Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Just north of town a large earthen dam and power station holds back the
river into Wyman Lake. Route 102 twists and turns as it climbs the hills
on the eastern shore. Watch both the sharp, compound turns, and for
moose, as well as for the seemingly endless parade of Canadian tractor
trailers heading south.
About halfway up the lake a picnic area marks the spot where Benedict
Arnold and his men left the river and attempted to haul their gear over a
1,000-foot-high mountain.
Up ahead is
Caratunk,
where the Appalachian Trail crosses the
Kennebec. In peak through-hiker season, a ferryman with canoe is avail-
able to take walkers across, especially when water is being released up-
stream to facilitate whitewater rafting.
The tiny village of
The Forks
, where the Kennebec and Dead Rivers
meet, is the whitewater rafting capital of Maine. There are more raft out-
fitters based here than anyplace else in the state. Most trips leave from
base camps along Route 201. It is a quick bus trip to the nearby Harris
Station Dam on Indian Pond where float trips begin.
A short side trip down Moxie Pond Road in The Forks brings you to the
small pullout where the trail leads about a mile north to
Moxie Falls
,
the tallest waterfall in Maine.
The next 30 miles or so of Route 201 to Jackman is a pretty lonely road.
Watch out for moose!
Jackman
, which bills itself as the Switzerland of Maine, is becoming a
recreational destination of its own. In addition to its busy snowmobiling
season, it is popular with hunters and fishermen as well as canoeists
looking to take in the Moose River Bow Trip, one of the quintessential
paddle journeys in the state (see page 429). It is just a short distance fur-
ther on up Route 201 to the border checkpoint (staffed 24 hours a day).
Millinocket to Greenville via Golden Road
A long ways, half the day, one way
Highlights:
This trips is for the decidedly adventurous, since most of
these roads are used for the timber industry or for backcountry recreation
and not for sightseeing. There are few stops, and even fewer opportunities
for food, fuel or mechanical assistance. See page 54-56 for advice on using
remote dirt roads before heading out on this route. The Golden Road from
Millinocket to Chesuncook is paved.
Route:
Begin on the
Golden Road
just north of
Millinocket
. There is
an entrance station to the Golden Road about 10 miles north of town just
off the paved road that heads toward Baxter State Park. Pay your day-
use fee here. The store and seaplane base at Spencer Cove, just before the
gate, is one of the last pit stops.
