Our 8 Top Tips for Visiting Baxter State Park

Last Updated on March 16, 2024 by Bonnie

You may not have ever heard of Baxter State Park. It’s a gorgeous spot in the North Woods of Maine, centered around Mount Katahdin.  While most of our US travel is focused on visiting US National Park Service sites, this state park, like Custer State Park in South Dakota, is every bit as worthy of a visit. That said, it isn’t an easy place to visit, so we’ll help you out with our top tips for visiting Baxter State Park.

My dad always says that we really should visit more state parks and National Wildlife Refuges (which are operated by US Fish & Wildlife, not NPS), so I guess it is only fitting that we made a state park the focus of our first stop in Maine, on my Dad’s birthday. Happy Birthday, Dad!

Check out our full New England National Parks itinerary here.

So, why visit Baxter State Park? What’s so special about it? The short answer is that it is one of the most natural, unspoiled plots of land we have ever been to. If you want to not just experience nature but submerge yourself in nature, this is where to go.

(Disclaimer: When we link to places where you can buy our stuff or places we stayed, we are using special codes that earn us commissions on the sales at no additional cost to you. Please see our Review Policy  for more information.)

Baxter State Park Is A Hiker’s (and Boater’s) Paradise

Tip #1: Prepare to be active.

The focal point of the park is Mount Katahdin, the tallest mountain in Maine and the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. There really isn’t anything to do in this park other than hike, canoe or hang out at one of the campgrounds.

Several different trails lead to the summit of Mount Katahdin. We passed on hiking the mountain but, if that’s your thing, you’ve got plenty of options here. There are several other mountains that you can choose from in addition to Mount Katahdin.

If you are planning on hiking to the top of Mount Katahdin, you will need a parking reservation. Parking reservations can be made online two weeks before your hike if you are not a Maine resident. Maine residents can get a parking reservation starting on April 1.

There are also PLENTY of hikes for those who don’t want to summit a mountain! We did two hikes at Baxter State Park, both of them to remote ponds. Neither hike was challenging.

Our first hike, to Sandy Stream Pond, we did as a loop totaling about 3.5 miles. It could have been done as an out-and-back for less than one mile in total. 

Our second hike combined several trails (one of which was part of the Appalachian Trail) and went to Grassy Pond, Daicey Pond, Elbow Pond and Tracy Pond. All together this loop totaled about four miles, but various parts could have been done for much less.

Both of the hikes we did had very little elevation gain and overall were easy. There were some rocks and roots that we had to be careful of and there was some elevation change (both up and down) but nothing major. The fact that you can connect trails so easily to make your hike longer if you want is one thing that we love about Baxter State Park.

Most of the ponds have canoes available for a nominal charge. You do have to carry paddles on your hike but that’s much easier than carrying a canoe through the woods! There seriously are tons of ponds to get out and explore, some with little or no hiking required.

Check out our 10 essentials for hiking here.

Baxter State Park Is Remote in Every Sense of the Word 

Tip #2: Come prepared with everything you need to be self-sufficient.

There are no facilities or services. This means no cell service, no gas station, no running water, no flush toilets, no ATMs and no snacks or drinks. If you think you might need something while visiting Baxter State Park, bring it with you.

Seriously… there aren’t even any trash cans. You have to take your trash out with you. Yes, they do have pit toilets but you better bring your own hand sanitizer.

They also don’t have any phone lines so that means no credit cards. You will need cash for the entrance fee, any maps you want to purchase or campground charges.

The entrance fee is $16 per vehicle. For a single day, that is a pretty steep price. Most parks that charge that much will at least honor it for a few days or maybe even a week. If you are staying in a campground, I think you only pay the entrance fee one time. But, if you are staying outside the park, it’s a new fee each day.

If you live in Maine, however, it’s free! The park was donated, over time, beginning in 1931 by Percival Baxter. He wanted this land to be preserved for folks to enjoy, at any point in the future. 

“Man is born to die. His works are short lived. Buildings crumble, monuments decay, wealth vanishes but Katahdin in all its glory forever shall remain the mountain of the people of Maine.”

-Percival Baxter

Not a Place to Go Just to “Drive Around” and Look at the Scenery

Tip #3: Expect a slow and somewhat bumpy drive.

First of all, there are only two roads in Baxter State Park and neither one is paved. From the south entrance (16 miles north of Millinocket), one road leads northeast and the other leads northwest. The northwest road eventually turns toward the entrance on the northeast side outside the town of Patten.

The roads are in decent condition but you still will only be traveling 10-20 mph at the most (the park-wide speed limit is 20 mph). Having four-wheel drive was nice a couple of times but we would have easily survived without it. Also, the roads are very narrow. There is enough space for two vehicles to pass each other but it usually does require a little bit of maneuvering by one or both drivers.

Tip #4: Don’t expect grand views while driving.

Lastly, most of what you are driving through while visiting Baxter State Park is forest. There are some ponds close to the road, but even those are generally lined with trees between the road and the water. There are few if any, wide-open spaces to see things. When driving around, you are generally just looking at a lot of trees.

Plan Your Accommodations Before Arriving

Tip #5: RVers should be prepared for vehicle size restrictions (9 feet high, 7 feet wide).

If you are a tent camper, this is your place! Not only are there no hookups but most RVs and trailers aren’t even allowed in the park.

There are a good number of campgrounds scattered around the park but they are fairly limited in size. Many of the campgrounds have some three-sided shelters and some cabins. Some campgrounds are right off the road and also some are backcountry for long-distance hikes.

Tip #6: Be ready to do some rustic camping if you want to stay in the park.

We stayed in Millinocket at the Katahdin Shadows Campground, which is about an hour away. Our campsite was great but there are not many options with full hookups around. 

Read our full campground review on RV Life here.

Moose at Baxter State Park

Of course, I can’t guarantee that you will see a moose, but you’ve probably got a better chance at Baxter State Park than most anywhere else, especially in the lower 48.

Moose are one of the somewhat common animals that I rarely see. In Yellowstone National Park, bison and elk are everywhere. There are some moose, but they are such solitary creatures they are often difficult to find and I just seem to miss them.

Thus, my mission while visiting Baxter State Park was to see a moose. “Victory” came about an hour after entering the park, on our first hike, at Sandy Stream Pond. As we approached the water, there he was hanging out in the middle of the pond, chomping on some grass or something he found yummy.

Tip #7: Look for wetlands for the best opportunities for spotting moose.

What makes Baxter so good for moose viewing is a) it is very remote and b) there is a lot of water and forest… perfect moose habitat!

Update: Since our initial visit to Baxter SP, we have seen moose close up (but not too close) at Isle Royale National Park and Rocky Mountain National Park!

Get To Baxter State Park Early!

We arrived at the park at about 7 a.m. Considering it took us almost an hour to get there from our campground, that was a very early alarm today! 

Tip #8: Set an early alarm if you are hoping to see wildlife.

My advice for seeing animals will always be, “The earlier, the better.” Sure enough, it was still fairly early in the day when we spotted the moose! After watching him for a little while (from a couple of different viewpoints) we continued our hike around the pond. 

Most of the hike was not within view of the water, so as we finished the loop, we headed toward where the moose was at the beginning. He had already moved on only about 90 minutes later. If we had let ourselves be lazy this morning, we probably would have missed our moose sighting!

Bonus Tip: Don’t Miss Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument While You Are There

The newly established Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument abuts Baxter State Park on the east side. This unit of the National Park Service was created in 2016 after a donation of land from Roxanne Quimby, the co-founder of Burt’s Bees.

While the park is still in its infancy regarding facilities, it is open for hiking, camping and boating. There are a couple of driving routes that go through the park. We technically “visited” in 2022 when we came back to Acadia National Park with my mom and sister. It was a cold, rainy fall day and we were in a rental car, so did not push too far into the park.

Read about Acadia National Park here.

Like the roads in Baxter State Park, expect rugged former logging roads that do not lend themselves to fast travel. As this park continues to develop, we plan on returning to spend some quality time here.

Final Thoughts on Baxter State Park

Baxter State Park is a gorgeous and remote park. There is so much to it, yet so little. We truly enjoyed getting away from the distractions of phones and traffic and getting out into the woods. Just be sure to plan your visit before you go so have everything you need.

Maybe one day we’ll come back and do some primitive camping and more hiking!

Check out our full New England National Parks itinerary here.

---

Travel Resources