Skip to main content

Quill Hill - Maine

Image
By


The 2,848-foot-high Quill Hill is located off Oddy's Road on ME 16 between Rangeley and Stratton, Maine. Boasting some of the best views of the mountains and landscape around northwestern Maine, there is a four-mile-long dirt road that leads from ME 16 to the summit. The drive is expected to take 12 minutes to get to the top. Once at the summit, you can encounter breathtaking views, hike, or even have a picnic. In fact, this may be the only scenic overlook that I know of that includes a wood-fired grill for your use. At the summit of Quill Hill, you can spot area landmarks such as the Rangeley Lakes, Saddleback Mountain, West and East Kennebago Mountains, Flagstaff Lake, and Mount Bigelow. Interpretive signs are in place to tell you the story of Quill Hill and what you can see in the surrounding landscape. On a clear day, you can even see into the border mountains of Canada. Quill Hill is the only mountain in Maine with a 360-degree view accessible by foot, automobile, bicycle, OHV, and motorcycle, and it includes a 4,000-foot accessible wheelchair path between the two scenic views. 


The road up to the summit of Quill Hill is the labor of love of the late Adrian Brochu, a Quebec native who spent most of his life in Maine and had a successful career in the lumber industry. Starting from 2010 until his death in 2019, Brochu built the road, trails, and overlook around Quill Hill, allowing public access for all to enjoy what he felt was one of the best views in Maine. While Brochu has since passed away, the land around Quill Hill has been permanently protected, allowing the public to continue to enjoy the scenic views for years to come. Thankfully, Brochu had the foresight that everyone should be able to enjoy visiting Quill Hill, and I think that is a great legacy to leave behind.


Access to Quill Hill is by donation and the road is open for auto traffic from late May through the middle of October, and accessible by hiking or skiing the rest of the year. I visited during the middle of the week on an overcast day in September, so Quill Hill was quiet, but I imagine it can be a bit busier during weekends and during the peak of the summer months. In a region that is full of great scenic vistas, such as the Height of Land near Rangeley, Quill Hill has great views that are not to be missed.


Already most of the way up Quill Hill. The road up to the summit is dirt and gravel, but can be easily navigable by any motor vehicle. There are also signs telling you how close you are to the top.

The top of Quill Hill is that way.

West and East Kennebago Mountains, looking west. Kennebago Lake is in view as well.

Looking towards Rangeley.

The road up Quill Hill goes right to the top.

Flagstaff Lake.

Unfortunately, the clouds were starting to settle in. By the time I got down the mountain and into Rangeley, Maine, it was raining hard.

Starting my descent down the mountain.

Adrian Brochu, the man who worked to bring the great views from Quill Hill to the public.



How to Get There:



Sources and Links:
Quill Hill - Breathtaking 360° Views
GlaszArt - Visiting Quill Hill in the Rangeley Area of Maine During the Fall
Walking With Dogs in Greater Newburyport - Quill Hill at Rangeley, Maine
The Nature Conservancy - Critical 13,640-Acre Section of Western Maine Protected
Ethan Allen Institute - The Story of Quill Hill
New England Fall Foliage - A View from Quill Hill in Maine
Maine By Foot - Quill Hill, Near Rangeley
Labels:
Location: Quill Hill, Maine 04983, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hawaii Route 8930

By
Hawaii Route 8930 is a 2.5-mile State Highway on the Island of O'hau.  Hawaii Route 8930 is aligned over Kualakai Parkway over the course of its entire alignment south from Interstate H-1 to Kapolei Parkway.  Hawaii Route 8930 is one of the newest Hawaii Routes only having been completed during 2010.   This page is part of the Gribblenation O'ahu Highways page.  All Gribblenation and Roadwaywiz media related to the highway system of O'ahu can be found at the link below: https://www.gribblenation.org/p/gribblenation-oahu-highways-page.html Part 1; the history of Hawaii Route 8930 The history of Hawaii Route 8930 is brief given it is a modern facility.  Hawaii Route 8930 and what was known as "North-South Road" were built to facilitate the developing areas of Kapolei on western O'ahu.  According to hawaiihighways.com the first stage of Hawaii Route 8930 was completed from Kapolei Parkway north to Farrington Highway as a four-lane highway during November...
Post a Comment
Read more

Madera County Road 607 and the Stockton-Los Angeles Road

By
Madera County Road 607 is an approximately seven-mile rural unsurfaced highway which spans from Road 600 near Raymond west to Road 29.   Road 607 west from Raymond Road Cemetery (established in 1905) is part of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road corridor surveyed in 1853. The corridor lies in the gap between Fresno Crossing at the Fresno River west to Newton's Crossing at the Chowchilla River. The Buchanan Copper Mine would be along what is now Road 607 in the namesake Buchanan Hollow during July 1863. The Buchanan Mine is thought to have once had a population of between 1,000-1,500 residents by the early 1870s. Copper prices would decline in the decade after the Civil War and much of the activity at Buchanan shifted towards cattle ranching. The last businesses in the community would shutter during World War II and it is now a true ghost town. Part 1; the history of Madera County Road 607 and the Stockton-Los Angeles Road What is now Road 607 was a component of the larger Sto...
Post a Comment
Read more

Old US Route 60/70 through Hell (Chuckwall Valley Road and Ragsdale Road)

By
Back in 2016 I explored some of the derelict roadways of the Sonoran Desert of Riverside County which were part of US Route 60/70; Chuckwalla Valley Road and Ragsdale Road. US 60 and US 70 were not part of the original run of US Routes in California.  According to USends.com US 60 was extended into California by 1932.  US 60 doesn't appear on the California State Highway Map until the 1934 edition. USends.com on US 60 endpoints 1934 State Highway Map Conversely US 70 was extended into California by 1934, it first appears on the 1936 State Highway Map. USends.com on US 70 endpoints 1936 State Highway Map When US 60 and US 70 were extended into California they both utilized what was Legislative Route Number 64 from the Arizona State Line west to Coachella Valley.  LRN 64 was part of the 1919 Third State Highway Bond Act routes.  The original definition of LRN 64 routed between Mecca in Blythe and wasn't extended to the Arizona State Line until 1931 acc...
3 comments
Read more