Hello, folks! After a rough winter, our family is looking forward to getting out and on the water again. Sitting here watching it snow is making us even more antsy.
We are toying with the idea of making a run up to Maine and spend 10 days or so during my summer vacation leave. This would be in the last week of July, and we’d like to spend a couple days on the coast (Acadia, perhaps?) watching the wildlife, and then head inland (Mooshead lake area, or somewhere else?) for some lake and gentle river canoeing. We’d like to experience some of the places with quiet solitude, like what we’ve found in the BWCA and the Adirondacks.
If you can recommend places to visit or paddle, or things to see, we would certainly appreciate it. I would also VERY much appreciate information on campgrounds that are quiet, on the water, with a chance of seeing loons and moose. We will likely be taking our small travel trailer, but use it like a tent- we’re outside all the time except to sleep, so we don’t want an RV-park environment. We don’t really need hookups, but my wife would prefer access to a flush toilet and hot shower!
This is probably a once-in-a-lifetime visit, so we’d like to do it right. I’d appreciate your tips and input. We’re hillbillies from the Virginia mountains, so know nothing about Maine. How bad are the bugs likely to be at the end of July, etc.?
Many thanks, safe paddling! Regan
Maine State Parks
The best places to camp in Maine are in the state parks. http://www.maine.gov/doc/parks/ will give you full imformation about the parks and the facilities. Only a few parks do not have showers. Most of the parks have no hookups. This distinguishes Maine as a genuine camping area. Rather different from Florida where the attitude is “park your TV and enjoy nature through the Discovery Channel.” Sad to say, Maine has installed a few electric hook ups in, I believe, two parks.
Some of the best sites are already booked, but about 10 percent are set aside for drop in visitors. Also, because no vehicle can get close to them, some of the best sites are tents only. This may mean a short walk from the parked vehicle to the clearing for the tent.
The best places to camp in Maine
arent in the state parks.
But your wife gave you parameters, which include shower facilities.
Most of the northern part of the state has Bureau of Public Reserved Lands Campsites on ponds and lakes, but they are primitive and sometimes lack road access.
Lily Bay State Park on the Greenville-Kokadjo Road is on the east shore of Moosehead Lake and is in a relatively sheltered islanded bay.
www.campmaine.com gives listings of attractions and campgrounds. Jo Mary Campground near Millinocket is on a beautiful lake.
Rangeley Lakes State Park is anothe possibility.
Here is the government website…http://www.maine.gov/doc/parks/index.html
Note that not all state parks offer camping.
end of July in Maine…
In agreement with kayamedic...but also have some more... The "Maine Atlas & Gazateer" (DeLorme Press)..invaluable for finding your way around.
Bugs will consist mainly of some mosquitoes(PM), maybe a few deerflies, and a few blackflies, but by mid-July most are gone..just depends on if/how-deep you wanna hike...etc, but wearing light-colored clothing helps and pick up the latest-&_greatest non-(or sm.% of)Deet spray.
Seboomook Wilderness Campground,280-0555,@northernmost shore of MooseheadLake. w/fac+shwr
Newsowadnehunk Campground,458-1551,*In BaxterStatePk
(may have a crowd...if open..??).w/shwr+fac.
PittstonFarm, Tel?,@western tip of SeboomookLake.(lodge & nice cabins,w/shwr etc.)..or you can just stop in & eat!;-)
link: http://www.pittstonfarm.com/content/4001/LODGING/
..some with all the septic/shwr (I believe)...but you can judge for yourself once you get up here. There's a LOT more water and wilderness/woodlands than the Adirondack's resorts. Kayamedic's mentioning LilyBay StatePk is a good one, granted, just on Moosehead's eastern side, but ponds off to the NNE. You'll enjoy paddling ponds = (in size) to what you've seen as lakes. Every water system/pond/lake up here is clean, clear, coldwater-fisheries type. Chesuncook Lake, Moosehead, Seboomook,are jewels..as is the whole No/So/W. Br. Penobscot R. system... ~Everywhere: Moose, deer in early AM and late afternoon/eves...moose like the salt in roots of water plants = they'll be in/around the ponds or any water.
Grab that Atlas & Gazateer...it'll give you a 100% better idea...of what to do/where to go.
$.01..
ponds
"You’ll enjoy paddling ponds = (in size) to what you’ve seen as lakes."
Yes, I’ve noticed that what new englanfers sometimes refer to as “ponds” are good sized lakes by most definitions. What constitutes a “pond?”
Bigelow Mnt and Rangeley
I’m envious. I love Maine! I spent a month out there about 10 years ago, and if I only had one week, I’d go hiking in the Bigelow’s:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Bigelow_(Maine)
And I’d hang out in Rangeley:
http://www.rangeleymaine.com/
http://www.rangeley-maine.com/town_of_rangeley.htm
Thanks very much!
I sincerely appreciate y’all’s help! I’ve been distracted the last couple days by an unfortunate tragedy in our quiet little corner of the world. Please don’t think me ungrateful because I was slow to respond. I’ll enjoy researching your suggestions! (And I’m still open to others ).
Y’all take care, thanks again, Regan
you are missing one thing
paddling Flagstaff Lake…you can hike over and paddle back…
Ponds vs Lakes
The difference has to do with depth, not surface area. I can't remember what depth is required to be considered a lake, but will do a quick search for it later...
My search results: Here's the reason I couldn't remember: "In Maine, it was up to whoever named the body of water". "The Maine Lakes Conservancy glossary provides the technical answer below.
LAKE: A permanent, inland body of standing water with no sustained directional flow detectable to the naked eye. In general, a lake has sufficient depth that light does not penetrate all the way to the bottom in the deepest parts of the lake and often stratifies into three distinct layers of water during the summer. Ponds by contrast, have light penetration throughout the body of water and will have only one or two layers during stratification. In Maine, this general rule of distinguishing lakes from ponds was not used in naming the bodies of water.
POND: A permanent, inland body of standing water with no sustained directional flow detectable to the naked eye. Ponds have light penetration all the way across the body of water and will have only one or two layers during summer stratification. Lakes by contrast, have sufficient depth that light does not penetrate all the way to the bottom in the deepest parts of the lake and often stratifies into three distinct layers of water during the summer. In Maine, this general rule of distinguishing lakes from ponds was not used in naming the bodies of water. Therefore some ponds are called lakes and some lakes are called ponds."
My favorite campground near Acadia is Mount Desert Campground located on Somes Sound. The cove there is a great launching site for a paddle in the Sound. Their website: http://www.mountdesertcampground.com/
Happy Spring!
Laura
…close to Rangeley area
woodtroll,
Yes, the Rangeley area, or should I say…Region, is nice…lots of great water! If you check out any Maine map, you’ll see that all the areas mentioned are not seperated by hours upon hours of driving time and there’s lots of great water/hiking in between…
$.01
and some bodies have two names
I live on a lake that has one name on newer maps and a pond with another name on older maps.
Same body of water. Its exceptionally clear and you can see the bottom from your boat.
Max depth is 25 feet…