In May, my wife and I drove to northern Maine for a thrilling travel-story assignment: A Moose Safari.
Neither of us had ever seen Moose. We rose before dawn to meet our guide Ashley, from Northeast Whitewater and travel to a remote and hidden lake where we silently paddled in canoes in search of the elusive creature.
I wrote about our experience for the new issue of American Way, the in-flight magazine of American Airlines, now in aircraft seatbacks. (Here's a PDF of the story and a link to their website version.)
Hopefully the story will whet your appetite for a Moose Safari, which I highly recommend. Here's a list of recommendations of where to stay, where to eat, and what to see when you travel to the town of Greenville at the southern end of Moosehead Lake.
MOOSEHEAD LAKE MUSTS…
Chalet Moosehead Lakefront Motel
Visitors can soak up the spectacular views of Moosehead Lake from Adirondack chairs near the water’s edge. Better yet, take the motel’s free canoes and paddleboats out for a spin or dive off the dock for a swim. Balcony units include a whirlpool tub. The motel is centrally located near town and the friendly service will get your visit off to a great start. Mooseheadlodging.com
Spring Creek Bar-B-Q
This outstanding Texas-style BBQ restaurant in Monson is well worth the twenty-minute drive from Greenville. Outside, a locomotive-shaped BBQ smoker offers tantalizing smells of ribs and chicken. Inside, Southern rock tunes complement the framed Allman Brothers Band autographs hanging on hand-carved wooden walls. Try the exceptional lightly grilled cornbread and spring-time fiddlehead and feta salad. Springcreekbar-b-qmaine.com
Stress Free Moose Pub
Après safari, head to this popular lakeside bar and restaurant, which stays open late. It offers outdoor veranda seating and an indoor, four-sided communal bar. (The mugs hanging over the bar are inscribed with the names of regular customers.) Excellent burger and fries, plus veggie wraps that vegetarians will crave long afterward.
Northwoods Gourmet Girl
Abby Freethy quit her job as a private chef, moved to Greenville, and launched her own line of all-natural condiments. “There’s no junk in the jar,” says Freethy. Inside the Northwoods Gourmet Girl retail store, her small crew prepares 19 bottled products—including ketchup, caramel sauces, preserves—and dispatch them to online customers and stores as far away as California. Northwoodsgourmetgirl.com
Katahdin Steamboat
The Katahdin Steamboat, built over a century ago, once lugged timber across Moosehead Lake. Nowadays, the 102 feet long steamer, named after Maine’s highest peak, takes tourists out for 3 to 4 hour cruises. You’ll get up close to Mount Kineo’s impressive 700 foot cliffs, which rise straight out of the water. katahdincruises.com
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