Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
For camping reservations, call
435-6213 weekdays. A maximum of two
vehicles and six adults is permitted per site. The maximum length of stay
is 14 days.
For those flying into remote campsites by float plane, proper permits
must still be obtained in advance.
Large motor homes are banned from the North Maine Woods. Single ve-
hicles longer than 28 feet or vehicles with trailers totalling more than 44
feet are prohibited. Large vehicles may be restricted to certain times of
day depending on logging and hauling operations.
There is no charge for day use by anyone under age 15 or over age 70.
Maine residents must pay a $4 per-day fee; non-residents pay $7. Com-
mercial sporting camp visitors pay a one-time fee ($15 for Maine resi-
dents and $21 for non-residents). The additional fee for camping is $5 per
per person, per night. Season passes are available at a substantial dis-
count. There is a financial penalty for showing up at checkpoints after
hours.
Mailing address: PO Box 421, Ashland 04732,
435-6213.
The Allagash Wilderness Waterway
With a length of nearly 100 miles and dozens of potential combinations of
put-ins and take-outs, the Allagash Wilderness Waterway is considered
the premier paddle trip on the East Coast. See
Adventures on Water
,
pages 468-470, for in-depth descriptions of canoe/kayak routes.
From its southernmost point at a dam on Telos Lake in Township 6,
Range 11, to its official terminus at Twin Brook in Allagash Village, near
where the Allagash River melds with the St. John, this delightful water-
way includes broad, windswept lakes, quiet backwaters, turbulent rap-
ids and a spectacular falls. It is composed of a restricted zone, a strip 500
feet wide on both sides of the river, a new construction area roughly a
quarter-mile from the edge of the inner zone, a one-mile area stretching
back farther still, and areas simply visible from the river.
State officials call the north woods in this area “the heart of a working
forest.” The area holds unique opportunities to save not only the vestiges
of wilderness but also historical artifacts and buildings from the bygone
lumbering era as well as numerous prehistoric sites once used by indige-
nous people.
While tree-cutting is allowed throughout the area, the 500-foot “beauty”
strip provides at least the illusion of untrammeled wilderness. Still, the
calls of loons and coyotes will serenade you to sleep at night and moose,
deer, and other wildlife abounds. Especially in spring, when black flies
and mosquitos may be at their worst, the fishing can be very good. With
detours of a day or less, Allagash travelers can visit several unique sites,
