GRAFTON TOWNSHIP – Grafton Notch State Park Manager Jon Metcalf said the parking lot on Route 26 next to the Appalachian Trail at Grafton Notch will be closed Wednesday and Thursday, June 4 and 5, when a Maine Department of Transportation crew will commence paving work.

The newly expanded and raised lot will be closed again at a later date for striping, Metcalf said.

The lot was also closed Thursday.

Grafton Notch State Park is located on Route 26 between Newry and Upton and offers opportunities for sightseeing, picnicking and hiking on its 3,000 acres of beautiful natural terrain.

Both short and long day hikes extend through this scenic area at the end of the Mahoosuc Range. The 2,000-mile Appalachian Trail passes through the park on the way to the trail’s northern terminus, Mt. Katahdin in Baxter State Park.

Other sights include Screw Auger Falls, Spruce Meadow, Mother Walker Falls, Old Speck Mountain, Moose Cave, and Table Rock, a spectacular, enormous, overhanging cliff face that forms the northeast side of Grafton Notch.

Table Rock juts out over the glacially-carved valley offering outstanding views of Old Speck, a 4,180-foot high mountain, Slide Mountain and Sunday River Whitecap, 3,376 feet elevation.

Facilities at the park include picnic tables and grills and two new handicap accessible toilets, one of which is located at Screw Auger Falls pullout and the other at the AT parking lot.

For more information, contact Metcalf at 824-2912.

tkarkos@sunjournal.com

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