky ridgeline trails with views across the Rangeley Lakes region and down into the Saddleback range. Fall brings some of Maine’s most vivid foliage with far fewer crowds than Acadia or Baxter. Moose sightings are common near the pond edges at dawn and dusk.

Winter access is limited, and the area sees heavy snowfall, making late June through early October the practical visiting window. Trails can be muddy through mid-June during mud season.

Come prepared with maps, water filtration, and layers — cell service is nonexistent and the nearest services are in Rangeley or Phillips. Four Ponds is backcountry Maine at its most honest: quiet, rugged, and completely worth the effort.

Explore Nearby

• Columbia Bridge — Covered Bridge in New Hampshire
• Columbia Bridge — Covered Bridge in Vermont
• Ladies Delight Light — Lighthouse in Maine
• White Mountain National Forest — National Forest in New Hampshire, Maine
• White Mountain Trail — Scenic Byway in New Hampshire