Called to the Wild: Nature-based family vacations in Maine

by Carey M. Kish

From the rocky peninsulas and sandy beaches of the coast to the pristine lakes and rivers and forested hills and mountains of the North Woods, Maine’s abundant natural beauty and wealth of recreational opportunities makes it a great destination for a memorable family vacation.

Visit a wilderness lodge, sporting camp or backcountry hut and enjoy a comfortable stay far from the trappings of civilization. Dine on healthy, home-cooked foods after a fun day of family activity in the outdoors, rest simply in comfortable accommodations amid the fragrant forest, and fall asleep to the call of the loons. Or perhaps make your vacation a more traditional one at an old-time lakeside summer camp near the coast, swim and play games in the sun with the kids, learn some of nature’s lessons, and spend the evening around a crackling campfire.

Either way, relax and take comfort in knowing that your vacation is not only a good time for the whole family, but as easy on the environment as you can make it, thanks to the wide range of green, sustainable and healthy choices for lodging, food and activities available to discerning Maine vacationers.

Wilderness Adventures in Maine’s North Woods

In the heart of Maine’s “100-Mile Wilderness” between Greenville and Brownville Junction is where you’ll find 66,500 acres of conservation land owned by the Appalachian Mountain Club and their three lodging facilities known as the Maine Wilderness Lodges.

The AMC first purchased 37,000 acres of land in the region in 2003, and added 29,500 adjoining acres in 2009. Their “Maine Woods Initiative,” an effort to create outdoor recreation experiences, support sustainable forestry and jobs, and protect ecological resources, is celebrating its 10th year.

Little Lyford Lodge, tucked into the woods near twin ponds of the same name, is off the grid and uses solar and small-scale wind energy systems for electricity. Eco-friendly practices include food composting, recycling, low-flow showerheads, compact fluorescent and propane lighting, and composting toilets.

Gorman Chairback Lodge is nestled into the pines on Long Pond. The green features of this LEED-registered lodge include solar power for electricity, radiant heat floors, a high level of insulation throughout, and double-glazed argon-filled windows.

A third facility, Medawisla Lodge on Second Roach Pond, is closed for renovations until early 2015. The lodges are accessible by passenger car over gravel roads.

The lodges are models of backcountry comfort and hospitality, each sporting a spacious dining room, a library and sitting area with a wood stove and hearth, hot showers and a wood-fired sauna. Large windows allow for plentiful natural light. Hearty, home-cooked meals are served family-style, with fresh produce from the on-site gardens in season.

Guests can rest easy in one of the private log cabins, rustic looking but very cozy. The historic cabins—dating back to the late 1800s—feature comfy beds, wood stoves, gas lights and cold running water. Blankets, towels and sheets are provided.

The AMC lodges feature a wide range of recreational activities, both guided and unguided. There is hiking on an extensive trail network, including the Appalachian Trail, canoeing, mountain biking, wildlife-watching, fishing, and in winter, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.

From the New England Outdoor Center on the east shore of Millinocket Lake, visitors can enjoy a full-on view of Katahdin, Maine’s highest mountain, in all its majestic splendor. Nestled on nearly forty scenic acres and abutting another 1,400 acres of preserved land, the center lies on the doorstep of Baxter State Park and Maine’s famed North Woods, an abundance of conservation and forest lands offering virtually unlimited recreational opportunities.

Rekindle your outdoor spirit and explore the outdoors with: family-friendly whitewater rafting on the Penobscot River, moose safaris and wildlife watching tours, canoeing and kayaking on Millinocket Lake, and hiking to the Ice Caves in the Debsconeag Lakes Wilderness Area or to Blueberry Ledges for Katahdin views and, of course, blueberries! A stay at Twin Pines Camp also includes the use of canoes and kayaks, horseshoes and volleyball, outdoor picnic sites, and a sauna. Pets are welcome.

The center’s Twin Pine Camps feature a mix of cabins and green guesthouses situated along the lakeshore in the shadow of Katahdin. The six smallest cabins are part of the original camp and date back to the early 1960s; and they’re just right for couples or small families. The large and premium cabins are spacious enough for 12-14 people, good for several families or a group. All cabin rentals are furnished with a complete kitchen, full bathrooms, bedding and towels, and outdoor grills.

Each of the Coveside Guesthouses feature radiant heat floors, three private bedrooms and two full bathrooms with showers. Bedding and towels are included. The living room has a gas fireplace, comfy leather furniture and a flat screen television. There is a full kitchen, a sunroom, and a patio with a gas grill. The guesthouses were sited for minimum visual impact on the lake and built from locally-sourced materials. They are also LEED- certified for clean air quality, energy efficient and environmentally-friendly as well.

The River Drivers Restaurant serves a variety of healthy dishes using local ingredients whenever possible. The restaurant is named for the brave men of the timber industry who used rivers to transport sawlogs and pulpwood from the forests downstream to the mills; a practice that was ended by environmental legislation in the mid-1970s.

The ultimate vision of Maine Huts & Trails is a 180-mile trail corridor stretching from the Mahoosuc Range to Moosehead Lake through the mountains of Western Maine, where a wealth of people-powered recreation activities can be enjoyed. With the completion of the 50-mile segment from Route 27 in Carrabassett Valley to Route 201 in West Forks and the opening of their fourth backcountry hut in early 2013, the organization is well on its way.

From numerous trailhead access points, outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy miles of scenic hiking, mountain biking and paddling in summer and cross-country sking or snowshoeing, in the winter. En route, trail travelers can stay overnight in the remote but comfortable and energy-efficient “huts” at Stratton Brook, Poplar Stream, Flagstaff Lake and Grand Falls.

All four huts use solar panel arrays for electricity, and the Poplar hut also features a mini-hydro system. Wood-fired boilers supply hot water for sinks and showers, and radiant floor heat in the bunkrooms. Backup generators use natural gas, and there are composting toilets in the bathrooms.

The main lodges provide a warm environment where guests can relax and enjoy both quiet time and good conversation. A variety of tasty dishes, prepared from locally purchased foods whenever possible, are served family-style in the dining room. After-dinner tours of the hut’s green energy systems guided by hut staff are popular. The hot showers are a real treat at the end of a fun day outdoors and the adjacent bunkrooms are simple, heated, and supplied with pillows and blankets. Private rooms are available.

Summer Family Camps along the Coast

On a scenic peninsula in Montsweag Bay in Wiscasset, just upstream from the mouth of the Kennebec and Sheepscot rivers, The Chewonki Foundation maintains a 400-acre campus that is a model for the sustainable management of natural resources. Five miles of trails crisscross the diverse ecosystems of the property, and an organic farm produces food, wood products and fiber. Chewonki makes incredible use of renewable energy in its operations, including photovoltaic, biodiesel, hydrogen, biomass, passive and active solar, geothermal and wind. Composting and recycling is standard. Families and couples can participate in the Chewonki experience for one week in mid-August every summer at Family Camp, complete with lodging and meals.

Enjoy fun in the summer sun like you used to as a kid with a weeklong vacation at Medomak Family Camp on Washington Pond in Washington, Maine. The camp, a splendid mix of traditional New England summer camp and family-fun vacation, is a great chance to relax and spend quality time together, with opportunities to be off on your own, too. Located on 250 acres, the camp offers a range of land and water activities, plus lodging and meals. The cabins feature solar hot water and LeD lighting, and photovoltaic cells on the barn roof provide 40% of electronic needs.

The Ferry Beach Ecology School in Saco has been offering educational programs on the science of ecology and the practice of sustainability since 1998. The 10-acre campus is located on a dune system fronting a 7-mile stretch of sandy beach on Saco Bay, within walking distance of Ferry Beach State Park and eight distinct ecosystems. In addition to the beach and primary and secondary dunes, there is a salt marsh, a freshwater pond, tidepools, coastal forest and an organic teaching garden. Every summer in early July the school conducts a weeklong day camp for families with hands-on lessons and field trips that explore these fascinating Maine coastal ecosystems. Lodging is not provided, but numerous options are available locally.

 

For More Information and Resources

AMC Maine Wilderness Lodges
P.O. Box 310
Greenville, ME 04441
603-466-2727
www.outdoors.org

New England Outdoor Center
Fire Road 20D
Millinocket, ME 04462
800-634-7238
www.neoc.com

Maine Huts & Trails
496 Main Street
Kingfield, ME 04947
207-265-2400
www.mainehuts.org

The Chewonki Foundation
485 Chewonki Neck Road
Wiscasset, ME 04578
207-882-7323
www.chewonki.org

Medomak Family Camp
178 Liberty Road
Washington, ME 04574
207-845-6001
www.medomakcamp.com

Ferry Beach Ecology School
8 Morris Avenue
Saco, ME 04072
207-283-9951
www.fbes.org

 

“Called to the Wild” ran in the Summer/Fall 2013 issue of Green & Healthy Maine