Access to the pond is on unimproved roads beginning in Blanchard Village off the Abbot Road trending southwest for about four miles until turning right at Thanksgiving Pond Road. In about a mile, park road vehicles. Follow a rough road/trail for about a half mile with off-road vehicles or by hiking. This Spectacle Pond…
Flagstaff Lake from Bigelow Mountain (2003) The township is immediately west of Carrying Place Town Township, host to the next northerly section of the AT. Little Bigelow Mountain, Myron H. Avery Peak, and West…
This is a small unorganized township in Franklin County on the border with Canada. It has a very small village with few houses and one store. Logging trucks abound, both in the village and those traveling through from Canada, many with lumber. Without mountains, it does have three water bodies: Arnold Pond, Crosby Pond, and…
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…
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…
This August 2006 canoe trip included several days of modest rapids, portages and camping. Holeb Falls and a friendly river otter were among the sights along the way. Evidence of moose was on display on a trail near near the Spencer Rips rapids. The Moose River Bow Trip The 34-mile trip began at Holeb Pond…
The East Branch of the Penobscot River travels from north to south on its east side. Three small ponds, Soldier, Little Soldier and Trout are here. Hay Brook is the village on the Grindstone Road.
Herseytown Township should not be confused with the town of Hersey about 25 miles north on Route 11 in Penobscot County. Davidson, the only village in the township, was in the north at Davidson Pond on the Davidson Road off Route 11. A 1942 USGS Topographic map shows Davidson with several buildings (small squares). Other…
The Roll Dam campsite is a fine location from which to launch the brief trip to Lobster Stream and then to Lobster Lake. The AMC River Guide notes that “This is the smoothwater section of the West Branch [of the Penobscot River].”* The campsite, on the right bank, and the first mile on the river…
This relatively brief canoe trip makes about five of its six miles through the town of Gilead. Infrequent Class I rapids are involved; shallows where the river divides around several small islands require one’s attention. Launching is near Bridge Road off U.S. 2 in Gilead. The bridge over the Androscoggin is immediately apparent after entering…
This portion of the Nezinscot River canoe trip begins in Buckfield Village and terminates in Turner Center Village. Entrance to the canoe launch area is off Route 117 (Turner Street) in Buckfield, just downstream from the bridge, where the the water is conveniently flat. Click on the circled village areas for related articles, and on…
canoe tripsThis is a pleasant, scenic, and sometimes challenging trip, on the Sheepscot River. Click on numbered canoe icons at right for video clips. The river at this point runs north to south for about six miles from the East River Road Bridge in Whitefield to Head Tide Dam at Head Tide Village in Alna.…
Political party electoral strength has followed certain geographic patterns in recent years. In the maps below Maine Senate district election results are illustrated: blue for Democrats, red for Republicans, and yellow for non-party (“independent”) candidates. During this period the only independent elected to the Senate has been Richard Woodbury of Yarmouth representing Senate District 11.…
The Map Cabinet offers selected images of historic maps of Maine. Most are from the Library of Congress where higher resolution versions are available by following the links listed under “Sources” below. The Library’s “permalinks” are permanent links to the associated images. “Image source:” links are those from which the images were acquired on the…
Glenwood contains most of Wytopitlock Lake (the balance is in T2 R4 WELS) and Orcutt Brook, which empties into it. In 2004 only a few camps were scattered along the rocky shore. The Bureau of State Parks and Public Lands owns and maintains a boat launch in the shallow outlet cove, located in Glenwood. Wytopitlock Stream is the outlet and the start of a popular canoe trip. Glenwood is subject to the Maine Land Use Regulation Commission, which has identified critical natural areas in the plantation.
Woolwich, across the Kennebec River from Bath and with long shores on Merrymeeting Bay, is home to two nature preserves. Settled in the 1600s, it has several historic buildings. Alewives have been a historic part of the community.
Collisions with moose and deer are all too common in Maine. The state Department of Transportation posts signs where crossings have been reported and prepares maps describing the frequency and locations of collisions.
The town has substantial frontage on Long Pond (at right) and Great Pond in the Belgrade Lakes region, with many camping, boating, and other recreational opportunities. The town line is adjacent to the small village of Belgrade Lakes in the town of Belgrade.
Starting in the latter part of the 19th century, Maine had a unique system of railroads that ran on rails only two feet apart. Eventually five of these railroads…
A Brief History of Railroads Maine Railroad technology was first developed in Great Britain, and included Richard Trevithick’s steam locomotive of 1804 and George Stevenson’s locomotive “Rocket” of 1829. In addition to the standard gauge (width) lines reviewed here, narrow gauge railroads also had a special role to play in the state. The first railroad…