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Baxter State Park, Millinocket, ME

Photo: TJ aka Teej, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

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Baxter State Park

Togue Pond Gate, Baxter Park Road · Millinocket, ME

Why you should go…

Baxter State Park is a wilderness of more than 209,000 acres in north-central Maine, assembled from land donated by former Governor Percival P. Baxter to stay "forever wild." You enter through Togue Pond Gate in the south or Matagamon Gate in the north. Katahdin's Baxter Peak, the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, is a full-day climb of roughly 4,000 feet. There is no electricity, running water or paved road, and moose and black bears roam the lakes and forests.

  • #state park
  • #hiking
  • #mount katahdin
  • #appalachian trail
  • #camping

Good to know

General sport & outdoor guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Weather calls the shots

    Check the forecast the morning of and keep an indoor backup in your pocket for the day it turns.

  • Shoes, water, sun cover

    The three things that decide whether you last the whole outing or cut it short after an hour.

  • Parking and launches fill early

    On a nice weekend, lots and trailheads are often full by mid-morning.

  • Daylight shrinks in shoulder season

    Spring and fall visits need an earlier start than the same trip in July.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Baxter State Park, ordered by straight-line distance.

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Outdoor Adventure

    Mount Katahdin

    Under $25

    Climb Maine's highest peak, a strenuous granite summit hike that marks the northern end of the Appalachian Trail.

    5.5 mi awayMore like this

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Outdoor Adventure

    Moosehead Lake

    Free

    Maine's largest lake, set among the Longfellow Mountains, with boating, fishing and a lakeside base in Greenville.

    39 mi awayMore like this

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Outdoor Adventure

    Crab Apple Whitewater

    $50+

    A family run outfitter running whitewater rafting trips on Maine's Kennebec and Dead Rivers.

    58 mi awayMore like this