Fodor's Expert Review Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument

Two rivers flow and streams and ponds abound at this 87,500-acre North Woods preserve, created east of Baxter State Park in 2016 and home to moose, bald eagles, salmon, and bobcats. There's no visitor center, but you can get information from late May to mid-October at the staffed welcome center in Patten at the Patten Lumbermen's Museum (61 Shin Pond Road). Access and park roads are gravel; sanitary facilities are limited; and there is no water, food, fuel, or reliable cell service. In the monument's southern portion, 17-mile Katahdin Loop Road has scenic views of Baxter's Mt. Katahdin and trailheads to short hikes and Barnard Mountain, a 4-mile round-trip that links with the International Appalachian Trail. There are mountain biking options as bike-designated routes link with the loop road (biking is allowed on park roads). In the northern section, visitors hike, mountain bike, cross-country ski (some groomed trails), and snowshoe along and near the waterfall-dotted East Branch of the Penobscot River. Folks paddle and fish on the river and other monument waters.