Getting away from crowds will not be onerous within the Maine Highlands. With acres of forest, miles of mountain climbing trails, and the biggest lake, longest river, and tallest mountain within the state; getting away from all of it is precisely what guests are searching for after they come to the Maine Highlands.
And there’s no higher approach to discover this attractive wilderness than a drive alongside the Katahdin Woods & Waters Nationwide Scenic Byway. This not too long ago designated Nationwide Scenic Byway winds alongside 89 miles, starting on the southern entrance to Baxter State Park, passing close to Millinocket Lake, and touring over to the lumber city of Patten alongside Route 11. The byway then ends on the Matagamon gate on the northern entrance to Baxter.
All you want is a automotive with a superb set of tires, a way of journey, and this beneficial street journey information (and a few bug spray and a snug pair of mountain climbing footwear wouldn’t harm both!)
Maine Highlands Street Journey Information
Word: This put up is written in partnership with Go to Maine as a part of a paid marketing campaign. All opinions are my very own.
Your Maine Highlands street journey can begin and finish in Bangor, Maine’s third-largest metropolis and as soon as the lumber capital of the world. You will have at the very least every week to finish this street journey, which covers the highlights of the Maine Highlands and travels alongside lovely drives such because the Katahdin Woods & Waters Nationwide Scenic Byway.
Cease 1: Bangor
Bangor, the Queen Metropolis of Maine, serves as a gateway to Northern Maine. Positioned on Interstate 95, it’s simple to entry from the Northeast or by air by way of the Bangor Worldwide Airport. It might be tempting to right away head to the lakes and mountains, however don’t skip over spending time on this charming metropolis.
Positioned on the banks of the Penobscot River, Bangor has a wealthy historical past as a lumber capital, mirrored within the historic houses of former lumber millionaires and the landmark dwelling of writer Stephen King. It’s value taking the time exploring this historical past by means of a strolling tour provided from the Bangor Historic Society.
Downtown Bangor provides loads of eating choices, from cute cafes like Fork & Spoon to farm-to-table eating places like Timber. These on the lookout for pleasure can strive their luck on the Hollywood On line casino Bangor Resort, or attempt to catch a live performance on the Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion.
There are additionally many family-friendly strolling trails on the close by Hirundo Wildlife Refuge and Orono Lavatory Boardwalk or a stroll by means of the Mt. Hope backyard cemetery.
Cease 2: Greenville & Moosehead Lake
After you have had your fill of Bangor, it’s time for the hour-and-a-half drive as much as Greenville, positioned on the southern tip of Moosehead Lake. The most important lake in Maine, Moosehead Lake stretches 40 miles in size and is an ideal vacation spot for fishing, boating, mountain climbing, snowmobiling, ATVing, and wildlife viewing.
For beautiful sundown views proper on the lake, bunk down at The Lodge at Moosehead Lake. However for more room and self-catering, strive one of many cabin choices from Moosehead Hills Cabins. The village of Greenville is small, however provides a couple of restaurant choices, retailers, and a small grocery retailer for stocking up on provides.
If you’re able to hit the mountain climbing trails, decide up a pamphlet for the Moosehead Pinnacle Pursuit on the customer’s middle. The problem is to summit six mountains within the Greenville space: Mount Kineo (which is accessible by ferry), Quantity 4 Mountain, Whitecap Mountain, Eagle Rock, Huge Moose Mountain, and Borestone Mountain. Summit all of them and you’ll obtain an official MPP patch and sticker.
A extra leisurely approach to discover is by hopping on a scenic float airplane tour or taking a narrated three-hour tour on the steamship Katahdin. One exercise to not be missed is looking for wildlife. Given the identify it’s no shock that moose are plentiful on this space and one of the best ways to spy one is on an early-morning moose safari with Northwoods Outfitters.
These excursions mix a driving tour with a canoe paddle on the lake to seek for moose. If you’re extra of a DIY sort, you possibly can head north at daybreak to the tiny city of Kokadjo to see if you’ll find any moose alongside Lazy Tom’s Lavatory. Don’t fret should you aren’t profitable, you’ll have extra alternatives to search for moose alongside the Golden Street in your approach to Baxter State Park.
Learn extra: Issues to do close to Moosehead Lake
Cease 3: Baxter State Park (South)
The south entrance to Baxter State Park on the Togue Pond Gatehouse is your subsequent cease. Baxter State Park is a jewel in Maine’s State Park system, most well-known for being dwelling to Katahdin, the best mountain in Maine and an endpoint to the Appalachian Path. In fact a hike up Katahdin is to not be taken frivolously, however in case you have educated and are as much as the problem, you should get a really early begin for this 10+ hour hike.
In fact, Katahdin will not be the one mountain to climb within the park. Baxter State Park covers over 200,000 acres and provides 220 miles of mountain climbing trails, starting from simple to professional. The park can also be a well-liked spot for wildlife viewing, particularly these on the lookout for moose round Sandy Stream Pond.
Simply understand that parking at any of the trailheads in Baxter State Park that result in Mt. Katahdin requires reservations in the summertime. Additionally, parking close to widespread wildlife watching spots, like Sandy Stream Pond replenish by 6am and the park rangers provide 3-hour “moose passes” for those who arrive in time.
If you’re planning on mountain climbing in Baxter State Park, be sure you do your analysis first. Along with Mt. Katahdin, the Knife Edge Path will not be one thing to be taken frivolously and definitely not for these with a concern of heights. Remember to learn extra on MaineTrailFinder.com.
Additionally, driving by means of Baxter State Park takes 3-4 hours on slender gravel roads so whereas you may even see moose (I did!) and move some scenic areas, know what to anticipate earlier than you go. Additionally, understand that Baxter fees a $15 day use payment for out-of-state guests.
Tenting is accessible within the park, with reservations, however there are additionally many much less rustic choices simply outdoors of the park. An amazing choice for exploring the world is the New England Out of doors Heart on Millinocket Lake.
Cease 4: Millinocket Lake
From the southern entrance of Baxter State Park, you’ll formally start your drive alongside the Katahdin Woods & Waters Nationwide Scenic Byway over to Millinocket to remain a few nights on the New England Out of doors Heart (NEOC) on Millinocket Lake.
NEOC has a tremendous location proper on Millinocket Lake and a number of small, massive, and premium cabins and lodges that sleep from six to 14. I used to be hosted on the attractive full-service three-bedroom, two-bath Loon Lodge. The beautiful two-story household room options floor-to-ceiling home windows searching on the woods and the lake past.
This can be a good location to take pleasure in lake life! NEOC provides fats tire bikes to hire for exploring the Katahdin Space Trails (KAT). There’s at the moment a 4.5 mile loop circling out from and again to the Millinocket Lake trailhead positioned subsequent to NEOC and they’re within the means of constructing extra sustainable purpose-built single monitor mountain bike trails within the space.
Visitor may borrow canoes or kayaks to discover the lake. For these on the lookout for extra journey, NEOC runs rafting excursions in the summertime on the Higher Penobscot River with Class II – V rapids, or milder household floats on the Decrease Penobscot River with Class I rapids.
In fact, I beloved the Moose and Wildlife Tour I took with NEOC. This three-hour tour goes out within the morning or early night on the Heart’s pontoon boat or van. We headed throughout the lake to the streams and inlets alongside the far financial institution to seek for moose.
At first, we encountered fairly a couple of beavers swimming by means of the water and slapping their tails at us to warn us to maintain away. This was fairly thrilling for me too as discovering a beaver within the wild was all the time on my bucket record. However in the direction of the top of the tour our luck held out and we discovered two moose. From too far of a distance for excellent pictures, even with my tremendous zoom lens, however nonetheless thrilling. In fact, if that doesn’t work out, you possibly can strive driving Golden Street within the early morning as there are sometimes moose in or close to the aspect of the street.
Nighttime brings nice stargazing alternatives and within the winter, even possibilities to see the Northern Lights. And once you don’t need to prepare dinner, the lodge is dwelling to River Drivers’ Restaurant, providing a various menu of American fare far past what you’ll count on from a distant lodge like this.
Learn extra: Adventurous issues to do within the Maine Highlands
Cease 5: Katahdin Woods & Waters Nationwide Monument
From Millinocket, proceed alongside the Katahdin Woods & Waters Nationwide Scenic Byway by way of the Golden Street and Route 11 to one of many Nationwide Park System’s latest additions, the Katahdin Woods & Waters Nationwide Monument. Katahdin Woods & Waters Nationwide Monument covers 87,563 acres of mountains and wilderness.
This public land adjoining to Baxter State Park was acquired through the years and not too long ago designated as a Nationwide Monument as a part of the Nationwide Parks Service. However there are not any monuments there. Really, there’s little or no there at the moment outdoors of backcountry campsites and some mountain climbing trails.
This land, which is the ancestral dwelling of the Wabanaki, is primarily forest, with the japanese department of the Penobscot River working by means of it. The roads on these lands are gravel and never as ceaselessly graded or maintained as these in Baxter State Park so it is extremely bumpy and gradual going. In actual fact, of the 17-mile loop street within the southern portion of the park, it took a superb 45 minutes to get a couple of miles alongside the street from the time I left the paved street close to the doorway to the park.
There are not any companies and definitely no cell service, however that’s what individuals like about it. The uncooked roughness of nature. Over time, the companies will proceed to be upgraded, with extra parking areas and marked mountain climbing trails. However for now, one of many major attracts is that Katahdin Woods & Waters was not too long ago designated an Worldwide Darkish Sky Sanctuary and usually has the darkest metered skies east of the Mississippi.
In case you camp in a single day, you possibly can benefit from the superb evening sky views, as Katahdin Woods & Waters Nationwide Monument was additionally not too long ago designated an Worldwide Darkish Sky Sanctuary.
Darkish Sky Maine and the Pals of Katahdin Woods & Waters will usually lead star events up on the overlook with lovely views of Mt. Katahdin. I used to be lucky sufficient to be joined by John Meader, an astronomer with Northern Stars Planetarium and Vice President of Darkish Sky Maine.
We arrange telescopes and our cameras in anticipation of stargazing, however sadly, after blessing us with a phenomenal sundown over Mt. Katahdin, the clouds moved in to obscure the celebrities. If you’re keen on stargazing, maintain a watch out for future occasions or think about tenting within the park to reap the benefits of these darkish skies.
Cease 6: Patten
The final cease in your street journey on the Katahdin Woods & Waters Scenic Byway is in Patten, the place you possibly can go to the Patten Lumbermen’s Museum. On the best way, cease on the scenic overlook at Ash Hill and cease for a BBQ lunch at Flatlander’s Smokehouse.
Plan to spend a few nights close to Patten in a cabin at Shin Pond Village. From right here, you possibly can take pleasure in brief hikes to scenic spots like Shin Brook Falls or hire a side-by-side and spend the day exploring the numerous miles of ATV trails in and round Patten.
The side-by-sides are a lot simpler to drive and maneuver than a standard ATV so they’re a number of enjoyable even for inexperienced operators. Shin Pond Village has each two-seaters and four-seat automobiles for households.
In case you take one out, the highest of Roberts Mountain provides a terrific scenic vista of the world. This complete journey jogged my memory a number of when my daughter and I did a full-day off-roading journey up in Northern New Hampshire.
Patten can also be lower than 45 minutes away from the Matagamon Gate on the northern entrance to Baxter State Park. This part of the park will not be practically as busy because the southern part nearer to Mt. Katahdin and parking reservations aren’t required. Simply minutes down the gravel street previous the gate, I seen some motion within the street forward and certain sufficient, there was a moose! I used to be shocked to see her in the course of the day nevertheless it was fortunately a pleasant shock and I used to be capable of creep alongside till she determined to return to the woods.
The most effective space to probe for the day from the northern entrance is the South Department pond part. Simply make a left on the South Department Pond campground signal. Earlier than you get to the principle campground parking, you will notice a trailhead on the fitting for South Department Falls Path. This brief .5 mile path brings you all the way down to a pleasant waterfall with little or no elevation. Simply take into account although that these trails are loads of rocks and roots and uneven footing.
You may park on the campground day-use parking and stroll again up the street barely to the doorway to The Ledges path, which is about .6 miles to the perspective, which provides a view over the pond and mountains. Simply keep in mind to signal out and in on the path registers. Once I visited in June, was the one one utilizing the path to this point that day and it was fairly superb to have all these lovely sights to myself.
You can even hire a canoe for $1.00 and paddle round South Department Pond.
Return to Bangor or Proceed your Street Journey
By this time your legs might be drained and your coronary heart might be filled with joyful reminiscences and the sense of renewal that solely time in nature can present. It would take solely an hour-and-a-half to return to Bangor and conclude your journey.
In your manner, you possibly can cease to take a stroll on the Orono Lavatory Boardwalk, a one-mile loop stroll on the forested wetland edge within the Bangor Metropolis Forest. An alternative choice for a straightforward hike or a paddle on Pushaw Stream on the Hirundo Wildlife Refuge. The Hirundo Wildlife Refuge provides seven miles of trails, a few of that are wheelchair and stroller pleasant. This can be a great place for birders and wildlife watchers. The Refuge supplies free canoe leases in the summertime (donation requested) and guided paddle occasions all through the season.
After your keep within the Maine Highlands, you’re sure to fall in love with the Pine Tree State. The decision of Maine will proceed pulling you again repeatedly, with all the time one thing new to discover.
Nonetheless, should you haven’t gotten your fill of Maine, proceed on to the attractive rocky coast with a Downeast Acadia street journey alongside extra of Maine’s scenic byways. Begin off on the Schoodic Nationwide Scenic Byway and revel in a number of the fantastic actions outdoors of Acadia Nationwide Park and away from the crowds. Then proceed east alongside the Daring Coast Nationwide Scenic Byway to the New Brunswick border.
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Tamara Gruber is the Founder and Writer of We3Travel. A former advertising and marketing govt and journey advisor, Tamara is an award-winning journey author and acknowledged professional in household journey. Tamara is a member of SATW and the Journey Journey Commerce Affiliation, and serves on the Board of the Household Journey Affiliation. She can also be the writer of YourTimetoFly.com and the co-host of the Trip Professionals journey podcast.