Spaulding Mountain stands in western Maine’s Franklin County near Sugarloaf Mountain and Mount Abraham, with slopes that drain the Carrabassett watershed in multiple directions. Its northeast and south sides feed Rapid Stream, which flows to the West Branch of the Carrabassett River, then the Kennebec River and the Gulf of Maine, while its west side drains into the South Branch of the Carrabassett River. The mountain also lies along the Appalachian Trail, which runs north through Maine on its 2,170-mile route from Georgia. Rather than crossing the summit itself, the trail passes about 150 feet below the top.