Check out a newer (2020) updated version of this post on my new blog: North Maine Woods: A Nature Lovers Paradise
If you follow me on Instagram (if not you can follow me here), you probably know that for most of the past week I was exploring interior Maine and the North Maine Woods with the boys. The MR was hunting, and I decided to tag along and bring the boys. Mostly because after a cursory search I didn’t find much information about the area beside the fact that it’s incredibly beautiful. I’ve got to admit it’s not really like anywhere else I’ve ever been, in a very cool way. It’s a place that feels wild, a place where log trucks and moose reign supreme.
A little background –
The North Maine Woods is the northern geographical area of the state of Maine. This sparsely populated region is overseen by a combination of private individuals and private industrial owners, as well as, state government agencies. It is divided into 155 unincorporated townships within the North Maine Woods management area.
The area provides numerous outdoor recreational opportunities for over 100,000 yearly visitors while also providing renewable forest resources which are a major part of Maine’s economy. Proving that harvesting wood products and providing recreation are compatible if managed properly. And if you’ve seen the way the logging companies harvest the wood here, you have to admit that it’s impressively done.
The North Maine Woods is unique in that it really is three things in one beautiful place:
It is a region of over 3.5 million acres of abundant commercial forest land. Including two of the most famous wild rivers of the Northeastern United States – the St. John and the Allagash. The North Maine Woods completely surrounds the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. So fishing IS fantastic here.
It is an organization of landowners both big and small, corporations, individuals, and families have joined with Maine’s natural resource agencies in a partnership to solve problems and plan for a bright future.
According to their website, “It is a spirit. Past and present; people and nature meet here. Men and women who make their living from the woods and those who relax here love this area. And through North Maine Woods, they work together to see that while they take forest products, fish, wildlife, and pleasure from this great region, they take nothing that will make it any less in the future than it is today.” I couldn’t agree with this statement more. This place just FEELS different.
A little History –
Interestingly, in 1783, Maine and Massachusetts were one state and the area that is now Northern Maine was divided into six-mile square townships and sold at auction. By the time Maine became an official state in 1820, over 10 million acres had been sold or granted. And the rest of the land was sold by 1878.
In most cases, the land was jointly bought by two or three “heirs” but beginning around the turn of the century, some of the family owners started selling their holdings to industrial landowners. The amount of industrial ownership increased during the 20th century and much like then it is now a combination of private individual, private industrial and public interests’ ownership.
An example of private ownership is Edouard Lacroix who was a lumber baron who controlled the heart of the North Maine Woods during the 1920s and 1930s. The truth is, he persevered through both the Great Depression and World War II to create a small empire in the middle of nowhere. In Quebec, he is still remembered as a fighter for the common man who was worried enough with the workman’s rights and wellbeing that he practiced what he preached. You can read more about him here.
Since the North Maine Woods are so different here are a few
Tips:
- All of the roads in this region are private and fees are charged. North Maine Woods charges a
day use fee of $11 per person for residents and $16 per person per day for non-residents. There is no charge for anyone under 18 or over 70 for day use (ID must be provided).
- Disabled veterans with a 50% disability as a result of serving in a combat zone receive complimentary day-use passes to North Maine Woods. These are the same guidelines used by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife when issuing complimentary hunting and fishing licenses. Camping fees are still required.
- There are nearly 350 campsite locations on the private lands within the North Maine Woods region. These are very primitive campsites but some feature outhouses. They are gorgeous and have more of a backwoods feel then campground feel. A camping fee of $12 per person, per night, for residents and $15 pp/pn for non-residents. NMW camping fees also require payment of 9% Maine Sales Tax.
- No bicycles, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) or horses are allowed at any time of year in the North Maine Woods area. This is necessary for logging road safety and to reduce the possibility of forest fires in hard to reach locations.
- The roads within North Maine Woods are privately built to manage the woodland area. Through traffic from Canada into Maine or Maine into Canada is not permitted via the road system. Recreationists can travel to their desired destinations within the area and then return to the country from which they entered. Parties entering at one of the Canadian Border checkpoints must leave via the same checkpoint.
- Hiking is not big here. The opportunity for hiking and backpacking is limited in the North Maine Woods area due to the absence of developed hiking trails. There are trails to some of the Maine Forest Service’s fire towers and some abandoned roads are suitable for hiking, but there is no list available. Checkpoint receptionists or local forest rangers and game wardens may be able to direct you to suitable hiking areas.
- There are 15 checkpoints. You will need to enter and exit through these checkpoints. When entering you need to log in and when exiting you need to log out. We chose the Twenty Mile checkpoint.
THE NUMBER 1 RULE OF NORTH MAINE WOODS: Trucks have the right of way. You need to drive slowly and pay attention because these log trucks DO NOT mess around. You need to get out of their way!
- Keep your headlights on at all times no matter the weather or time of day.
General Information:
I stayed at this cozy cabin in Rockwood, Maine. It’s close to North Maine Woods but close is a relative term when you are talking about ground to cover in this region of Maine. It still took almost an hour and a half for me to get to Twenty Mile Checkpoint.
The closest town with supplies is Greenville, Maine. It’s a very cute, small town that offers several dining options, as well as, a trading post. We only had a chance to try Jamo’s Pizza but it was really good and it was take out.
Story Time:
Thor broke the window out of our 4 Runner about 10 minutes after we got to the North Maine Woods on our very first day of exploring. Thor is ok! We all are and now we know how easily windows break out of cars, who knew? It was a Sunday, and everything was either closed or closing by the time we got the boys back to our cabin and cleaned most of the glass out of the 4 runner.
Thankfully the Trading Post in Greenville WAS open, and we were able to find a temporary fix (Gorilla tape and a tarp) for the rest of our trip. Ain’t she a beaut? Haha Hey, you do what you need to when you are in a bind!
Other Things To Do In This Area:
Moosehead Lake
Lily Bay State Park
Prong Pond
Mount Kineo State Park
Moose Safaris – These are offered on water (canoe or kayak) or land and generally run April – December. I wish I would have had time to do one of these! The place that I kept seeing advertised was Northwoods Outfitters. They also offer ATV rentals and White Water Rafting.
Baxter State Park is about an hour and 30 minutes to the East of this area.
Is the North Maine Woods right for you?
If you are wanting to escape to nature – yes!
If you are wanting to fish in the summer or hunt in fall and winter – yes!
If you are wanting to see a moose – yes! (for the most part, of course, I didn’t see any)
If you want some peace, quiet, and solitude – yes!
If you are wanting a ton of options that don’t require you to be in nature – no!
If you are looking for nightlife or shopping – no!
If you love the buzz of a city or being around a ton of people – no!
But my guess is that if you are looking at going to the North Maine Woods you probably already know that it is a nature lovers paradise. Just watch out for those logging trucks, they do not mess around!
Check out Travel Through Photos: North Maine Woods.
