Greenville Trip (Lazy Tom Stream, Lily Bay State Park, Little Moose Mountain Public Reserved Land)

I did a solo camping, hiking and kayaking trip this weekend in the Moosehead Lake region.

I started my trip after work Friday, kayaking 2.6 miles on Lazy Tom Stream north of Spencer Bay Road.  This is a beautiful and secluded stream that meanders through ideal moose habitat.   I did not see any moose but was treated to amazing views of Big and Little Spencer Mountains.   

I camped at Lily Bay State Park.  This is a nice park, with pit toilets in the campground and a central facility with flush toilets and showers.   I spotted four deer in the brief time I was there, including a doe suckling from it's mother on the side of the road (sorry for the blurry picture, I took it over my shoulder from inside the car).

I woke early Saturday morning to see the sunrise and hoping to spot a moose.  I started hiking Little Moose Mountain from the Moose Mountain Inn in Greenville.  The eastern trailhead starts from the hotel's parking lot and steadily climbs the mountain.  At times the trail is steep, requiring a little scrambling, but it is also interspersed with flat sections.  

I noticed numerous moose tracks and droppings on the trail, even at the highest point just north of Papoose Pond.  As I descended towards the pond I heard a large crashing noise in the woods, followed by breathing and then moose vocalizations.  Although I couldn't see the moose due to the thick vegetation it was still an exciting moment.

 I connected with the Big and Little Moose Pond Trail, hiking counterclockwise adjacent to the two ponds.  I then took the Mountain Link Trail to North Road and then took Route 15 back to the Inn.  If I did it over, I'd hike with a friend (driving two cars) or drop a bike at the trailhead and make it a shuttle hike, given that 3.5 of the 9.3 miles I hiked wound up being on the road.