Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
generous and friendly. Most welcome the arrival of more than 70,000
young fans of the band Phish, who take over the former bomber base for
several days of music and fun each summer.
Towns like Caribou and Houlton are strong commercial centers.
Sporting traditions such as hunting and fishing remain healthy in the
Far North. The Allagash Wilderness Waterway continues to attract thou-
sands of canoeists each year. Hidden to all but those with special knowl-
edge, the hills here harbor caves where ice remains all year. It is a
difficult journey by water and foot to find them, but they are unique
places to visit.
An international extension of the famous Appalachian Trail - which will
begin at the present terminus in Baxter State Park and end on the Gaspé
Penninsula in Canada - is presently being constructed. Sections over
Mars Hill near the New Brunswick border are already completed.
Aroostook holds the most remote and wild country in the Northeast
United States. Evidence of the occasional visit by wolves has spurred
hopes for their reintroduction. Small and pristine state parks seldom see
the crowds endured by more popular areas to the south.
Note: Maine has one area code - 207.
Parks & Preserves
Private Lands
The vast majority of land in the Great North Woods is private,
owned by paper companies and land holding firms. As a matter
of tradition it is open to the public for fishing, hunting, camping,
hiking and canoeing. Some paper company roads are gated and modest
fees are charged for day use and for use of campsites or cabins main-
tained by these companies. Occasionally, a small area may be closed for
safety reasons during timber harvesting operations. (See page 403 in the
previous chapter for advice on traveling these lands.)
North Maine Woods, Ashland
North Maine Woods Inc. oversees more than three million acres of work-
ing forest for a consortium of more than 20 major landowners. There are
more than 2,000 miles of gravel roads and most of the land is either being
harvested for pulp and saw logs or has been in the past. Many areas are
on their third cycle of cutting and regeneration.
