LAKE REGION
WELCOME TO Moosehead
WHAT NOT TO MISS IN THE MOOSEHEAD LAKE REGION BY
KATIE SMITH
YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE a water enthusiast to have an amazing experience in the Moosehead Lake region. There’s shopping, dining, museums, and ways to enjoy the vistas via plane or van.
A day trip to Greenville, the hub of the Moosehead Lake region, is easy since it’s only an hour and a half from Bangor or about three hours from Portland. In addition to Greenville, the region includes the towns of Rockwood, Kokadjo, Lily Bay, Beaver Cove, Shirley, Monson, and Abbot. With so much to explore and plenty of great dining and overnight accommodations, including camping and lakeside hotels, you’ll likely want to extend that day trip into a full vacation.
Here are a few things not to miss while you’re in the area.
OUTDOOR FUN
While there are many lakes in the area, Moosehead Lake is the star of the show. Moosehead is the largest lake in Maine and the second largest in New England. Whether you’re looking to boat, jet ski, paddle, swim, or just relax on a dock with a good book, the lake life offers something for everyone.
Looking for a little more adventure? You can find whitewater rafting options along the nearby Kenne-
bec River with groups like Northeast Whitewater, which also offers river tubing and guided moose tours and wildlife safaris. After all, what’s a visit to Moosehead without spotting an actual moose?
For a more laid back boating excursion, consider a ride on the historic Steamboat Katahdin. The 1914 steamboat offers a variety of cruises, including tours past Mt. Kineo, blues and brews events, and more.
Speaking of Mt. Kineo (and its historic fire tower that provides a 360-degree view of the Moosehead Lake region and different trails that range from easy to challenging), the area is rich with amazing hiking opportunities. A portion of the Appalachian Trail’s 100 Mile Wilderness cuts through the region — spot by the AT Visitor’s Center in Monson for information.
Other favorite hikes in the area include Big Moose Mountain, Little Moose Mountain, Moxie Falls (featuring a 90-plus foot tall waterfall), and Gulf Hagas.
INSIDE ACTIVITIES
If you need a break from the outdoors, or some inside activities during a stretch of rain, the Moosehead Lake region won’t let you down.
The Moosehead Historical Society offers a variety of museums to explore. The Center for Moosehead
History, located at 6 Lakeview St. in Greenville, showcases one of the largest Native American tool exhibits in Maine and tells the stories of Moosehead’s Native American families. It’s also home to the annual July Thoreau Wabanaki Trail Festival. The Center also houses The Moosehead Lake Aviation Museum, B-52 Crash Exhibition, and the stories about the region’s people, places, and things, past and present.
Eveleth-Crafts-Sheridan Historical House is an 1890s mansion that offers guided tours from June to October. During the tours you will learn about what life was like on Moosehead years ago, and outside there are stunning gardens to see.
The Lumbermen’s Museum is an informative place to visit if you’ve ever wondered about the timber industry. The museum has a library, timber tools, and is also open from June to October.
FOR FAMILIES
If you’re bringing the entire family to Moosehead Lake, Lily Bay State Park is a must-visit. There’s a lovely pebble beach for swimming, a playground, a boat ramp, and a two-mile hiking trail. It's also a great place for the entire family to fish. And if you’re looking to stay overnight, they offer 90 campsites.
ADOBE STOCK
FOR GOLFERS
If you’re a golfer, you’re going to want to check out the Mount Kineo Golf Course. It’s a 9 hole, par 36 course — and you can only get to it from the shuttle boat that runs from the Rockwood landing. The historic course offers incredible views of Mount Kineo, rising 1,798 feet above the shores of Moosehead Lake from its summit. Mount Kineo Golf Course’s clubhouse offers snacks and drinks, as well as golf club and cart rentals. Golfing is available from Memorial Day Weekend to early October.
ADVENTURE SEEKERS
If you’re looking for something a little more exciting than a simple hike or day at the lake, Northwoods Outfitters offers moose tours, guided hikes, and family fishing trips. It’s also a great place to rent bikes, camping gear, canoes, kayaks, and ATVs. With so much to see, a seaplane tour is a wonderful way to view the region. Moosehead has a long tradition of seaplanes taking off and landing on the massive lake (see page 8 for more information), with plenty of tour options available. Better still, visit Greenville during the annual International Seaplane Fly-In, scheduled for Sept. 5-8 this year, for lots of high-flying fun.
An aerial view of Greenville and Moosehead Lake.
The Katahdin cruises on Moosehead Lake with Mount Kineo in the background.
LINDA COAN O’KRESIK / BDN FILE PHOTO
A family watches a moose eat aquatic plants in a pond in the Moosehead Lake region during a moose tour led by Northeast Whitewater guide service of Shirley.
AISLINN SARNACKI / BDN FILE PHOTO
A fawn walks towards a group of adult white-tailed deer that likely includes its mother at Seboomook Wilderness Campground on the north end of Moosehead Lake.
AISLINN SARNACKI / BDN FILE PHOTO
Delicious LOCAL FOOD FINDS
THE MOOSEHEAD LAKE REGION IS TEEMING WITH TASTY TREATS BY
JOANNA O’LEARY
DINING IN MAINE is not just lobster and blueberries. Sure, there are plenty of those too, but Vacationland presents a plethora of opportunities to dine on more diverse fare. The Moosehead Lake region is a particularly exciting area right now for foodies, as the opening of new chef-driven eateries alongside dependable local institutions means you’ll emerge happy whether you’re craving pub grub, gourmet, or something in between. Need some help navigating your noshing journey? Below are some must-stops on your eating itinerary.
THE LAKESHORE HOUSE
9 TENNEY HILL RD, MONSON
With dazzling waterfront vistas and well-executed pub fare, the Lakeshore House is unsurprisingly a favorite among Mainers and those “from away.” Standout starters include the predictable albeit highly satisfying mozzarella sticks and fried mushrooms as well as a few surprises
like escargot with garlic, parsley, and drawn butter. Some favorite mains are the reuben and the ribeye (and do add on the bleu cheese and the sauteed onions). The rustic interior, replete with tables fashioned from tree cross-sections and flanked by a full bar, is cozy and ideal for enjoying live music from a rotating lineup of musicians on the open-mic nights. For a more low-key and “naturally” entertaining eating experience, sit outside for arguably the most beautiful view of sunset in Maine.
THE QUARRY
15 TENNEY HILL RD, MONSON
If you live to eat rather than eat to live, no trip to the Moosehead Lake region is complete without at least one dinner at The Quarry. Winner of a 2023 James Beard Award, The Quarry is led by enterprising Chef Lulu Ranta, who most nights visits each and every table to check on patrons’ well-being as they make their way
through her globally-inflected, multicourse tasting menu. Options vary according to the seasonal availability of ingredients, but recent selections include green salad with strawberry “pearls” and panko-bread soft egg, thai curry soup, and scallops, atop herbal risotto. Reservations are highly recommended, and if you’re a fan of succulent plants as well as food, request seating in the back dining room, which draws additional beauty from a garden of potted cacti.
JAMO’S PIZZA
PRITHAM AVE, GREENVILLE
Sometimes, you just need a slice, so curb your pizza cravings by heading to Jamo’s whose pies differentiate themselves from others in the region by their airy house-made dough. Create your own circular masterpiece by choosing from toppings included but not limited to tomatoes, peppers, olives, onions, hamburger, bacon, meatballs, and pepperoni, or opt for one of Jamo’s signature pies like the Buffalo Chicken, stacked with white meat tenders, cheese, and buffalo drizzle with your choice of red, barbecue, buffalo, or ranch sauce base. Jamo’s doubles as a minimart, so you can conveniently also pick up a six-pack of local ale to pair with your pizza.
368 MAINE
368 LILY BAY RD, GREENVILLE
“Edible art” is perhaps the most apt descriptor for the cuisine at 368 Maine, the elegant cornerstone restaurant at The Lodge at Moosehead Lake. From beginning to end, every dish comprises components painstakingly plated and thoughtfully chosen for their complementary nature. A starter of arancini (fried rice balls), for example, is simultaneously savory and refreshing from an infusion of citrus alongside shaved parmesan; likewise, a deceptively simple-sounding carrot salad is rendered sumptuous via maple syrup, local chevre, and harissa-roasted cashews. Past outstanding entree selections include “statler” chicken (boneless breasts with attached drumette) cloaked in a velvety black truffle mushroom cream or pan-seared halibut with aromatic pea puree and asparagus. And dessert is anything but an afterthought — the frozen lemon souffle with warm blueberry compote delightfully contrasts temperatures and textures for the perfect sweet-tart coda to your meal. Finally, though the food is sophisticated, the vibe is anything but snobby; attentive wait staff willing to answer all your questions combined with an elegant yet inviting atmosphere engenders a “fancy but friendly” feel.
TURNING PAGE FARM BREWERY
842 N GUILFORD RD, MONSON
With a focus on fresh ingredients and community, Turning Page Farm Brewery in Monson is the perfect weekend spot for a local brew paired with a tasty snack. Open Saturdays and Sundays from 12-6 p.m., bratwurst sandwiches, chili, gourmet grilled cheese, and hot pretzels are all on the menu, and the beer garden is dog friendly. Speaking of beer, Turning Page serves up four to six different beers on tap each weekend, including Beehive Brown, Farmhouse Red, and Lone Rooster Rye. While you’re there, pick up some artisanal goat cheese, goat milk soap, and other products from the farm store.
The Quarry chef and owner Marilou “Lulu” Ranta with her James Beard Award.
LINDA COAN O’KRESIK / BDN FILE PHOTO
Carved from Stone
MOOSEHEAD LAKE OWES EVERYTHING TO GEOLOGY, ICE, AND VOLCANOES
BY JULIA BAYLY
THERE WAS A TIME you could have driven from Australia through North America to Africa without ever getting wet. And along the way, you could have taken a break at what is now Moosehead Lake.
Of course, that was more than a billion — yes, that’s billion with a “B” — years ago, when the Moosehead Lake area, along with the rest of North America, was part of a massive supercontinent called Rodinia.
The area was in the section of Rodinia called Laurentia, where an eon later modern day travelers head up Route 2 to Greenville and Moosehead Lake.
In the mind-boggling span of years in between, tectonic activity, volcanoes, and the movement of glaciers all played a part in turning the Moosehead Lake area into what it is today — a mecca for lovers of the outdoors.
Take Mount Kineo, for example.
Every year thousands of hikers take their own canoes, kayaks, or boats or hop on a regularly scheduled ferry to the mountain island in the middle of Moosehead Lake.
Once there they tackle hiking trails ranging from easy mile or so walks through the woods to the more challenging 8-mile path to Kineo’s 1,789-foot summit.
From there the views are expansive. The blue waters of the lake itself, the mountains of western Maine and the Appalachian Mountains in the far
distance. Those mountains were created thanks to plate tectonic activity pushing rocks to the surface and higher up millions of years ago.
What a lot of hikers may not know is they are actually walking on an extinct volcano — not a feature you would think is in Maine. The last eruptions were during the Mesozoic era, between 252 and 66 million years ago.
When the lava cooled it formed a kind of rock called rhyolite and it’s pretty unique to the area. It’s called “Kineo Flint” and was one of the reasons Indigenous peoples came from near and far to trade with local tribes for the flint used in tool and weapon making hundreds of years before the first European colonizers arrived on the scene.
Kineo’s final shaping by Mother Nature came a relatively short time ago when the movements of glaciers during the last ice age around 15,000 years ago carved the mountain into its distinct shape.
Kineo is an imposing sight jutting up from Moosehead Lake.
Not to be outdone by the mountain, Moosehead Lake has its own impressive geologic pedigree.
The largest lake in Maine, Moosehead is 40 miles long, covering 75,000 acres with 400 miles of shoreline. That’s enough to make it one of the largest freshwater lakes in the country and the largest lake east of the Mississippi entirely in one state.
A view of Mount Kineo jutting up from Moosehead Lake.
BDN FILE PHOTO
An aerial view of Kineo and the surrounding land formations.
ADOBE STOCK
A cow moose feeds on aquatic plants in a pond in the Moosehead Lake Region.
AISLINN SARNACKI/BDN FILE PHOTO
Spencer Pond is seen from an outlook on the 1.5-mile Ram Trail on Little Spencer Mountain near Kokadjo. Beyond Spencer Pond is the shining surface of Moosehead Lake, as well as Kineo and Little Kineo mountains.
AISLINN SARNACKI | BDN FILE PHOTO
But it used to be even bigger. It was part of a large, shallow sea during the Paleozoic area 541 million years ago until the start of the Mesozoic area.
When that sea slowly receded, leaving behind the land formations that eventually became Maine, a whole host of critters and plant life moved in, including dinosaurs.
All that is left of those dinosaurs today are fossils, but visitors can see moose, deer, bobcats, and scores of other mammals and birds that call Moosehead home.
Those same glaciers that carved out Mount Kineo also shaped Moosehead Lake. They created the jagged shoreline, more than 80 islands, and scraped out a hole big enough for the lake to reach 246 feet deep at its deepest point.
It also left modern day explorers plenty to look at with all those coves and islands, whether you’re traveling by boat or hiking along the shoreline. The cool waters are teeming with fresh fish like salmon and trout and attract sport fishers from all over.
So next time you are hiking, boating, bicycling, fishing, or hunting around Moosehead Lake, take a moment to thank those geologic forces that have been working for billions of years.
Without them the Moosehead Lake region would be a very different place.
SOARING TO New Heights SEAPLANE
FLY-IN GLIDES INTO ITS 50TH YEAR
BY ANNE GABBIANELLI
MARK YOUR CALENDAR for Sept. 5-8 when Moosehead Lake turns into a landing strip for the 50th annual International Seaplane Fly-In in Greenville.
“This is the largest in the country,” said Gary Norris, president of the International Seaplane Fly-In. Norris oversees the four-day event, which brings float planes from all over the world to Greenville. “You gotta see it to believe it. We don’t really promote it that much — we don’t have to.”
Float planes hold a very special place in the history of Moosehead Lake. Norris, a long-time participating pilot himself, shared that some local pilots started having fun with take offs and landings and soon like-minded pilots from the area joined in for a weekend of fun and flying.
In 1973, a tradition was born when David Quam (a past-president of the Seaplane Pilots Association), Duane Lander, Telford Allen, Chip Taylor, Dick Folsom, and Charlie Coe got the first Fly-In off the ground. The seaplane splash-in has a strong reputation as being one of the world’s largest such events — a major draw for flying enthusiasts and spectators alike.
Fifty years later, this event has become an end-of-summer tradition.
“The International Seaplane Fly-In has always been the weekend after Labor Day,” said Greenville Town Manager Michael Roy. “Greenville and the Moosehead Lake region is a tourist destination; having the Fly-In after the ‘end of summer’ season allows our businesses a bonus weekend, sort of the grand finale to the busy summer the town has experienced.”
According to the non-profit International Seaplane Fly-In Corporation, some rare planes make a showing each year, including a 1944 Grumman Goose. Be-
sides the Cessnas, Cubs, and Beavers, it is not unusual to see a Caravan or two, as well as many classic and experimental seaplanes.
Starting on Thursday, Sept. 5, there will be an endless stream of planes touching down on Moosehead Lake from places as far away as Sweden.
“We have float planes from all over — Florida, Alaska, Indiana, Michigan, all over the place, here for the various competitions,” Norris said. “The best competitors are right from Maine, rich with experience. Years ago, a float plane was the only way to get into these remote lakes and logging camps, long before we had the roads.”
The events include an airplane parade, a bush pilots canoe race, touch-and-go landings, take off contests, slalom contests, spot landings, and many more tests of pilots’ skills.
“It’s exciting to watch all the competitions and contests,” Norris said. Some pilots are also available for a meet-and-greet to talk about their planes and to share stories.
Each year, the Fly-In draws thousands of spectators, with over 10,000 attending last year's festivities.
“The Fly-In has always brought thousands of people to Greenville,” Roy said. “This year, the Fly-In’s 50th year will be another huge event. The event is always an economic boost for our businesses and vendors alike.”
In addition to the planes, 20 vendors will arrive from all over, just like the pilots. The Greenville Fire Department, Kiwanis, and The International Seaplane Fly-In Corporation will be vendors as well.
The Fly-In takes the whole community to be successful. Shops, restaurants, and lodging facilities are gearing up for the crowds. Norris said there are air traffic controllers volunteering for the weekend. About 60 Civil Air Patrol cadets will be on hand to help with the ramping of planes, as well as students from UMaine’s aviation program. In addition, every year the need for docking all these planes has been a challenge.
“We go to folks along the shore with a dock and sandy shore who willingly share their space for the weekend,” Norris said. “We’ve been tucking the planes in everywhere.”
(Left) An aerial view of Moosehead Lake from a Cessna 180 Skywagon float plane.
(This photo) Spectators watch a seaplane take off during the International Seaplane Fly-In.
LINDA COAN O’KRESIK / BDN FILE PHOTO
Use Local Firewood on your Next Outdoor Adventure!
FIREWOOD TIPS FOR YOUR NEXT OUTDOOR ADVENTURE
Firewood moved long distances can spread tree-killing insects and diseases.
Insects like the Asian longhorned beetle and pathogens like oak wilt disease can spread in or on firewood.
The next time you head out on an outdoor adventure, follow these firewood tips:
• Leave firewood at home.
• Buy firewood as close to your destination as possible.
• Certified heat-treated firewood is the best choice. Buy firewood with a state seal stating the wood has been HEAT-TREATED to 160 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 75 minutes to ensure it is pest free.
• If certified firewood is not available, purchase your firewood locally. Wood harvested within 10 miles of your destination is best!
• At some sites, you may be able to gather firewood on or near the site. Check local rules.
• Find local or heat-treated firewood sources at firewoodscout.org.
• If you’ve already transported firewood, don’t leave it or bring it home – burn it!
• Also burn any small pieces of bark and debris that have fallen from the wood.
• If you can’t burn it all within 24 hours, follow directions for firewood disposal and drop-off at maine.gov/firewood.
• If the wood you find locally is not heat-treated and you don’t burn it all, don’t take it home with you or to your next destination.
Find more tips at maine.gov/firewood.
Help prevent the spread of insects and diseases that harm our forests.
What
exactly is local?
When it comes to untreated firewood, 50 miles is too far, 10 miles or less is best.
For more information, visit maine.gov/firewood
