T2 R9 WELS

Omaha Beach with Campsites near the West Branch of the Penobscot River (2017)

          This township lies at the base of Baxter State Park, encompassing the Park’s south access road from Millinocket and the eastern end of The Golden Road. Togue Pond Gate is the south entrance to the Park. The West Branch of the Penobscot River flows through its western region and includes…

Hobbstown Township

Spencer or Hardscrabble Mountain from Spencer Road in Hobbstown Township (2016)

This township (T4 R6 BKP  WKR) in Somerset County contains most of Spencer Lake, along with the 2400-foot Spencer Mountain west of the Lake, and the 2300-foot Hardscrabble Mountain east of the Lake. With no village settlement, it is primarily an area of woods and woods roads. In the early 20th century, Spencer Lake Camps…

Bangs Island

East Shore of Bangs Island (2015)

East Shore of Bangs Island (2015) On Casco Bay in the town of Chebeague Island, narrow Bangs Island is just short of a mile long. It is owned by the Maine Department of Conservation and was managed by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife in 2013. An aquaculture lease for suspended culture of blue…

T4 R9 NWP

sign: "Piscataquis County Line, Entering T4 R9" (NWP) on Route 11 (2014)

       Piscataquis County Line Entering T4 R9 WELS   Community This township is in north central Maine in Piscataquis County. It is dominated by Seboeis Lake and the Seboeis Maine Public Reserved Land, which surrounds most of the Lake. Two small settlements, Schoodic and Packards, are in the west of the township along…

Goslings, The

The Goslings Aerial View (2011)

Two Islands These two small islands, in the town of Harpswell, are in Middle Bay, a major inlet off Casco Bay. A popular destination for boaters, they lie just off the southern tip of Lower Goose Island. Each has campsites with a strict carry-in carry-out policy. Maine Coast Heritage Trust is the owner and steward.…

T9 R8 WELS

Moose in the Gravel Pit off the Pit Road in T9 R8 WELS (2015)

                                     Moose in the Gravel Pit off the Pit Road in T9 R8 WELS (2015) Roads Pinkham Road is the main artery in this township from northeast to southwest.  Craigville Road joins Pinkham from the east, just south…

T8 R9 WELS

Mount Katahdin with Snow Cap from T8 R9 WELS on the Pinkham Road (2015)

              Mount Katahdin with Snow Cap from T8 R9 on the Pinkham Road (May, 2015) @   This township is bisected, northeast to southwest, by Pinkham Road beginning in T9 R9 WELS and exiting to T8 R10 WELS in the southwest. This well maintained dirt road is one of…

T9 R9 WELS

Maine Forest Service on the Pinkham Road (2015)

Maine Forest Service on the Pinkham Road (2015) @ A Maine Forest Service Station on the Pinkham Road in the south of the township, is adjacent to Brown Brook which crosses the road there.  It seems to be a remote outpost with no other station for many miles. Presumably the brook would provide water for…

T10 R9 WELS

Chase Brook Road (left) off the Jack Mountain Road in T10 R9 WELS (2015)

                                  Chase Brook Road (left) off Jack Mountain Road (2015) @ This township in Piscataquis County and managed by North Maine Woods, lies just west of T10 R8 WELS where Jack Mountain Road continues, but becomes an unimproved dirt…

T11 R8 WELS

  This township, in the North Maine Woods management area, continues the Jack Mountain Road from T11 R7 WELS in its southeast corner before the road turns southwest around Jack Mountain. Jack Mountain campsite, with tent space, a picnic table, toilet facilities, and a fire ring, is near the mountain of that name. The Machias…

North Maine Woods

The 20 mile North Maine Woods checkpoint in the Pittston Academy Grant (T2 R4 NBKP) (2008)

North Maine Woods In addition to be a general term for the forests of northern Maine, North Maine Woods is an organization that manages access to a specific area of mostly privately own land. Land Ownership                           The complicated historic land ownership in…

T3 R7 WELS

East of Baxter Park, it is home to Katahdin Woods & Water Recreation Area, Sandbank Campsite, Wassataquoik Public Reserved Land, and Whetstone Falls. West of Stacyville, access is by Swift Brook Road and a network of dirt roads.

Penobscot River

Grand Lake Matagamon from the Baxter Park Access Road before the Matagamon Gate

Windows on the River: East Branch Windows on the River: West Branch The Penobscot River Basin drains 8,680 +/- square miles in northeastern Maine. The main stem of the river flows for 105 miles from the confluence of its East and West Branches in Medway, south to its mouth in Penobscot Bay. Approximately 95% of…

Bald Mountain Township T4 R3 NBKP

Mud Pond with view of Boundary Bald Mountain near the Bald Mountain Road in Bald Mountain Township (2014)

The township is north of Moose River in northwestern Somerset County. It should not be confused with Bald Mountain Township T2 R3 BKP EKR, which contains a section of the Appalachian Trail, in northeastern Somerset County east of Caratunk. The township apparently was once a Plantation. The U.S. Census reports four years of population counts:…

Johnson Mountain Township

Hill near the Cold Stream Mountain Road in Johnson Mountain Township (2014)

For travelers driving north from The Forks to Jackman, and maybe Quebec, Johnson Mount Township is probably just another strip of U.S.Route 201 through the woods. However, for the adventurous seeking a mountain to climb, waterfall or a primitive campsite by a stream, the rewards are nearby.  Johnson Mountain is accessible off the (unimproved) Enchanted…

Bradstreet Township

Bradstreet Township (right) from Hardscrabble Road in Parlin Pond Township (2016)

Attean Falls on the Moose River and the nearby Attean Falls Campground are probably the biggest features that draw visitors to the township. For those taking the Moose River Bow Canoe Trip, this is the last campsite before entering Attean Pond. The Falls are basically a challenging group of rapids, usually successfully navigated by canoeists. …

Batchelders Grant Township

Forest Protection Area in the White Mountain National Forest on Maine Route 113, Wild River at Right (2013)

This township in Oxford County was named for the original grantee, Josiah
Batchelder. It borders New Hampshire in the White Mountain National Forest.

Maine Route 113 runs north-south through the township. Portions of the road, also known as the Evans Notch Road, are closed during the winter. Access is then from Gilead in the north or from Stow in the south.

Evans Notch, in the southern portion of the township, is a deep cut among the White Mountains. It is a popular hiking location using the East Royce Mountain Trail to that mountain from two points on Route 113.

Vanceboro

Sunset over Small Stream in Vanceboro (2013)

At the easternend of Maine Route 6, Vanceboro lies across the river from St. Croix, New Brunswick where 24-hour per day customs stations manage border crossings. See photos. A hill in the village overlooks the main street. With the large houses, the veterans hall and memorial, it appears to have been an important neighborhood in the history of Vanceboro. The local school of recent vintage is located there. Trains from Maine pass through Vanceboro to Canada.

Lobster Township

                                        Lobster Lake in Lobster Township is east of the northernmost portion of Moosehead Lake and of adjoining Northeast Carry Township.             Lobster lake, so-named because of its shape, dominates as…