Nearly one year ago today (August 24, 2016, to be exact), then-President Barack Obama used the Antiquities Act to create Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, just east of Baxter State Park and Mount Katahdin.
I had the chance to visit recently, camping with my wife and dog beside the East Branch of the mighty Penobscot River. As we looked up that night, the stars lit the sky like I’ve seldom seen. From one end of the horizon to the other, not a hint of light from a city or street light. Just sky and stars, mountains, trees, a hearty river and us.
We were seeing this national monument in its infancy. It’s a six-hour drive from the Monadnock Region, but well-worth the visit for those with the right vehicle and a healthy appetite for isolation and nature.
The land was donated last year to the federal government by Roxanne Quimby, founder of Burt’s Bees personal care products. Quimby, who has long hoped the lands would become a national park, also pledged a $40-million endowment for the government’s stewardship.
Some locals see Katahdin Woods and Waters as a source of new opportunities for visitors, business and prestige. Millinocket’s shuttered mills and vacant storefronts are a sign that this part of Maine could use a boost.
But Quimby’s intentions and the prospect of a national monument or park have also been contentious. Maine’s mercurial Governor Paul LePage hates the idea of a national monument there, even to the point of refusing to allow state highway signs pointing the way to visitors.
Some see Quimby’s donation as an affront to local control, taking timber stands out of management, and disallowing long-standing hunting traditions from portions of the land. In fact, as my wife and I approached the national monument, we saw many unwelcoming signs posted by residents and neighboring timberland owners proclaiming their opposition. Must be getting close, we figured.
Those signs may have been intended for the eyes of U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, who visited Katahdin Woods and Waters in June. Zinke was there because his boss, President Trump, had instructed the Interior Department to review Katahdin and 26 other national monuments to determine if previous administrations had exceeded their authority in creating them under the 1906 Antiquities Act.
While that review process continues, Zinke has recommended shrinking Bears Ears National Monument in Utah, prompting outrage from tribal governments, many organizations and outdoor outfitters like REI and Patagonia.
During his visit to Maine, Zinke told the press that he was impressed with Katahdin Woods and Waters, saying that, “Scaling back, I don’t think makes a whole lot of sense for here.”
What Zinke found in June – and what we saw a few weeks ago – was a national monument unlike other, more established monuments we have visited out West, like Canyon de Chelly in Arizona and White Sands in New Mexico.
Don’t expect a visitor center, spilling over with tourists looking at interpretive displays, getting maps and watching short videos. Katahdin Woods and Waters has none of that, but there is a “welcome center” in one of downtown Millinocket’s few storefronts that isn’t vacant. And while Millinocket is a few miles out of the way for monument visitors, the welcome center is a worthwhile stop for info and maps. You’ll want the map, for there are few signs.
If you go, expect rough gravel roads – all former log-hauling roads, riddled with side-roads that beg exploring, but not in a vehicle. The main roads are ill-advised for low-riding sedans, fine for trucks and SUVs, and excellent for mountain bikes. This is a pretty isolated place. There’s little or no cell reception, no stores, no campgrounds, no ranger station, and no rangers.
Monument opponents point out that these woods east of Baxter are better suited for mosquitoes than for people. And they have a point. We found our campsite (one of a small number) to be a beautiful spot, but profoundly, ungodly buggy. That’ll change with the seasons.
Of the few scattered visitors that we saw during our weekend was a group of college students with professors studying – appropriately enough – environmental policy.
But as we traveled the rough, 16-mile loop road and hiked one of the monument’s many mountains, we could see the potential. This is a cool place, full of healthy streams with wild brook trout, silver cascades, long hiking trails, and spectacular views. It tells a story of Maine’s logging heritage, of camping, fishing and hunting and connecting with nature in these vast woodlands in Katahdin’s shadow.
We’re glad these are public lands and we’ll go again.
Eric Aldrich writes from his home in Hancock. ericadine@gmail.com.