Katahdin Woods and Waters & Baxter State Park Camping Trip

I spent three days and three nights this past weekend hiking and camping in Baxter State Park and Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument.  The highlights were spotting two moose and a coyote, camping in brisk fall nights, hiking 30 miles of trails, and seeing the fall foliage.  

Moose "hiding" behind a tree on Dwelley Pond Trail

Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument

I headed out Thursday after work and arrived after dark at the Sandbank Stream Campground.  The campground has three sites, two of which were occupied when I arrived.  I left before daylight so cannot really say much about the campsites other than it was quiet.

I woke up early on Friday and drove to the monument's north entrance to hike  I parked at the Haskell Gate and headed south, following the International Appalachian Trail (IAT) to Haskell Deadwater and Haskell Rock Pitch.  Haskell Deadwater is a wide section of the Penobscot River with a hike-in campsite and a portage for canoes and kayaks.  I took time to scout the campsite for future trips, and like other campsites in the monument, it had a pit toilet, picnic table, fire ring and bear box.  

Blue heron taking flight from Haskell Deadwater

Shortly after the Deadwater, the IAT passes Haskell Rock Pitch, a series of rapids with a unique 20 foot tall rock protruding from the rapids.

Haskell Deadwater Rapids

I veered off the IAT after this, taking Little Messer Pond Road to the Messer Pond Trail and Big Spring Brook Hut.  Up until the Messer Pond Trail, the hike was on a dirt/gravel road.  The short Messer Pond Trail is a traditional hiking trail leading to the remote Big Messer Pond.  Moose tracks and scat lined the trail to the pond, and although I didn't see any moose, I did spend time watching a grouse walking through the woods.  

Big Messer Pond

Grouse on Big Messer Pond Trail

Squirrel on Big Messer Pond Trail

My next stop was the Big Spring Brook Hut, a basic shelter that can be rented for winter use (it's locked in the summer).  

Big Spring Brook Hut.  Even though it's locked, the picnic table made a nice resting spot.

I returned the same way I came for a total of 12.6 miles.  Here is a map of the hike.  I encountered only three other people the entire hike - a man on a bike and a couple walking their dogs near the start of the trail.  

Fall foliage from IAT.

I camped at the Upper East Branch Campsite Friday night.  This spacious, tent-only campsite is on the Penobscot River and features a bear box, fire ring, two picnic tables, and a relatively new and clean outhouse building with a pit toilet.  It was a quiet night with no one nearby. 

Upper East Branch Campsite

View from campsite

Baxter State Park North

I hiked Saturday in Baxter's Scientific Forest Management Area (SFMA).  This little visited area of the park allows hunting and is used by Baxter for logging during the week.  My last time here we spotted a large bull moose along the dirt road that runs through the area.  The road was gated a few miles in, and I walked a little under four miles along the closed dirt road to the Blunder Bog Shelter, a surprisingly nice picnic shelter with a southerly view of mountains and Blunder Bog.

Blunder Bog Shelter

  

View from Blunder Bog Shelter

After a brief stop at the shelter, I hiked the Wadleigh Brook Trail to the Hudson Pond Lean-To.  It appears this trail has not been used (or maintained) in a while, as there were several downed trees and a 0.15 mile section with chest-high ferns.  There were abundant moose tracks and scat along the trail, however.  

Chest-high dried out ferns clogging the trail

The trail appears to get little visitation from people

The small lean-to was in good condition, and features a fire ring, small raised grill, outhouse, and canoe with paddles and life jackets (in good condition).  Since the site was not occupied, I used the canoe to explore the Hudson Pond.

Hudson Pond Shelter.  Note grill to the left.  The box on the right houses life jackets.

Canoeing Hudson Pond.

On the return hike, I observed a red-tinted coyote standing beside the SFMA road, intently staring into the roadside grass.  I watched as it lunged into the grass, coming up empty-handed (technically empty-mouthed).  At this point the coyote spotted me and trotted off.  I managed a few pictures with my handheld camera, but due to the distance they are a bit grainy.  

My specialty, blurry wildlife pics....

Here is a map of Saturday's approximately 10 mile hike and 1.7 mile paddle.  

I camped Saturday night at Trout Brook Farm campground in Baxter at a large, private site (#27).  

I woke early Sunday and hiked the western section of the Dwelley Pond Trail at daybreak.  After reaching the pond, I explored a side trail leading to a canoe.  The well-trodden trail extends beyond the canoe for a short distance and appears to be heavily used by moose.  

Dwelley Pond, 7:19 am.

Canoe trail at Dwelley Pond  

Dragonfly on log at Dwelley Pond.

I attempted to hike to McCarty Field from the pond, but after a little over a mile the trail became heavily overgrown and impassable.    

Dwelley Pond Trail around one mile past the pond

I made a point of hiking as quietly as I could, but with only 1/2 mile remaining on the hike, I stepped on a branch, causing a loud crack.  I heard a grunt in return and looked up to spot a bull moose in the woods, approximately 50 feet away staring at me through heavy foliage.  It fled into the woods before I could get a good picture, but nearby was a cow moose standing perfectly still behind a tree, as if trying to hide.  I watched the cow for a few minutes before it slowly started to walk away into the woods.  

Cow moose walking away after a couple of minutes.

Here is a map of Sunday's seven mile hike.