After more than five months spent in central Maine it is hard to narrow down our favorite Maine memories. From the locals, to the scenery, or getting to know our guests we really couldn’t have asked for a better first experience into work camping. Although it was difficult, we did our best to pick our Top 5 memories so read on below to see our picks.
Work Camping: Moose Creek RV Resort: Greenville, ME
Before I get into our our top 5, I’d like to give a little more background into our actual work camping assignment. We were hired to bartend at Moose Creek RV Resort for their second season since opening in May 2022. Having gotten into the game very late for a summer hire, we were quite lucky to have this opportunity.
The resort (I really can’t call it a campground) is absolutely stunning! Moose Creek RV Resort is situated in the small town of Greenville, ME about 1 mile from Moose Head Lake. The lake itself is the largest freshwater body of water in Maine stretching approximately 40 miles x 10 miles at its farthest points. The main draws to the area (for summer time) are fishing, boating, ATV’ing, hiking, and hunting. There is so much to do to keep you busy, however if you’re looking to relax, Moose Creek’s got you covered.
There are plenty of amenities for both children and adults to enjoy during your stay. It’s got a beautiful Pavilion area with a top-notch bar and kitchen that serves amazing food. Enjoy some cocktails at their large heated pool, or enjoy live music most Friday and Saturday nights. They have only been open for two seasons, but the word is getting out. They do have plans for expansion over the next few seasons so keep an eye out for availability because I’m sure sites will fill up quick!
Our True Favorite Maine Memory
While this post is about our favorite Maine memories outside of work, truly the number one aspect that we loved most about Maine was the people. From the owners and management, our co-workers and colleagues, and the guests that we shared stories with throughout the summer we truly felt like we had a large extended family while work camping. There are way too many people to name but we know they know who they are. For those that follow our posts, you know Cassandra and I have moved all over the country. We are used to being away from family for long stretches so having our Maine family truly was a blessing!
Maine Hiking Memories:
Hiking opportunities are abundant in Central Maine. You can’t go anywhere without seeing beautiful landscapes. If you are a fan of mountains, forests, lakes, rivers, or streams you will love Maine! Also, central Maine is teaming with wildlife and due to the lack of people sightings are quite common. The two biggest hiking draws to this area are the Moosehead Pinnacle Pursuit and the northern most point of the Appalachian Trail.
Moosehead Pinnacle Pursuit
The Moosehead Pinnacle Pursuit is a challenge that requires participants to hike to the summit of 6 peaks in the Moosehead Lake region. We chose to hike two of the peaks that are part of this challenge.
Mt. Kineo
Known for its 800 foot sheer cliffs and a rich Native American history, Mt. Kineo was a must-do hike. One of our first Maine memories, was taking a boat out on the lake to see these cliffs up close and personal! Staring up at these cliffs from the water was quite impressive. We knew we had to hike Kineo after hearing there were trails to the summit. Three trails to the summit give you options for length and intensity but all lead to the old fire tower providing amazing views. The most popular way to reach Kineo is by a shuttle boat out of Rockwood, ME. The captain of the shuttle is quite knowledgeable about the history of Kineo and is happy to provide that info for those interested.
Big Moose Mountain
Big Moose Mountain (formally Big Squaw) is the highest peak of the Pinnacle Pursuit. At nearly 3200 feet, reaching the summit provides excellent views of the Moosehead Lake region. However, reaching the summit isn’t easy. The trail starts off easy enough but once you reach the stone steps, get ready for a climb!! Luckily a friend warned us of this before attempting so we were prepared mentally…if not physically.
The website’s posted trail length was a bit shorter than the actual length. This caused us to be a pressed for time. Also, Maine had an unusually rainy summer season so slick conditions existed throughout the trail. We were able to reach the summit but nightfall was closing in so we couldn’t enjoy the views too long before heading back down. We typically are prepared for emergency situations while hiking, but we let our guard down on this one. Forgetting our headlamps, we arrived back to the truck under use of my cell phone flashlight with 2% battery left. We lucked out, but it was a reminder how serious it can be when heading out unprepared.
Favorite Hiking Spot
Although not part of the Pinnacle Pursuit, the peak we hiked most often was Little Moose Mountain (Little Squaw). Since we lacked a vehicle other than our RV, this peak was close enough to ride our bikes to. The trails provided a nice mix of inclines and declines. Also, it provided excellent views whether from the summit (2,113 ft.) or by the water’s edge of Big and Little Moose Ponds. Standing on the summit with wobbly legs and admiring the view was one of my favorite Maine memories! For anyone interested, you can find camping spots along the ponds off of Loop Trail not too far from the summit. These remote spots are only available to those willing to hike in from the trailheads.
Bar Harbor, Maine Memories: Acadia N.P.
We struggled to get to Bar Harbor during our rainy summer in Maine. After cancelling reservations twice due to foul weather, the third time was the charm. Many Mainers warned us to avoid this congested area. Bar Harbor and nearby Acadia National Park receive millions of tourists a year with summer being the busiest season. However, it ended up being on our list of favorite Maine memories.
The two biggest draws for us visiting this crowded area were the hiking and beach access in Acadia NP. The warnings we received were correct, the campground we stayed at was incredibly tight. The main parking area in Acadia was nearly full almost all the time, and parking at every trail head we passed was overflowing. None of this was an issue to us though because of the Island Explorer Shuttle. Sponsored by L.L. Bean, this free shuttle has multiple routes in and around Bar Harbor and Acadia NP. The shuttle picked us up right from our campground and dropped us off at a variety of locations to enjoy the area. It was the perfect way to skip the headaches of fighting for parking or dealing with traffic.
Acadia NP Hiking And Sand Beach
Due to our work schedule, we had a limited amount of time to enjoy the park so we picked one day for hiking and the next for the beach. We picked the Pemetic Ridge Trail to provide a bit of a challenge but not so much as to wear us out completely. The summit provided beautiful views of the ocean and the surrounding area. Even with as packed as the park was, we hardly ran into anyone on this trail which is always a plus.
Sand Beach was another must-do on our trip. The plan was to do some shorter hikes that day before getting to the beach but we noticed it was filling up quickly. We chose to skip the hike and head to the beach. We knew the water would be cold but I thought it would be comparable to the water temps of Southern California. I was VERY WRONG!! You are not getting in the ocean in Maine for a relaxing swim, however the water was clean and it was perfect for cooling off. Also, the color of the water was a stunning shade of blue that you don’t see farther down the East Coast.
We truly did love our time in Acadia. We are planning to return sometime in the future to really explore all that the park has to offer. If you are thinking of visiting the area, we highly recommend it. There will be crowds, however, the shuttle is an excellent way to navigate around this issue.
The Early Bird Catches The…Moose!
We really didn’t want to spend 5 months in Maine without seeing a moose. I’ll admit, we know how ridiculous we seem to the locals who see them regularly. However, if you have only seen them in zoos or on TV, they really are impressive when you see them in the wild. Moose sighting tours are very popular in the area however we wanted to try and see them on our own. Also, moose outnumber people in Maine by 3:1 so you think it would be easy to spot them but they’re tricky little devils.
With some tips from the locals and taking advantage of having family visit with quiet vehicles (Myrtle the Turtle isn’t sneaking up on any Moose 😉 ) we departed early in the morning long before sunrise. With a whole lot of “Is that one?!…No…What about there?!…No” it really does get your heart pumping when you finally see one in the distance in the early morning light. The moose however, are not intrigued by us as much as we are by them. As quickly as we spot them, they disappear back into the dense Maine wilderness. Moose can be aggressive, especially bulls, so I guess this is a better option than the alternative.
North Of The Border:
We were so close to the Canadian border while work camping that we didn’t want to miss out on an opportunity to dust off our passports. We heard good things about Quebec City from many people so we decided to check it out. Also, I have only ever flown out of the country so I was curious to see what it was like to drive across the border.
During a visit from my mom, we decided to make the 3 hour drive to Quebec City from Greenville. The drive was rather peaceful due to the fact that there really isn’t too much going on between these two towns. About halfway through our journey we reached the border and lucky us we got picked for a random search! Cassandra gets pulled out for “random searches” every time we travel so it’s something we were used to. My mom on the other hand never had to do this and she wasn’t a fan. This definitely wasn’t on her list of favorite Maine memories. When all was said and done, this only delayed us a few extra minutes and then we continued on our way.
Quebec, Canada
As we continued on, we passed through a few smaller towns. We began to notice how clean the roads and towns were on the Canadian side of our journey. It was very refreshing not to see garbage and debris littered all over the roads and sidewalks. Even when we got into Quebec City (a large city) it was still very clean. We are just so used to seeing that in the US so it took us by surprise.
Historic City
We only planned to stay 1 night in Quebec City and we wanted to do some dog friendly sights. Our first stop was in the historic city center just to walk around and explore the area. After a quick bite, we worked our way up to our first must-see attraction, the Chateau Frontenac. This historic building is said to be the most photographed hotel in the world and it’s easy to see why. The hotel is massive and sits high above the city overlooking the St. Lawrence River. For those interested, you can tour the hotel and admire the artifacts describing the 400 year old history of Quebec City. Since we had my mom’s dog along, we chose just to admire the view from the outside. After a few hours of sightseeing, it was time to check into our hotel a few minutes outside of the downtown area.
Impressive Falls
After breakfast the next morning we checked out of our hotel and headed to our final sight in Quebec City. Montmorency Falls are quite impressive at nearly 100 feet taller than Niagra Falls. We enjoyed walking around the area and seeing the falls from all angles. If you are a thrill seeker, you can enjoy the view while ziplining or along the via ferrata. We, however, chose the views from the suspension bridge and the lookouts along the steps.
Maine Rafting Memories:
We would have to say rafting the Kennebec River was perhaps the top on our list of favorite Maine memories. This was in large part due to the fact that this was just an after thought after having dinner with family at the Kennebec River Brewery. We noticed they showed videos of the rafting tours on some of the TV’s in the restaurant and it peaked our interest. As our time in Maine was coming to a close we decided to book day of rafting.
The tours are booked through North Country Rivers and they are based right in the lodge. We decided to treat ourselves and book a 1 night stay after the rafting so we could enjoy the food and beer and not have to drive back to Greenville. The class III-V rapids were the strongest we ever rafted but Grace, our guide, got us down without any issues. The tour included a delicious lunch on the river about halfway through our journey as well. This is another one of our Maine memories that we know we will do again the next time we are in the area!
Honorable Mention
With so many wonderful Maine memories to choose from we unfortunately had to leave one out. However, we do believe this is a must do while in the area so we wanted to mention it and provide a link. For those that enjoy history, you need to take a tour out on Moosehead Lake on the Kathadin. The tour was quite informative, and it was a great way to spend a few hours on the lake.
Final Thoughts:
We really couldn’t have asked for a better experience for our time in Maine. We truly believe, this experience has shown us that what we are doing is the right choice. With so much to explore in this country we are sad to not be coming back this coming summer. However, we chose this lifestyle to explore new places and meet new people. We know that someday soon we will return to visit and make new memories.
Thank you so much for reading about our adventures. If you’d like to hear more about our favorite Maine memories check out our podcast episode on this topic. We highly recommend visiting the Moosehead Lake region of Maine. We know you will be as impressed as we are with the area and the people. Take care and safe travels!
