Big Moose Township

      With a long expanse on the southwest shore of Moosehead Lake, the Township stretches from the East Outlet of the Lake, the source of the Kennebec River, to the outskirts of Greenville on the combined Route 6 and 15. The Kennebec in the north moves through the long stretch of Indian Pond,…

Carrabassett Village

Rest Area off Route 27 in Carrabassett Valley near the Carrabassett River (2012)

Carrabasset village in the town of Carrabasset Valley is located along the river of the same name.  The village is east of Sugarloaf Mountain, about eight miles by road. It is served by Maine combined Routes 16/27 from Farmington (27) and Anson (16) and by a regional airport. Carrabasset Valley Academy is a private school,…

Newry

Built in 1872, the Sunday River Bridge, called “he most painted and photographed covered bridge in the state,” crosses the river of the same name. See photos. The Sunday River Ski Resort is located here. On Maine Route 26, Newry is the gateway to the hiking trails, including the Appalachian Trail, of Grafton Township. Step Falls Preserve, the first preserve of the Maine Chapter of the Nature Conservancy, has 24 acres of cascades and pools.

Mars Hill

Mars Hill mountain with Wind Turbines from U.S. Route 1 in Blaine (2014)

As with many rural Maine towns, Mars Hill is a community of pickup trucks as an essential tool of the farm economy. See photos. It shares a main street, U.S. Route 1, with neighboring Blaine. Mars Hill is located on the Prestile Stream where U.S. Route 1 forks to Presque Isle and Route 1A leads to Fort Fairfield. Established in the 1960’s, the Big Rock Ski Area on Mars Hill was purchased in 2000 by the Maine Winter Sports Center.

Lee

Historic 1889 Mallett Hall in Lee Village, built as a hotel by James Mallett (2014)

in Penobscot County, incorporated in 1832, is home to Lee Academy. Victorian style Mallett Hall, also known as the Mount Jefferson House, has been a fixture in the town since 1889. village center lies at the intersection of Route 6 and the short Route 168 from Winn.

Kingfield

Now a “four season” recreation center, located half way between the North Pole and the Equator, it is the gateway to Sugarloaf Mountain Ski Area in Carrabassett Valley. See video & photo. Named for Maine’s first governor, the town hosts the Stanly Museum (of Stanley Steamer fame).

Sandy River Plantation

Mountain Ranges from the Saddleback Mountain Trail on the AT (2004)

About 35 miles northwest of Farmington on Maine Route 4, just south of Rangeley, the community marks the source of the Sandy River in the Sandy River Ponds. See map, video and photos. Four Ponds Public Reserve Land lies just east of Mooselookmeguntic Lake. Access is by the Appalachian Trail off Route 4 in Sandy River.