Bog in Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge in Limestone on Route 229
Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge. The 5,000 acre preserve, created in 1998, was once a part of the former Loring Air Force Base in Limestone.
Deboullie Public Reserved Land, T15 R9 WELS. Its low rugged mountains and scenic remote trout ponds are all available for visitors using the 22,000 acre unit’s hiking trails and campsites. Snowmobilers frequently pass through the unit on their way from Eagle Lake to the Allagash. The landscape of three-fourths of the area is the gently rolling, forested ridges typical of northern Maine. However, it is the southeastern quarter of the unit that attracts anglers, hikers, and others who enjoy scenery with many small ponds and low rugged mountains. Deboullie is the French word for the rock slides on some of these mountains. The area is within the North Maine Woods management system, so visitors must pass through a checkpoint and pay the required day use and camping fees. Access is by private gravel roads leaving Route 161 in St. Francis, or off Route 11 in Portage.
Eagle Lake Public Reserved Land, in T16 R6 and T16 R 5 WELS, is a 23,000-acre area including most of Eagle Lake. It abuts Square Lake to the east with a thoroughfare connecting the two lakes. Access is off the Sly Brook Road, connecting with Route 11 at Soldier Pond (Wallagrass) or by boat from the launch in the town of Eagle Lake. Campsites are only accessible by water.
Rocky Island, St. Francis. 2 acre habitat for six rare plants, at the confluence of the St. John and St. Francis Rivers. Managed by the Nature Conservancy.
Round Pond Public Reserved Land, T13 R12 WELS. takes its name from the pond, which is a wide section of the Allagash River. Canoeists from the river enjoy the view of river and forest from the observation tower on top of Round Pond Mt. This 20,000 acre unit is a popular hunting area in the fall. The State of Maine is a member of North Maine Woods, an organization that manages recreation on nearly three million acres in northern Maine. Day use and camping fees collected at various checkpoints defray the costs of managing public access and maintaining recreation facilities. Visitors must pass through a checkpoint and pay the required day use and camping fees.
Squapan Public Preserved Land, Squapan Township and T11 R4 WELS. Located between Presque Isle and Ashland, the 16,700-acre area contains some of the most rugged terrain in this part of the state. In addition to 1400-foot-high Squapan Mountain and 9.5 miles of shoreline on the 4,986 acre Squapan Lake, it also has low hills, wetlands, brooks, and a small pond. This forested area, bordering a scenic lake, provides hunting, fishing, and camping in a semi-remote setting. Water access campsites on the lake shore and snowmobile trails through the woods are the most popular destinations for visitors. Access is by gravel road off Route 163 west of Presque Isle.