If you've already worked your way through the Maine day-hike checklist, this is the list for what comes next. We ranked the state's hardest trails using a composite of difficulty tag (hard or expert), distance, and elevation gain, drawing from the 9,553 mapped Maine trails in our database. These ten routes are reserved for hikers with the gear, the navigation skills, and the honesty about their own limits to tackle them safely.
Maine's coast is famously rocky and indented; the interior holds the Mahoosucs, the Bigelow Range, and Mount Katahdin — the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. The 100-Mile Wilderness, the Mahoosuc Notch traverse, and a Presidential-Range-via-Mahoosuc linkup are Maine's defining tests. Hypothermia in shoulder seasons, blowdown after windstorms, and rapidly changing weather on Katahdin's exposed Tablelands.
Our rankings here are data-driven — pulled from the 9,553 mapped entries OutsideAtlas tracks in Maine — but the data has limits worth being honest about. A composite score weights expert and hard difficulty tags alongside total mileage and elevation gain. The result favors long, vertically aggressive routes with documented technical sections — there are surely tougher off-trail objectives in the state, but those are outside the scope of a trail directory.
The Ranking
Ranked from #1 to #10. Click through any entry for the full trail page — map, elevation profile, weather forecast, and direct OpenStreetMap source link.
#1. 42 La Chute à Bidoune
42 La Chute à Bidoune sits near Clayton Lake in Aroostook County and is rated expert — our pick for the toughest trail on the list. Expect ground surface on a expert-only grade. Local trail-association reports tend to agree this is one of the better-maintained options in the area, which matters more on a hike of this length than on a quick walk. The natural-surface tread can get slick after rain and muddy in spring — pick a dry weather window if you have the flexibility. Best attempted by hikers comfortable with long days, route-finding when the path gets faint, and weather that can turn fast. Not a casual outing. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the 42 La Chute à Bidoune trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#2. Knife Edge Trail
Knife Edge Trail sits near Millinocket in Piscataquis County and is rated expert — the #2 entry in a roster of hikes you don't take lightly. Tagged expert in OpenStreetMap. The route is well documented in OpenStreetMap, which is what put it on our radar — community-mapped routes tend to be the ones that get hiked enough to stay open. Best attempted by hikers comfortable with long days, route-finding when the path gets faint, and weather that can turn fast. Not a casual outing. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Knife Edge Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#3. Knife Edge Trail
Knife Edge Trail sits near Millinocket in Piscataquis County and is rated expert — the #3 entry in a roster of hikes you don't take lightly. Tagged expert in OpenStreetMap. It earns its ranking on the data, but trail conditions can change quickly after storms or fire seasons, so verify before you commit a full day. Best attempted by hikers comfortable with long days, route-finding when the path gets faint, and weather that can turn fast. Not a casual outing. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the Knife Edge Trail trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#4. 26 L'Érablière
26 L'Érablière sits near Clayton Lake in Aroostook County and is rated hard — the #4 entry in a roster of hikes you don't take lightly. Expect ground surface on a genuinely demanding grade. Compared to similar trails in Maine, this route trades difficulty for either solitude or scenery — sometimes both. The natural-surface tread can get slick after rain and muddy in spring — pick a dry weather window if you have the flexibility. Best attempted by hikers comfortable with long days, route-finding when the path gets faint, and weather that can turn fast. Not a casual outing. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the 26 L'Érablière trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#5. 29 La Zappa
29 La Zappa sits near Clayton Lake in Aroostook County and is rated hard — the #5 entry in a roster of hikes you don't take lightly. Expect ground surface on a genuinely demanding grade. What makes this one earn its spot on the list is the combination of mapped detail and the kind of through-and-through experience that justifies a longer drive. The natural-surface tread can get slick after rain and muddy in spring — pick a dry weather window if you have the flexibility. Best attempted by hikers comfortable with long days, route-finding when the path gets faint, and weather that can turn fast. Not a casual outing. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the 29 La Zappa trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#6. 29 La Zappa
29 La Zappa sits near Clayton Lake in Aroostook County and is rated hard — the #6 entry in a roster of hikes you don't take lightly. Expect ground surface on a genuinely demanding grade. Local trail-association reports tend to agree this is one of the better-maintained options in the area, which matters more on a hike of this length than on a quick walk. The natural-surface tread can get slick after rain and muddy in spring — pick a dry weather window if you have the flexibility. Best attempted by hikers comfortable with long days, route-finding when the path gets faint, and weather that can turn fast. Not a casual outing. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the 29 La Zappa trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#7. 29 La Zappa
29 La Zappa sits near Clayton Lake in Aroostook County and is rated hard — the #7 entry in a roster of hikes you don't take lightly. Expect ground surface on a genuinely demanding grade. The route is well documented in OpenStreetMap, which is what put it on our radar — community-mapped routes tend to be the ones that get hiked enough to stay open. The natural-surface tread can get slick after rain and muddy in spring — pick a dry weather window if you have the flexibility. Best attempted by hikers comfortable with long days, route-finding when the path gets faint, and weather that can turn fast. Not a casual outing. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the 29 La Zappa trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#8. 50 La Yable
50 La Yable sits near Clayton Lake in Aroostook County and is rated hard — the #8 entry in a roster of hikes you don't take lightly. Expect ground surface on a genuinely demanding grade. It earns its ranking on the data, but trail conditions can change quickly after storms or fire seasons, so verify before you commit a full day. The natural-surface tread can get slick after rain and muddy in spring — pick a dry weather window if you have the flexibility. Best attempted by hikers comfortable with long days, route-finding when the path gets faint, and weather that can turn fast. Not a casual outing. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the 50 La Yable trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#9. 60 La Pénélope
60 La Pénélope sits near Clayton Lake in Aroostook County and is rated hard — the #9 entry in a roster of hikes you don't take lightly. Expect ground surface on a genuinely demanding grade. Compared to similar trails in Maine, this route trades difficulty for either solitude or scenery — sometimes both. The natural-surface tread can get slick after rain and muddy in spring — pick a dry weather window if you have the flexibility. Best attempted by hikers comfortable with long days, route-finding when the path gets faint, and weather that can turn fast. Not a casual outing. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the 60 La Pénélope trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.#10. 61 La Demi-Lune
61 La Demi-Lune sits near Clayton Lake in Aroostook County and is rated hard — the #10 entry in a roster of hikes you don't take lightly. Expect dirt surface on a genuinely demanding grade. What makes this one earn its spot on the list is the combination of mapped detail and the kind of through-and-through experience that justifies a longer drive. The natural-surface tread can get slick after rain and muddy in spring — pick a dry weather window if you have the flexibility. Best attempted by hikers comfortable with long days, route-finding when the path gets faint, and weather that can turn fast. Not a casual outing. See full trail details, map, and current weather on OutsideAtlas for the most current information.
Open the 61 La Demi-Lune trail page →Map, elevation profile, current weather, and OSM source.Planning your Maine trip
A few pieces of context are worth keeping in mind specifically for Maine. Mid-June through early October — black flies in June, prime weather in late July and August, foliage in early October. Hypothermia in shoulder seasons, blowdown after windstorms, and rapidly changing weather on Katahdin's exposed Tablelands.
Always cross-reference the official land-manager page before driving out — closures, fire restrictions, and seasonal road access can change quickly. Our trail pages link directly back to the OpenStreetMap source so you can see the tags we're working from.
If you're new to hiking generally, our beginner's guide covers footwear, layering, and the day-pack basics. For safety planning on bigger objectives, the ten essentials guide is worth twenty minutes of reading.
More Maine hiking guides
If you found this useful, the rest of our Maine coverage continues below.
- Top 10 longest trails in Maine — Multi-day routes and through-hikes ranked by distance.
- Steepest trails in Maine — Hikes with the most elevation gain in the state.
- Best beginner hikes in Maine — Easy, well-marked trails for first-time hikers.
- Best national parks in Maine — Federal parks and recreation areas ranked.
- Best waterfall hikes in Maine — Trails leading to named falls, ranked by accessibility.
- Best dog-friendly hikes in Maine — Where leashed dogs are explicitly welcome.
- Best family hikes in Maine — Short, easy trails sized for kids and grandparents.
Rankings like this are starting points, not verdicts. Trail conditions change, new routes get tagged, and what was the toughest trail in Maine last year might not be next year. We refresh these articles when the underlying data shifts meaningfully.
Got a correction, a route we missed, or a question? Drop us a note via the contact page. We read every email and we'd rather hear it from you than miss it.
