5 Day Overland into the North Maine Woods.

[SwampCactus]

Been there several times over the years.
It's so beautiful and tranquil up there.
Gone camping, hiking, including canoeing Moosehead Lake, as well as drive the backcountry.
Was just up there in October of 2022.

Yeah it's a great place for sure. Have you spent any time on the coast?

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[SwampCactus]

Thanks for the flashback. It sounds like you enjoyed the ride and the experience. I made a trip to the Allegash in 1988 in a Suzuki Samurai with a 17' foot canoe strapped on to it. I remember dodging a few logging trucks and moose. Where are the moose photos?

Didn't see any moose on this trip.

I'd love to see that Samurai with a 17 foot canoe on it haha.

 

[Abundigas]

I loved your write-up and pics, I spent many vacations in The North Maine Woods in the 90's and earlt 2000's this brought back some great memories. We would ride up through Greenville stop for fuel and lunch at Kokadjo. Then hit the Golden Road, up through T-Los gate and just drive until we found an available camp site by a lake, and set up for the week. Hiking Fishing, and Four Wheeling, Moose watching, Etc, I remember one Memorial day week, we saw 28 Moose in one day, along with countless Deer and 2 Bears. It was the trip of a lifetime. That week we stayed at Loon Lodge on Round Pond cool part was they had an Ice Cave behind the Lodge where you could store your Food and Beverages. Thank you for this post.

P.S. If ever in the area again check out the crashed B-52 Bomber just north of Greenville on Elephant Mountain.

 

[SwampCactus]

That's insane you saw 28 moose in one day! I think I've seen maybe 4 my whole life.

I didn't see the B52 crash site on this trip but I did several years ago. I forgot that was in the area and saw a sign for it on the way out. Between the B52, Ghost Trains and Churchill Dam depot those are some cool historical things to see on an Overland to the North Maine Woods.

 

[Abundigas]

Yes it was just the right weather, cool and light rain, they come out and lick the salt off the roads. But later in the year like mid august, I have been up there and not seen a single one. Too hot and Dry, I was told they go into the deep wood to stay cool,

 

[Spike]

Didn't see any moose on this trip.

I'd love to see that Samurai with a 17 foot canoe on it haha.

I wish I had photos of that rig. It was an odd site with the canoe on it with about 3 ft of overhang front and back.

 

[GoHack]

Yeah it's a great place for sure. Have you spent any time on the coast?

Yes, including Acadia National Park.

I definitely love the rural country up around Moosehead Lake though.
The more rural, the better I like it.

Use to travel the old logging roads up there, using maps, before GPS. Never got lost.

A gentleman I work with, his family is from Northern Maine, where they use to have a potato farm there. Someone in his family still owns it.

 

[Kenamu]

HI @SwampCactus Great write-up. I was up there last summer for a few days poking around the Golden Road and camping along the way. I am headed up in Sept with another Bronco owner. I tried to map your route. Take a look an let me know if that's about right. Would like to get up to Alagash from Greenville and then end around Katahdin for a hike. Did you bump out around Ashland and up to Fort Kent/Alagash?

 

[SwampCactus]

HI @SwampCactus Great write-up. I was up there last summer for a few days poking around the Golden Road and camping along the way. I am headed up in Sept with another Bronco owner. I tried to map your route. Take a look an let me know if that's about right. Would like to get up to Alagash from Greenville and then end around Katahdin for a hike. Did you bump out around Ashland and up to Fort Kent/Alagash?

Similar, I started in Millinocket and wen tup to Ripgenus Dam. But I didn't go way west out to Ashland and on any paved roads.

 

[Kenamu]

Similar, I started in Millinocket and wen tup to Ripgenus Dam. But I didn't go way west out to Ashland and on any paved roads.

Okay I was wondering how you got to Alagash without going on the paved roads. This is helpful for my trip. thanks for sharing!

 

[Second Nature Overland]

Here is a recap of my 5 day, 4 night overland into the North Maine Woods. This was right in the middle of a 35 day road trip from Florida to Maine. Being originally from Maine I usually visit every summer.

The North Maine Woods is 3.5 million acres of privately owned commercial forest land and land trusts. There are no paved roads, gas stations, stores, towns, cell towers or power lines. It’s the most remote area east of the Mississippi. It is filled with more trees than most people have seen in their lifetime. The only real infrastructure are hundreds of miles logging roads.

Scattered between the forests are untouched lakes, ponds, streams and pristine rivers. It is true wilderness not often seen in the lower 48. The St John’s river flows in from Canada and forms part of the border. The Allagash river ends it's run and dumps into the St John shortly after turning south from Canada. Those two water ways define the region and are a dream trip for anyone who wants to travel by canoe or kayak.

A trip like this requires a decent amount of logistical planning as you are truly in the middle of nowhere and totally on your own. No gas stations and zero chance of cell signal add to the adventure. If that’s not enough oversized logging trucks own the road and you have to get out of their way at any second.


Day 1
I drove from Bangor to Millinocket and gassed up the rig and filled 3 gallons of extra gas to be safe. I was on this very same bridge 10 years ago when I completed hiking “the 100 mile wilderness” part of the Appalachian Trail and right before I summited Mt. Katahadin (the highest mountain in Maine and the end / start of the AT) for the second time.

Two years ago finished hiking all 282 miles of Maine’s portion of the Appalachian trail. An accomplishment I’m proud of. It’s cool being back to this spot 10 years later, this time to start another off-grid adventure. Between hiking across Maine and this trip I’ve literally been to every part of the state and truly been to some amazing remote places few people have ever seen.

After Abol bridge I continued on the Golden Road and then quick stop for lunch along the west branch of the Penobscot river. After that it was time to air down the tires some and head north. After passing through the gate to register I was officially in the North Maine woods.

I saw an airfield listed on Gaia GPS so drove over there to check it out. All that was there was a windsock and mailbox with a flight log book in it. There was a long paved runway with an equally long grass strip when the pavement ended.

These logging roads are all privately owned and the logging trucks have the right of way. These things come in hot and you have to quickly get out of the way at a moments notice.

I skipped out on my planned and backup camp spots and searched for something better. I was having a blast just exploring around at my own pace. Eventually I found a nice little spot on a lake.

Day 2
I had everything packed up the night before as I knew it would be raining in the morning. So after a quick breakfast in the Bronco I was off. There is something relaxing about cruising dirt roads on a dreary day. I started to get sleepy after a few hours and with no set schedule a short nap was in order.

Feeling refreshed I continued on my journey. I wanted to check out my camp spot ahead of time to see what it was like. I ended up going down a different trail that wasn’t even listed on GAIA GPS nor could you see it on satellite view. But the trail had a sign like the other designed spots and was a spot you could drive to. I’m glad I did because it took me directly on the river! Talk about a hidden gem!

The sun had just come out and I found myself on the banks of the Allagash river amazed at this spot I just found. After a few photos and blown away at what I just found I got back on the road to head out to get gas.

I exited the check point out of the North Woods and made my way to the town of Allagash, population 237. This is where the Allagash River ends and dumps into the St. John River which forms the border with Canada. I continued north to St. Francis, population 438. Directly across the St. John River is Canada. I stopped for a few photos and looked for EpicFamilyRoadTrip on the other side

After gassing up the Bronco and buying a 6 pack of Allagash White (One of my favorite Maine Beers) it was back to the river to spend the day.

I quickly returned to my spot and settled in for what would be the most peaceful and my favorite day of my entire 35 day road trip. I started off with a swim to clean up and cool off then settled in for an incredible afternoon / evening.

An afternoon thunderstorm rolled in. I got back in my rig, closed my eyes and just sat there in complete silence taking in all the sounds of the storm. I was in a zen like state. It was an incredible audible experience that reminded me of my last night on the Appalachian Trail a few years ago when my last night in the mountains I was awarded with an epic thunderstorm.

This was a real life ASMR sound experience. It’s incredible how many subtle sounds you hear when you are fully attuned to nature and in the right state of mind. Thunder off in the distance. Rain hitting the roof of your vehicle. The river flowing over rocks up stream. Birds chirping. The sound the wind makes blowing through the untouched forest. Combined they make a symphony and I was the only one in the audience.

The entire time I felt like this is what my version of heaven feels like. I tried to burn this moment into my brain so I can return whenever I want. I didn’t want this day to end. Luckily time seemed to slow down and was able to cherish this feeling for what seemed like a long time. The entire afternoon was a very spiritual experience for me on the Allagash. My family have ties to this region and to this river. This was my first time here and will forever be connected to this place.

I setup my chair on the banks and with my feet in the Allagash river and cracked open an Allagash White beer. The temperature was perfect. Not a degree too cold or warm. Over the course of the afternoon the river slowly started to rise. Nothing of concern but I wanted to keep an eye on it. Luckily the temperature of the water was perfect and somehow added to the entire experience of feeling connected to the river by having my feet in it all afternoon.

I cooked an awesome meal in the river with my two JetBoil stoves. After dinner I got everything packed up for the evening so I could just drive off in the morning. I put up a bug screen and put my window down all the way to hear the sounds of the river. I ended the perfect day by reading “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” as the river flowed by outside my window and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Day 3
I woke up at 4:45 and the Bronco was completely surrounded by water. I had everything ready the night before and made a quick exit. It was a super peaceful morning and the heaven like nature of the day before carried over. The sun was starting to illuminate everything and there was a morning fog hanging over the river and surrounding forest and wildflowers giving everything a still and calm feeling. It was a great way to start the day.

The road I was on came to an unexpected dead end just past Michaud Farms so I had to find a different way out. I ended up going down this tight, overgrown trail that looked like it hadn’t been driven on in years. After awhile I found myself on a hilltop meadow filled with wildflowers and gorgeous 360 degree views. I stopped awhile to take everything in. The biggest surprise of the trip were how many wildflowers are actually up here in the land of pine trees.

I got to my backup camp spot Second Musquacook Lake around 1pm. It was a great location with a picnic table, shelter, a big grassy front yard and a huge lake to stare at. I made up my famous grilled cheese for lunch and enjoyed that by the lake. It was another leisurely afternoon filled swimming, reading, and a nap in the vehicle during the short afternoon rain storm.

Later in the day a couple from Maine towing a trailer came in. These were the first campers I have seen in 3 days. Later that evening they invited me over for a beer and to hangout. It was nice talking with them about Maine, camping and traveling. Since I had the better location we moved over to my spot to watch the sunset. This was my third beautiful lake sunset in Maine and first on this overland trip.

In standard fashion I packed everything up that evening so I could just wake up and drive out the following morning. It was another awesome day in the North Maine Woods.

Day 4
As usual I woke up early and started driving. I made my way down to Churchill Lake / dam where the Allagash River starts. I was pleasantly surprised when I found the Churchill Depot History Center. This large building housed a ton of history from the region from old wood working tools, equipment, photos and news articles. I’m a fan of history and can truly appreciate how hard life was back then. Unexpected stops like that are some of the best parts of traveling.

I then continued on to the Ghost Trains. It’s a cool piece of Maine’s history worth looking up! There are 2 locomotives, several box car remains, tracks, and other parts hidden in the absolute middle of nowhere in the woods. This was definitely a cool adventure and have been wanting to go here for years. Today was a great day seeing Maine’s history up close and in person.

I explored some more and eventually made my way to to my camp spot. Same routine of taking everything in. Swimming. Reading. Not wanting these days to end. This evening was nearly silent but was about the smell. There were tons of wildflowers at the edge of the lake that gave the air and a warm sweet smell all evening. It reminded me of day 2 in a way where it just seemed perfect.

I also happened to look up to see a Lynx or Bobcat go trotting by not more than 100 feet from me! I settled in for another epic sunset and enjoyed the warm sweet air.

I went in the Bronco to watch a movie and wait for it to get dark. I wanted to look at the stars as I realized I haven’t done that yet. It was a fairly clear night and had a pretty good viewing. A great way to spend my last night in the North Maine Woods.

Day 5
I wanted to hold on to this location for a little longer so I enjoyed the view for awhile in the morning before getting on the road.

As they say climbing down the mountain is still climbing the mountain. I still had to make my way out of the North Maine Woods back to civilization. The drive out was fun and an adventure in itself. There was a fairly long section with a ton of trees down that looked fairly new. I probably drove over or around 25-30 trees. Some of them fairly big. Luckily someone cleared some of them with a chainsaw.

Some of the roads out were really smooth and wide. I did what the Bronco does better than most all other overlanding rigs - drive fast and smooth! I had a blast bombing down some of these roads doing my own version of the Baja 1,000 in northern Maine.

I came to a bridge closed off with boulders. After checking GAIA I didn’t see an alternate route and thought I had to go WAAAAYYYY back out of the way to get find another way out and who knows if I’d have enough gas. So I checked the map again closer and missed a connecting road just back around the corner. All was good.

Eventually the roads turned back into pavement and I worked my way down to Moosehead Lake bringing my North Woods Overland trip to an end.

This was an amazing 5 day adventure right in the middle of my 35 day road trip. I think it’s important to do trips like this alone sometimes. It's a different experience alone and get more time to yourself to think and also let your mind wonder. It’s a cool experience few people ever get to have. I couldn’t have asked for anything more and will forever cherish these memories, feelings, photos and experiences.

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https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/threads/meet-moon.41320/

Enjoyed reading the recap of your overlanding trip. Great accompanying photos! Looked like you had an awesome time.

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