Hiking Mount Katahdin and the Infamous Knife Edge Trail in Maine
The wild Knife Edge Trail on Mount Katahdin draws adventurous hikers from all over to Maine’s highest mountain.
By Cathryn McCann|Sep 07 2021|
Coffee By Design | Portland, Maine
Photo Credit : Katherine KeenanPeople from near and far have heard of Mount Washington — the highest point in the Northeast, some of the strongest winds in the world, and mountain views that can leave even the staunchest of hiking skeptics breathless. But one state over and roughly 200 miles away, there stands a mountain that draws adventurers from all over to the rural back roads of Maine, the lush forests of Baxter State Park, and trails that are more like a game of rocky hopscotch. It’s a mountain that has been standing tall for over 400 million years, shaped and sculpted by glaciers, and whose Penobscot name means “greatest mountain.” It’s Mount Katahdin, the centerpiece of 235,000-acre Baxter State Park in north-central Maine and, as the highest mountain in the state (5,267 feet), one of the great pinnacles of New England hiking.
Photo Credit : Cathryn McCann
Mount Katahdin and the Knife Edge Trail
The beauty of Katahdin does, of course, make it a very popular destination. If you’re hiking for the day and not staying at the park overnight, there are multiple trailheads at which to park and begin the hike, all of which require online reservations (parking areas are capped at a certain number of vehicles). Maine residents can reserve a spot anytime after April 1; nonresidents up to two weeks before the hike. Each reservation must be presented at the entrance gate on the morning of your hike. Reservations are held until only 7 a.m., so plan on arriving early and waiting in a line of cars during peak season.
Not sure where to reserve a spot? It all depends on which hiking route you plan to take. You can access the Helon Taylor and Chimney Pond trails from the Roaring Brook Campground, the Abol Trail from the Abol Campground, and the Hunt Trail from the Katahdin Stream Campground.
Our route: Roaring Brook Campground parking, up the Helon Taylor Trail to Pamola Peak, across Knife Edge Trail to Baxter Peak, down Saddle Trail to Chimney Pond Trail and back to the parking area. Four trails, nine miles, two peaks.
Photo Credit : Cathryn McCann
The Helon Taylor Trail (blue blazes) starts out as a classic moderate trail with several areas of climbing. Once you break the tree line, however, it quickly becomes very rocky, requiring careful footing and some hands-and-knees scrambling. The 3.2-mile trail with 3,413 feet of elevation gain is rated as “very strenuous,” and it should not to be attempted in bad weather due to its level of exposure.
After a steep climb up sometimes-loose rocks and boulders, the Helon Taylor Trail eventually leads to Pamola Peak, the first peak before you head across the Knife Edge Trail to the summit of Katahdin.
Photo Credit : Cathryn McCann
Although only 1.1 miles in length with an elevation gain of 365 feet, the Knife Edge Trail is a very technical hike in fully exposed conditions. Hikers are advised not to leave the ridge once they’ve started, and to traverse it in only one direction (due to its level of difficulty and the length of time it takes one-way). From Pamola Peak, the hike begins with a steep descent down jagged boulders, followed by an equally steep ascent — more of a tactical climb than hiking, really — before flattening out into a narrow, rolling ridge of rocks.
Photo Credit : Cathryn McCann
The traverse across Knife Edge is relatively tough and requires focus and agility. Some spots are as narrow as four feet, with 2,000-foot drops on either side. Proper equipment, weather preparedness, and good decision-making are necessities.
Photo Credit : Cathryn McCann
If you’re prepared and careful, however, the 360-degree view of the incredible rocky trail and inner basin are sights worth seeing.
Photo Credit : Cathryn McCann
Inching across a mile of loose boulders in pursuit of a beautiful summit is an experience worth having.
Photo Credit : Cathryn McCann
And making it across, being able to look back at what you just did and at the seemingly tiny world below, is a feeling worth having.
Photo Credit : Cathryn McCann
Depending on the season and time of day, there can be quite a crowd at the summit of Mount Katahdin, all eager to take photos with the 5,267-foot summit sign. It’s possible you’ll even meet folks completing the incredible 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail thru-hike, as Mount Katahdin is the final destination on that route after the Hundred-Mile Wilderness.
While not quite as rough, the rockiness of the hike does not ease up after summiting Baxter Peak. It’s possible to descend to the Chimney Pond Trail and Roaring Brook Campground via either the Saddle Trail or Cathedral Trail. Saddle is longer, but not quite as steep, and has loose-rock terrain. Cathedral is very steep with tough terrain, but a shorter distance. Either one takes about the same amount of time to connect to Chimney Pond.
Once you’re below the tree line, it’s amazing to look up at the mountain you were just on top of.
Photo Credit : Cathryn McCann
And once you reach the Chimney Pond Trail, the hiking eases up considerably, with flatter terrain and lovely bridges.
Photo Credit : Cathryn McCann
Be sure to take a moment to check out Roaring Brook, with its beautiful stones and boulders and incredibly clear water.
Photo Credit : Cathryn McCann
If You Go:
- Be prepared. Much of the Mount Katahdin hike is in maximum exposure and the weather can change quickly, so be sure to have at least two quarts of water, a working flashlight, durable hiking boots, rain gear and extra clothing, a detailed map, high-energy foods, and first-aid supplies.
- Plot out your itinerary ahead of time: Decide on your route, and make your Baxter State Park camping or parking reservations.
- Get an early start. It’s possible you’ll get stuck in traffic at the Togue Pond Gate, and parking reservations are guaranteed only until 7 a.m.
- Check the mountain’s weather on the day and the night before your trip, and talk to the ranger before leaving on your hike. He or she will have the best insight on the daily weather and trail conditions.
Photo Credit : Cathryn McCann
Lodging Options:
- Staying at one of the campgrounds in Baxter State Park will get you closest to the trails on the day of your hike.
- The New England Outdoor Center is about a 45-minute drive from the park and offers a range of cabins and lodges to stay in, plus plenty of other outdoor activities and a view of Millinocket Lake and Mount Katahdin.
- In downtown Millinocket, about an hour away from the park, you’ll find a number of inns, cabins, lodges, camping, and bed-and-breakfasts.
Photo Credit : Cathryn McCann
Have you ever hiked Mount Katahdin? Tell us about it!
This post was first published in 2017 and has been updated.
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I’ve been up the mountain twice, once via the Knife Edge. Easily the most challenging hike I’ve done, (coupled with Huntington Ravine on MW). Mentally challenging as well as physical, I spent several instances at points where I could straddle the ridge and ponder what I was trying to prove. The cleft off of Pamola is no joke, going down or up out of it. I lost a few toenails once it was all said and done, and was sunburned to a crisp. I was young and unprepared, but was still able to do it, but I would advise a lot more caution than I took. Cheers!
My wife and I have hiked every four thousand foot mountain in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. We have also climbed Katahdin three times with the
3rd being via the Knife Edge. Without a doubt, traversing the Knife Edge was one of the most mentally and physically intense experience of my life. Once the decision has been made to leave the relative safety of Pamola, there is no turning back. While I am not necessarily afraid of heights, I do not welcome the thought of falling great distances which is why every hand and foot placement required quite a bit of thought. The weather on our fateful day started out with crystal blue skies but quickly turned to fifty foot visibility with an estimated 30 mph cross winds as a front moved in from the east. Nonetheless, we cautiously inched our way across the entire Knife edge and arrived safely at Baxter Peak by 11:10 after a 5:30 departure from Roaring Brook Campsite. After lunch, we departed Baxter Peak and returned to Roaring Brook via the Saddle and Chimney Pond trails. Am I glad we did it? Yes! Will I ever do it again? Not anytime soon.
Things I learned: Even after chugging a liter of electrolyte water before the hike and hauling 2 additional liters up the mountain, that was not enough. Had it not been for a trickle of water on the Saddle Trail descent and our ever present Sawyer
water filter we could have been in fairly serious trouble. Also, hiking in Baxter is very different than say, the White Mountains as everything seems to take much longer than one would think. Our typical 2 mph average speed was reduced to .9 mph which was both humbling and also why we underestimated the amount of water that we should have brought. Would I recommend it? Sure, but if you’re a typical type”B” person like me, for your own safety, be prepared for a long, intense day that you will be talking about long after you return home.
Our family of 5, 13 yo boy the youngest in our party, hiked to the summit via the Hunt Trail a few years ago. I really enjoyed the classic New England hike – starting out in the woods on nicely sloped trails, to be greeted by more and more boulders before exiting the trees, then, WHAM, you step out of the trees facing a rock face requiring you to use a re-bar and your hands and feet to get up it. It’s just a couple of steps, but it is surprising. The rest of the way up is all rocks and boulders, a couple of other hand holds, and with some dirt trail sections until you get to within ~1 mile of the official summit, where it turns into a nice gradually sloping trail to finish off the 5.2 mi. For a while before you hit that rock and exit the trees and after that, it’s very much a rock scramble, and I really enjoyed rock hopping, especially on the way back down. Unfortunately, my wife had a different opinion and was ready to throw me off the mountain! She’s not as comfortable jumping from rock to rock, billy goat-style. In the end, and a week or so later, she said she was glad she did it, but was glad this was the last of our peak topping that vacation. It took us around 10 hours, including a 30 min or so lunch at the top. I highly recommend this hike, maybe a bit better than the Tuckerman’s Trail we had done 2 days earlier on Mt Washington, though they are all so different. (Wife wasn’t so happy with that hike, either!)
!! Make sure you are either camping in the park or get there *before* 7am. We got in line, 5th car back, at 6:57am, but didn’t get to the ranger’s station until 7:03, i.e. late! Fortunately, he let us in and we got one of the last parking slots at the campground.
Oh, and if you are from out of town, the grocery store in Millonocket (sp?) has these chocolate cake doughnuts in a bag that are just killer! Get a bag for the trip…or at least for breakfast in the car on the way there!
I grew up in the distant shadow of MT Katahdin. I did not climb it until I was 45 years old. I made seven more trips over the next 5 or 6 years and Summited 5 times including two trips across knifes edge. My favorite is Roaring Brook to Chimney pond, up Catherdral to the Summit, across knifes edge and down Helton Taylor. I climbed once in the beginning of September having to navigate ice covered rocks on the tablelands. The friends and family made these trips some of my favorite time spent anywhere. Katahdin is a great challenge but it is so much more than just another hike. It is very special and I recommend it to anyone who wants to see Maine’s untouched beauty. I still hike the many trails available to me in mid-coast Maine but I always dream about my next trip to Katahdin.
I climbed Mt Katadin back in 68 or69 with my CT Girlscout troop. The first day we climbed to the second lake. Next day we climbed to the top. There were so many clouds we could not see anything. We decided to shorter route which was very rocky. I did cut open my leg to a loose rock. We made it back to camp just in time for a very bad thunderstorm. Great experience. Glad I did it.
Thanks for the tips on hiking the mountain! I hiked on Monday 8/5/19 with my best friends Will and Pete. We woke up in our campsite near the park at 5:00, leaving at 5:30 to arrive around 6:00, then started our hike at about 7:15 and ended at about 4:40. The crystal clear waters of Roaring Brook made for a great water source (treated) and we brought about 2.5 liters apiece. This hike was very difficult and I think there was only one other group that did the same hike. It is possible to hike in the opposite direction; although the chimney at Pamola Peak seemed like it would’ve been very difficult from the opposite direction, there was a mother-son duo that were doing just that as we arrived. When we eventually summitted the mountain, we couldn’t decide if we should take the easy way (Saddle) as the article suggests, or go down Cathedral. We opted for the far more challenging Cathedral route as we simply didn’t want to walk uphill anymore. Down climbing on loose rocks is no fun, especially if you brace yourself on one of the seemingly stable rocks! having done both Cathedral and Knife Edge, I would recommend either doing one or the other. They are equally scary, although Cathedral takes way more time to climb.
Hands down, one of my favorite places on the planet. I’ve climbed it a handful of times with various friends over the years, in a variety of weather and going up and down via the many combinations of foot paths. The first time I climbed Katahdin, the hike was an afterthought. We were in Millinocket to go white water rafting and camping. I was hooked after the first climb and have returned to Baxter State Park different times. I’ve enjoyed it no matter what challenges the mountain and weather have thrown at us. Knife’s Edge in my 20’s…no problem. Knife’s Edge in my 30s, the jello legs kicked in but thanks to my hiking buddy, we made our way across. Nothing beats the view from that summit that I can think of in the NE USA or Atlantic Canada.
This is a great article. Katahdin is a tough hike. Crossing the Knife Edge and descending Cathedral makes it even tougher. Congratulations to the author for her accurate description. I have hiked neither Helon Taylor nor the Knife Edge and do not intend to do so with my 78th birthday coming up next month. So i was very pleased to do the hike vicariously thanks to this article. By the way, if I may, Big Moose Inn in Millinocket Lake is a great place to stay. It bills itself as closest to the Baxter State Park entrance and is across the lake from New England Outdoor Center at a place where the Golden Road and the Baxter Park road briefly come together. Also at the same location are cabins, a campground, a store, and white water rafting excursions. Thanks again for a wonderful article.
Once while doing the knife edge, with my two sons, my younger son tried to hide his fear by just soldiering. However, when the top ends of his frame back kept getting jammed on the rock overhangs and he tried to muffle his sobs, I realized that my enthusiasm might have just crossed the line. I worried that my wife would be angry if she found out. She never did.
I’ve hiked Kahtadin four times by 3 routes. First 3 with a friend my hiking equal or more and at around 30 yrs old not hard, but challenging. A few years later now in our 40s I agree to my girlfriends wish to climb it. With Mt. Marcy & Washington behind her, I agree forgetting Kahtadin is in a different league. I had done knife edge twice both ways in a single previous hike. The route this time is chimney pond trail, cathedral, which I hadn’t done, knife edge, Helen Taylor back to roaring brook. Finally meeting her match we don’t get to Baxter Peak until 4pm. She’s now exhausted. we are the only ones on the mountain everyone having left to make it down before dark. Realizing later I should have returned by saddle trail and chimney pond I decide the shortest way is the original plan across knife edge, except my girlfriend isn’t going to be up to it. I’ve made knife edge in an hour and a half so I figure if it takes 2 we still have 3 hours of light to make it back to the car. It took an agonizing 4 and now it’s 8pm and I know we aren’t going to make it. The parking lot will be closed and locked and the ranger is going to see our car and realize we are not back. He knows our route but being nightime doesn’t send anyone to look for us. Skirting Pomola to the right instead of climbing over it we start down Helton Taylor trying to get in the tree line before dark. There we laid down on the trail till sun up and now rejuvenated but little sleep my girlfriend and I start in. Luckily it’s July 17 and we didn’t get too cold having sufficient gear. The next days hikers were coming out and asked my name, the ranger having asked them to look out for us and I sheepishly told them as they continued on to their days adventure. With a breakfast and sixteen hrs of sleep a more serious situation had been avoided with a story told many times. And lessons learned. Beware of Kahtadin!
Reading a book about the AT and investigating Knife Edge. Are you saying it once took you 1.5 hours to go 1.1 miles and it took you and your girlfriend 4 hours?! Part of me wants to do the AT someday, but that thing look terrifying! Ps: great story!
It took 4 hours because she was exhausted. Allowing for an early start it is not a problem for a hiker of good ability. I’ve watched people’s videos of crossing Knife Edge and none equal the experience of being there. There are a few spots where utmost care is necessary. Crossing the narrow arete after (or before depending) Pomola is the hardest part requiring some rock climbing and balance ability.
P.S. I always had great weather. If weather looks bad though turn around and head in.
This is a GREAT hiking story! Certainly makes for an unforgettable experience, and goes to the point to be prepared for anything when hiking. Thanks so much for sharing. Now to make sure that my wife never sees this…
Yes, I climbed Katahdin twice. The first time started the day after I graduated from Saugus High School (MA) in 1950. Four of us drove there and spent a few days camping at a lean-to shelter at Chimney Pond. In those days you had to get written permission from the Great Northern Paper Co. to cross the Ripogenis (?) Dam, which I had done. We climbed to the summit and navigated the Knife Edge.
The second time was at the end of our summer college vacation, in 1952. I and a few classmates from Bowdoin again sheltered at Chimney Pond, climbed to the summit (timed to arrive just before sunrise, which we did), and again did the Knife Edge. Wonderful old memories.
My wife and I hiked Mount Katahdin twice – first over Labor Day weekend in 1977 (both in our early 20’s) and second in October 2014 (37 years later – you can do the math on our ages!) First time – Roaring Brook to Cathedral to Baxter Peak to Knife Edge to Pamola Peak to Helon Taylor Trail. Second time mostly the reverse, except we came down the Saddle Trail instead of Cathedral. The first time we started at about 6 a.m. and returned by dusk. The second time we started about 7 a.m. and didn’t get back until 11 p.m. – thank goodness for headlamps. A kind ranger met us on the way back and lent us a flashlight to improve the visibility of the trail (better than the headlamps!) Oddly enough, I am not particularly comfortable with heights that have sheer dropoffs but I didn’t find the Knife Edge all that scary. Most of the edges are very steep but not sheer. The boulder hopping on the Knife Edge can be daunting for someone who doesn’t have good balance, and that’s why it often takes so long to complete. But it’s an incredibly scenic trail and great fun to hike. The most difficult section is the notch just after Pamola Peak (or just before, depending on your direction). It requires a bit of true climbing and some skill in finding footholds – especially if you have short legs. It’s definitely a very special, memorable trail.
I climbed katahdin when I was 13 and every time after when a sibling (4) turned 13. Exhilarating and difficult but not too hard. Spent a lot of time inching along on the knife edge on my rear. I would not do it again because of all the people on the trail.
I hiked Katahdin twice, once up the knife edge and the other time up the Abol trail. Both hikes were pretty tough, but the knife edge for me was intense. Lots of exposure. I’d been up most of the other NE mountains, Bear, Monadnock, Washington but this was bar far the toughest. Lost some toenails due to some ill-fitting socks as well. But, I’m glad I did it.