Baxter State Park & Rangeley Lakes of Maine for Fall

I've photographed coastal Maine many years & have just barely touched the Lakes region of Western Maine...Moosehead Lake is about as far as we have reached. Now we are hoping to spend some time (in October) in Baxter State Park and would love some suggestions for productive areas & some favorite locations...including lodging.

Thanks in advance.



Dotty Waxman
dbwaxman.com

For lodging, I highly recommend Big Moose Inn which is just about at the entrance of Baxter. When inside Baxter, Sandy Stream Pond (just a short hike) is a usual spot for moose and a decent scenic spot. You should probably drive up the Golden Road from Kokadjo ME since Lazy Tom Bog and along the road itself are good moose viewing areas. Big Moose Inn has basic accomodations or you can rent the suite that they added a couple years back. The restaurant at the Inn is also probably the best around. Drive north in the park to an area where they rent rustic cabins. A small body of water next to it is another good moose location. October is hit or miss since the moose are moving around a lot but you should still see some.

Donald,

Thanks a lot for your location suggestions. Sounds like just what we want. Any thoughts about landscape, sunrise/sunset, reflection spots? Now all we need is to hit the optimum color which hopefully will be first week in October.

If you drive around Baxter you will see plenty of ponds and trails you can scout for possible reflections for next day early morning shots. Sandy Steam is actually one that may work. Since you are so far north you may actually be timing it pretty well for fall color. In any case Baxter State Park is a great place to explore. Also down near Kokadjo, don't forget Lazy Tom Bog. My cousin just took a nice shot of that in the fog with a moose in the foreground.

Thanks again for additional info. Websites seem to predict last week of Sept as peak but I suspect that we'll just work our way south. I hope that 400mm will do it for the moose but most of my shooting will be landscape.

By the way, have you done any of the sunrise/sunset cruises?

Dotty Waxman
www.dbwaxman.com

My biggest lens is an 80/400vr and it works just fine. Actually for some moose shots on Sandy Stream Pond you may even need your wide angle since I have seen them THAT close.
If you mean a cruise on Moosehead Lake, we have done a sunset cruise with several moose sightings. I would think you would be equally successful if not more so at sunrise for moose.

Did you end up booking at the Big Moose Inn? (great rustic old lodge)

" Did you end up booking at the Big Moose Inn? (great rustic old lodge)"

Actually, no but we're staying in Millinocket. I'll have to find the sunrise cruise references that I saw a while ago but they weren't on Moosehead Lake.
I appreciate your input.