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View Full Version : Beyond Katahdin - Camping question about staying in Baxter



earlylight
11-02-2011, 10:02
I'm going to be hiking the 100 mile Wilderness next August and up into Baxter to summit Katahdin. My hiking buddy and I want to hang out a few days afterwards and bag some of the more remote peaks in the park, but that's going to require sleeping someplace besides the Birches.

What's the deal with campsite reservations if you hike into the park? Do you need to figure out a night by night itinerary in advance and reserve campsites wherever you camp or can you just stealth on a wilderness site?

peakbagger
11-02-2011, 11:00
You do need reservations in the park on a day by day itinerary. The park staff are very aggressive at enforcing the rules, if you are caught "stealthing" at a minimum you will be thrown out of the park and may be fined. Especially in August, most of the desirable campgrounds around the Katahdin will be booked full. If there are cancelations, you may get lucky, but dont plan on it, so dont wait until you get there to try to make it up as you go. Even the "remote" sites may get a visit from the ranger in the late afternoon and if you look suspicious, they have the right to ask to see your reservations for camping that night. By the way, the rangers are generally nice down to earth folks who can be quite helpful, but dont p*ss them off.


The new reservation system works pretty well and if you avoid weekends and have a tent, you probably will get something that works by signing up on the first day the reservations are open (either 3 or 4 months prior to the date).

Note the trails are not well laid out for extended backpacking and you will be doing some dusty road walks on very narrow roads to connect up to some trails. Whatever you do, dont try to end your trip at the North gate as its a long hitch down some very rural roads as compared to the Togue Pond gate at the south end of the park.

earlylight
11-02-2011, 18:51
Grrrr. Ok - I'll play it their way. I was afraid of that.

Shutterbug
11-03-2011, 12:49
I'm going to be hiking the 100 mile Wilderness next August and up into Baxter to summit Katahdin. My hiking buddy and I want to hang out a few days afterwards and bag some of the more remote peaks in the park, but that's going to require sleeping someplace besides the Birches.

What's the deal with campsite reservations if you hike into the park? Do you need to figure out a night by night itinerary in advance and reserve campsites wherever you camp or can you just stealth on a wilderness site?

If you will be using a rental car in Baxter State Park, be sure to get one with Maine license plates. You will get a cheaper rate than when you are driving a car with out of state plates.

Smooth & Wasabi
11-03-2011, 15:00
If you'll have a car stay at the private abol bridge campground and drive in for day hikes.

peakbagger
11-03-2011, 16:50
Unless he has a Maine plate styaing at Abol would get pricey, he would have to pay the non resident fee everyday. Its actually about the same price as a spot in a bunkhouse inside the park. Plus its a long drive given the speed limit to get anywhere in the park from the outside.

TJ aka Teej
11-03-2011, 19:32
I'm going to be hiking the 100 mile Wilderness next August and up into Baxter to summit Katahdin. My hiking buddy and I want to hang out a few days afterwards and bag some of the more remote peaks in the park, but that's going to require sleeping someplace besides the Birches.

What's the deal with campsite reservations if you hike into the park? Do you need to figure out a night by night itinerary in advance and reserve campsites wherever you camp or can you just stealth on a wilderness site?

Figure out which of those 'remote peaks' you want to bag. OJI and the Brothers is an all day butt kicking - especially after Katahdin. Double Top is best done with a car drop. The Owl is amazingly rewarding. When you get to Abol Bridge use the pay-cell phone at the store to call Baxter's HQ and make reservations for a extra nights at Katahdin Stream. If it's a weekday you have a good shot at a spot. Resupply and eat some hot food at the store. The new owner's grilled menu is wicked good. Spend the night at the State run Abol Pines site across the road from the Abol Bridge campground. Hike the half mile into the kiosk and sign up for a spot at the Birches for the next night. When you're at Baxter chat up the ranger and other campers, you'd be surprised at the rides connections you can make that way. After your climb to Baxter Peak you'll be glad you have a site to crash at.

Bati
11-03-2011, 19:45
If you have a car, you should be able to crash in the gravel pit. There's actually two of them- when the BS rangers told me to hike to the gravel park to avoid all the dangers in the park after dark, I thought I'd found it. Later discovered the real one is a few miles further down.

The biggest problem with staying there, as with anywhere outside the park is that they won't open the gates until very late in the day, making it impossible to get an early start on the trails. This is a real killer if you're used to backpacking and have broken camp soon after dawn.

peakbagger
11-04-2011, 08:26
The gates actually open quite early in the park and are usually timed so that you can get to the parking lots at Katahdin stream, Abol or Roaring brook just before daylight.
Unfortunately if you want to climb Katahdin (which means parking at Katadhin Stream, Abol or Roaring Brook), only those with day use parking reservations get to go in initially while those who dont, have to wait unless there are unreserved spots that day. At some point if there are no shows that had day use permits, then people waiting at the gate get to fill the remaining slots. If on the other hand, you are doing other summits like Double top or the Fort, Brothers, Coe, & OJI or The Traveler up in the north end of the park you can drive right in when the gate is open. The Owl which is a nice peak, unfortunately is accessed via Katadhin Stream, the same rule apply as Katahdin. The Double top traverse is highly recomended but without a car spot its a long hitch along a underused dirt road. The approach from the south is very steep the last 800 feet of elevation. The approach from the north is better graded but a bit longer.

earlylight
11-07-2011, 08:44
Great info folks - keep the suggestions coming. I had planned to drop a car at Abol bridge, so we have a way home and in order to resupply in Milenocket after finishing the Wilderness. I originally figured we'd hike in from the bridge to the birches and hike the rest of the park, but car spots outside the park borders sound like a good idea under the circumstance. I will have to study the maps some. They really should have a "no impact/car-less" category of visitor for Baxter.