Recreation

Let’s face it, you didn’t come to the Maine [1] woods for the cuisine or the culture—you came to get out into the woods. The Moosehead region [2] offers a good jumping-off point to get out into the wilderness, either to the two star attractions of Baxter State Park [3] and the Allagash Wilderness Waterway [4] or to white-water rapids [5] or skiing or snowmobiling trails [6], depending on the season.

It’s impossible to shop for groceries or fill up on gas without coming across a flyer for a wilderness guide or outfitter. Many hotels and resorts [7] also lead hiking, rafting, or canoeing trips as a side venture. While guides vary in skill and experience, you can’t go wrong with a Registered Maine Guide (www.registeredmaineguides.com [8]), a member of a tradition that stretches back to Cornelia Thurza “Fly Rod” Crosby, who established a system of training and vetting guides more than 100 years ago.

Within that designation, some guides also belong to the Maine Professional Guides Association (www.maineguides.org [9]), whose website offers the ability to search for guides in specific geographical areas or areas of interest on its website.