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KyHiker1971
07-28-2017, 13:41
One week until hiking in Maine becomes a long awaited reality! Actually leaving this coming Thursday morning, and I'm stoked, as this has been a dream of mine for years.
I'm attending the ATC hosted by MATC in Waterville, at Colby College. I did scale a few of my hikes back to account for six days of hiking, but I definitely want to hike to Avery and West Peak via Firewarden's Trail and down Horns Pond. That's a hike that I've been looking forward to. Most of my hikes will be around Bigelow, although I did sign up for a hike at Tumbledown Mountain. I may take a day off from the mountains and hike somewhere in Acadia. So, basically, to sum it up, most of the miles will be Bigelow-Carrabassett Valley and towards Caratunk/Moxie Pond.

What can I expect to see in regards to wildlife-beside dirty hikers and bugs? I understand black bears are common in Maine, what areas seem to have the most sightings for black bears? I will admit, I'm probably a typical tourist, and I would love to see a Moose. How often does someone from Kentucky see a moose, after all? What's the likelihood in seeing moose in Bigelow or Carrabassett Valley? Needless to say, I'm excited that Maine seems to be free of venomous snakes, especially after nearly planting a foot on a Copperhead at Virgin Falls in Tennessee two weeks ago.

egilbe
07-28-2017, 14:00
You will see toads, frogs, some garter snakes, probably. Very unlikely you will see any bear, moose, or deer.

tdoczi
07-28-2017, 14:37
You will see toads, frogs, some garter snakes, probably. Very unlikely you will see any bear, moose, or deer.

i will ultimately defer to the maine native on this, but...

while i admittedly have seen very few actual moose while out hiking in ME (maybe 3 total in the course of hiking from the NH border to monson over a number of trips) the woods are pretty much constantly littered with moose scat everywhere you turn.

with that being the case, can one really say that seeing one of the animals helping to leave those droppings all over everywhere is really "very unlikely?"

sure on top of the bigelows isnt where youre going to find one, but i saw by east flagstaff road, for instance.

rafe
07-28-2017, 14:48
If you see moose, it's typically near shallow lakes, marshes and swampy areas. I've seen moose in Baxter park, and many years ago not far from Rainbow Stream shelter, along the shore of Nahmakanta lake.

peakbagger
07-28-2017, 15:35
The highest moose populations are well north of Waterville. Generally the best time of day is very early morning around dawn and late evening around dusk. They hang around wet areas, thus the local nickname "swamp donkeys". If you are in a rural area and see what looks like a muddy area trampled by cows along the side of the road that is probably a spot visited by moose. Anywhere along RT 27 once you get out of the farmland up to Eustis and RT 16 over to Rangeley from Eustis are pretty prime spots. You can make a long loop by heading up RT27 to Eustis and then west on RT 16 to Rangeley and then south on RT4. Here is link to the Moose Hot Spots from a local tourist bureau http://www.rangeley-maine.com/attractions/rangeley-moose-watching/moose-watching-hot-spots/. Realistically during the daytime, moose usually find a remote pond and hang out eating the vegetation at the bottom so it unlikely you will see them during the day unless you go up to Baxter to check out the resident moose at Sandy Stream Pond. That's darn close to a 100% encounter. RT 201 north of Skowhegan is "moose alley" all the way to Jackman. This is a popular route for Canadians from Quebec heading to vacation down on the Maine coast and more than few have ended their vacation by running into a moose. Note the US Canadian Border is not that far up the road.

If you are flying into Portland Maine, take a run up the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray Maine. Its about 15 minutes north of Gray from the turnpike on RT 26. They have samples of most of Maine's resident critters including moose and bears, bobcat and lynx plus all sorts of other critters including a non resident mountain lion. http://www.maine.gov/ifw/education/wildlifepark/hours_and_fees.htm. Its worth the trip since you are driving right by. The bummer is if you take the Maine Turnpike to Waterville, LL Beans in Freeport which is on I 295 is a bit out of the way although if you have the time there are some local back roads that will connect you up with the turnpike in Gray.

Wild black bears by nature really don't want to mess with people. I encounter them on occasion heading to my AT boundary section down near Andover and usually what I see is their rear end. Its berry season right now so bears are probably out in the various berry patches stuffing themselves. The AT tends to be up on the ridgeline so encounters will be rarer. Unlike moose, wild bears tend to hang out in the deeper woods. Some areas have human habituated bears and on occasion some local business will use them as tourist attraction by feeding them.

If you are on group hikes the odds are lower encountering wildlife. You could possibly encounter Gray Jays (AKA Canada Jays) up high on summits. They are very gregarious and will usually eat from your hand. They are less likely to be around in summer. I have strangely had more than a few hummingbird encounters in that area. They are usually attracted to very bright colors (I expect the colors look like flowers). They just zing in check things out and zip away. If you are not familiar with Ravens, they usually are soaring around up high and occasion you might encounter a an "unkindness (I love that term for bunch of ravens) of juvenile ravens" they act like any other group of teenagers and raise heck usually accompanied by lots of noise. Expect to get scolded by a red squirrel, they are very territorial and will let you know you are entering their domain which is usually spruce and fir.

Tumbledown is in a bit of a remote area. The pond is something special to see. For such a low mountain it feels like a much taller one. I expect there may be moose around and you may see purple bear poop from the local bears eating the Tumbledown blue berries. One of the ways to Tumbledown is via RT 17 out of Mexico Maine. It is also a potential moose alley and its worth visiting Height of Land north of the Tumbledown turnoff in Byron. Height of Land is a very nice viewpoint over the Rangeley lakes region into Canada. https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=C%2ftCXB1%2b&id=DEAC7E0F2937F7792451E2758D33B78FFEDFFACE&thid=OIP.C_tCXB1-Osvpsd-zmWR64AEsDI&q=Height+of+land+maine&simid=608055332231711611&selectedIndex=9&ajaxhist=0 The AT crosses the highway at this point.

Maine is the northern edge of the range for whitetail deer. Odds are better to see them working the farm fields heading up from Waterville. They are real pests down in southern maine in the suburban areas just in off the coast.

Good luck and have fun, hope the weather holds out!

illabelle
07-28-2017, 15:41
If you go to Acadia, do the Beehive Trail! Lots of fun. Not as scary as some of the pictures might look.
https://www.citrusmilo.com/acadia2016/joebraun_beehive02.jpg

peakbagger
07-28-2017, 15:47
One big caveat about Acadia is that its crowded this time of year to the point of gridlock especially once you head down from Ellsworth. At time the park service will close down roads like Cadillac Mountain Road If you don't tolerate crowds well and don't have a lot of patience it may be a very frustrating experience. Most of the locals have resigned the park to tourists except in early spring and late fall.

tdoczi
07-28-2017, 15:53
having been on the beehive i can say the scariest thing about it is the thought of doing it with that many other people up there with me. yeesh, no thanks.

peakbagger
07-28-2017, 16:08
Given the choice I would drive up to Baxter and see the moose at Sandy Stream Pond

https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=h%2fonVJzD&id=B8384C956A2CE921979631EA1D9FDAFD9ABC8356&thid=OIP.h_onVJzDUi9flhRnnLCidgEsDI&q=sandy+stream+pond&simid=608044654946419418&selectedIndex=1&ajaxhist=0

https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=hSfweCtf&id=5C2358234FC2C09378277680A8C07EEFBB6C8DDA&thid=OIP.hSfweCtfv6752PPfTr72AwEsDv&q=sandy+strema+pond+moose&simid=608050813927817979&selectedIndex=8&ajaxhist=0

Long drive with about a 20 minute hike along an old logging road to the pond from Roaring Brook.

Heliotrope
07-28-2017, 16:29
One big caveat about Acadia is that its crowded this time of year to the point of gridlock especially once you head down from Ellsworth. At time the park service will close down roads like Cadillac Mountain Road If you don't tolerate crowds well and don't have a lot of patience it may be a very frustrating experience. Most of the locals have resigned the park to tourists except in early spring and late fall.

I've lived here 15 years and if you know where to go you can avoid the tourist frenzy. I had a gorgeous swimming hole all to myself on a July afternoon bc it was close to dinner time. All tourists back to town to eat, drink and buy t shirts ;)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

KyHiker1971
07-28-2017, 16:40
One big caveat about Acadia is that its crowded this time of year to the point of gridlock especially once you head down from Ellsworth. At time the park service will close down roads like Cadillac Mountain Road If you don't tolerate crowds well and don't have a lot of patience it may be a very frustrating experience. Most of the locals have resigned the park to tourists except in early spring and late fall.

Would going on a weekday make a difference with regards to crowing at Acadia?

Also, thank you for the informative and detailed reply. I've had a good year as far as viewing wildlife. Back in May/June, i was encountering whitetail about every time I set foot on the trail. I have seen my share of snakes and encountered a black bear while hiking down from Spence Field in the Great Smokies. I wouldn't mind seeing one while at Bigelow.

Looking forward to coming up there. My friend and I are driving the 16-17 hours from his home in Knoxville, TN. This time next week, I will hopefully be driving through NY state or Connecticut. First hike will be the AT from Cartunk to Moxie Pond, with a steep climb atop Pleasant Pond mountain, this will be next saturday.

KyHiker1971
07-28-2017, 16:41
I would entertain that possibility, but my understanding is that Baxter parking lots fill up fast and when they do, nobody gets in.

Slo-go'en
07-28-2017, 20:30
Your unlikely to see any wildlife on the Bigelow hike. Not the right kind of terrain. Straight up the side of a mountain, across the top and straight down again. Hopefully the current spell of good weather will extend into next week.

KyHiker1971
07-28-2017, 21:30
Your unlikely to see any wildlife on the Bigelow hike. Not the right kind of terrain. Straight up the side of a mountain, across the top and straight down again. Hopefully the current spell of good weather will extend into next week.

I'm hoping for great weather as well. Weather.gov only goes out to Friday, and it has a 50% chance of showers. Accuweather (probably not that reliable this far out) has a mix of clouds and sun with showers for the next 1-2 weeks.

If anyone has a rundown of "typical" Maine weather for august, fill me in.

rickb
07-28-2017, 21:43
What can I expect to see in regards to wildlife...

You might Google up Gray Jays (fearless or friendly depending on your perspective), Spruce Grouse (don't fly away like ruffed grouse) and Ravens (just because) before you head out.

egilbe
07-29-2017, 05:15
I'm hoping for great weather as well. Weather.gov only goes out to Friday, and it has a 50% chance of showers. Accuweather (probably not that reliable this far out) has a mix of clouds and sun with showers for the next 1-2 weeks.

If anyone has a rundown of "typical" Maine weather for august, fill me in.

typical August weather? Hot,muggy, afternoon thunderstorms. Can get a day or two of rain mixed in with a week of sunshine. Weather can change for the better, or worse without any warning. Monday, this weekend was suppose to rainy, by friday, the forecast changed. To some degree, we are affected by the same weather patterns that make mt Washington's weather so fearsome and difficult to predict.


your best chance to see fauna is in BSP. Early morning, early evening. I've only seen one moose, but seen deer in there several times. Never seen a bear while hiking.

Only place I've seen moose while hiking, outside of BSP, is in Grafton Notch. Partly because I spend so much time in that area. Friend of mine who drives rt 26 in a logging truck has reported seeing a bear just before Grafton Notch several times.