Scheduled Hike: [updated August 12, 2025]
Peary Mountain
August 15, 2025
Peary Mountain – Allen Crabtree Memorial Hike
Peary Mountain (984 ft.), Brownfield. 3 mi – 1 1/2 hr RT, 584 ft. elevation gain. Trailhead is 1.3 miles up the Farnsworth Road off Rte 5 and 13 in Brownfield. 1/2 hr drive
AllTrails describes this hike as 3 miles in length (out and back) wit ha 606 foot elevation gain and suggests that it will take about 90 minutes to complete. Allen might have had a calculus to employ in predicting how much longer it might take the DMHs but I am unaware of the correction factor he would apply to make that calculation so let’s say an hour and a half give or take.
Peary Mountain (958 ft) in Brownfield, Maine, is named for Arctic explorer Admiral Robert E. Peary, Sr., a resident of neighboring Fryeburg from 1878 to 1879. The trailhead for this easy to moderate hike is located in Brownfield, Maine, off Route 113. The Maine Mountain Guide has a full description of this hike.
Follow Farnsworth Road about 1.3 miles from Route 113 to a small dirt/grass parking area on the right side of the road, just before a one-lane bridge over the Little Saco River. In the summer, this can also be reached from the west (Fryeburg) side, but the road can be closed in winter months.
The signpost and trail through the woods at the parking area appear inviting, but these are for snowmobile trails so cross Farnsworth Road and take a left into the woods just before the river (sign for Certified Family Forest). The quiet trail heads steadily uphill, turning from a woods road/snowmobile trail to a single track path (follow signs for summit) as it passes logging areas, and reaches the ledges facing the White Mountains. A well-placed stone slab bench surveys the panoramic view.
This is not, however, the summit. Continue down the path, which winds east to the summit and a viewpoint facing Pleasant Mountain, distinctive for its mass (and its two cell towers). The whole out-and-back hike is about 2.7 miles total, and can be completed in about an hour or so, longer with smaller kids (and we’ll see how long with older people if we remember to check the times when we depart and arrive).
[map from Alltrails]
A brief biography of Admiral Peary is posted on the website of the Admiral Perry Inn in nearby Fryeburg, Maine. https://www.admiralpearyinn.com/History.html
