Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
For most of its length the Golden Road follows the fabled West Branch of
the Penobscot River, once home to woodsmen and river drivers and im-
mortalized in the writings of Henry David Thoreau. Slow up for the one-
lane bridge at
Abol
. Remember that log trucks have the right of way.
There is a small store and campground here and spectacular views of
Katahdin to the north. Abol is also the name of a falls just downstream
from the bridge. The next 10 miles follow the river.
DID YOU KNOW?
At one point during the early
1980s plans called for a new dam here. It would have
flooded the valley more than 100 feet deep. Luckily, it
was never built.
Ahead is
Pray's Campground
, rustic in a sort of benign road warrior
sense, with tent sites, lots of seasonal trailers, and good fishing in the
eddy.
A right just beyond the campground takes you toward Telos Lake. The
bridge is a good place to watch whitewater rafters challenge the Class V
Cribworks rapids.
The next major right dead-ends at a hydroelectric station where most
raft trips begin. Just ahead, a right turn takes you to
Ripogenus Dam
,
one of the largest in Maine. You'll pass Pray's Store which offers several
rental cabins in the area.
You can drive across the dam or just get out and walk across. Marvel at
the sound when the gates are open and water surges through the narrow
gorge below.
Ahead, the Golden Road turns to well-groomed dirt as you pass the south
tip of
Chesuncook Lake
and then the south end of
Caribou Lake
-
which is really the western arm of Chesuncook. When you see this second
lake, slow down and look to your left. There is an attractive waterfall.
The right turn to Greenville, via Kokadjo, is only a few hundred yards
ahead on the left.
WATCHABLE WILDLIFE:
Greenville Road, a stretch
of paper company highway, is prime moose-watching
territory. Often, you'll sense one is ahead before you
see it as gawking traffic backs up in “moose jams.”
The exit fee station is just head at
Silas Hill
.
Take a break when you get to the tiny village of
Kokadjo
, which has
bumper stickers for sale at the trading post noting its year-round popula-
tion of three.
