Tumbledown and Little Jackson via Parker Ridge Trail

This hike starts at the Brook Trail trailhead off of Byron Road, ME. Two trails diverge from this trailhead. Take the Little Jackson Connector trail, marked with blue blazes, 1.1 miles to the next junction. This is the junction with Parker Ridge Trail. You can take Parker Ridge 1.8 miles to Tumbledown Pond, if desired. To reach Little Jackson, continue 0.1 miles past this junction, crossing a creek to reach an old logging/tote road. Take a sharp left onto this road. There is a small rock staircase and sign at this turn. The brown metal sign that noted this trail was stolen two years ago. Travel 1.2 miles, following blue blazes, to the junction with Pond Link Trail on the left. Continue slightly right on the Little Jackson Mountain Trail 1.4 miles to the summit. Little Jackson Trail is amply marked with blue blazes and carins. From this point, despite what this map indicates, you must backtrack down to the Pond Link junction. There has not been an officially maintained trail that links Little Jackson and Tumbledown for at least a decade. Any “trails” followed between the Little Jackson and Tumbledown peaks should be treated as a bushwhack with requisite navigational skills. Once back at Pond Link, take this blue blazed connector trail 1.1 miles to Tumbledown Pond. From the pond, continue 0.6 miles on Tumbledown Mountain Trail to the junction with Loop Trail. Proceed past this junction 0.2 miles, following blue blazes, to the summit. Retrace your steps back to the pond. At this point you have the option of returning via Brook Trail (1.8 miles), or Parker Ridge and Little Jackson Connector (1.8 and 1.1 miles respectively) back to the trailhead and parking.