Long, easy, lightly used pondside and summit trail built by CCC in 1936. Trail begins at pumping station at southern end of Long Pond and runs along pond approximately 15 feet from water's edge with picturesque views of pond and Beech Mountain for a mile before turning west to begin ascent through ravine up Western Mountain. The route passes the Perpendicular Trail (#119), an unmarked summit trail (#631) amd Deep Creek logging road (#601) before ending at the Western Mountain Trail (#120). Tread along pond is gravel and 3'-5' wide and becomes 2'-3' when trail begins to ascend slope and becomes less constructed. Historic construction includes coping stones and nearly 8000 feet of original retaining wall - relatively short in some places - with irregular piled appearance. There are also NPS open and CCC closed culverts and ditching on uphill side. Trail has a variety of wooden bridges, recent bogwalk with stepping stones, and a 1993 stone causeway built by NPS (but adhering to CCC style). Smaller CCC corduroy bridges have been replaced with NPS bogwalk bridges that are out of character. LH, SB, MB
Historical Context
In a progress report dated Progress report November 1935, the parks landscape architect, B. L. Breeze reports, "this pathway has been subgraded for a distance of one and three quarters miles long as the crow flies. There is a Center trail that passes between Hodgon and Seal Cove Ponds, and passes east to the Pretty Marsh Trail, the latter a north and south route passing over the eastern peak of Western Mountain parallels with Long Pond. We expect to swing west from the shore of Long Pond with our present work....with the object of striking the north and south to the Pretty Marsh Trail where it is now intersected by the east and west Center trail. (CCC records, National Archives).A report, dated December 27, 1935 states, "the Great Pond trail has now reached the point , near the northern toe of Western Mountain, where it seems advisable to turn inland. By skirting the toe, climbing gradually and eventually heading south up the side of a rather steep valley, a good connection can be made not only to the Center (Seal Cove Pond) Trail, but also to an old trail which was started down this valley from the summit. Work will continue along this route as long as weather permits" (CCC records, National Archives).A report, possibly 1936 states, "The Great Pond trail now runs 8,600 feet along the shore of the pond from its start near the pumping station. Even the small amount of gravel needed to cover the rock base is difficult to obtain at present, and a large part of the work cannot be completed until colder weather permits the hauling of material over the ice" (CCC records, National Archives).A letter dated May 20, 1936 from B. l. Breeze to T. C. Vint indicates that work is continuing on the Great Pond Foot Trail and that gravel is being spread on completed portions.CCC records, from the 1930s describe work on the "Western Mountain Trail - This trail project originated with the beginning of the last quarter, and as mentioned in the description of the trout pool area, is so located as to form a natural outlet from that area. In the total of about five-eighths of a mile of completed trail an elevation of some 500 feet above the pond has been attained, giving splendid mountain, pond, and sea views."Six photographs show the following views: 1) the beginning of the trail from Great Pond shore, 2) view from approximately 350 feet above the starting point, 3) steps through rock talus slope "in this section it was necessary to construct several short flights of rock steps, with intervening stretches of ramp. We have attempted to soften and naturalize these rock sections by clothing ragged and bare surfaces with moss and mats of rock fern, such as grow for most part through the talus slope." 4) photo of a section of large steps, "in other instances the problem si one of securing substantial steps as security against heaving by ice and frost action, or rugged coping stone of a size defying movement or dislodgement by any one or two individual's efforts." 5) and 6) "examples of...restful stretches, where the hiker is allowed to become less watchful of each step and more observant of forest and view."...."Different trails must be built so as to answer the requirements of hikers of varying degrees of hiking ability. Here we have attempted to meet in particular the requirements of a ranger-naturalist party, a party including, no doubt, some tenderfeet who however are agile and prepared fore at least a 2 to 3 hours climb. The requirements of the trail are first scenic beauty, either in distant views or nearby forest stand; second, an ultimate objective point climaxing the hike; and third, there must be embodied in the trail itself a natural change of pace; for example, from steep rock climbs to level mos or needle surfaced walks"(CCC records, National Archives).
