The first five days of our Maine vacation was spent in Baxter State Park (BSP). We did several wonderful hikes in Baxter including: Sentinel Mountain, Doubletop Mountain, The Owl, and The Traveler Loop. We also canoed in Daicey Pond and Lower South Branch Pond. We observed a lot of wildlife in BSP including pine marten, moose, hawks, rabbits, loons, fisher, and white-tailed deer. We did not see a single person on the summits of any of our hikes, and only a dozen or so people cumulative on all of our hikes.

BSP definitely had a wilderness feel to it. Unlike the White Mountains, you rarely see another person on the non-Katahdin trails, and the park was very peaceful (no loud Harleys!). BSP takes alot of gas because of the bureaucracy, but if you can bear with the reservation process and rules BSP has A LOT to offer.

Our favorite parts of BSP were hiking Sentinel Mtn (a molehill with tremendous views), having a moose walk up to our Lean-to at Nesowdnehunk Field, camping at South Branch Pond and watching the Loons, and gorging on blueberries on the Traveler Loop.