Advice for seeing moose and RVing at Moosehead Lake in Maine
Jul 23rd, 2009, 07:05 PM
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Advice for seeing moose and RVing at Moosehead Lake in Maine
We are spending 2 days camping in a 30' RV at Moosehead Lake. Is anyone familar with either Casey's Spencer Bay Camps ~ Greenville or Northtern Pride Lodge in Kokadjo? Also any advice pertaining to seeing moose the first week of August? My brother-in-law drove all over trying to see one in Alaska with no luck.
Jul 23rd, 2009, 10:08 PM
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There's a parking lot there on one of the main route into Greenville. I think it belongs to CMP, (central maine power.) It has a sign that states, "Do not watch moose from here," or something like that. That's where we saw lots of moose at dusk. Others would park along the road. Be careful driving up there after dark. People have bumper stickers that say, "Break for moose, it could save your life." It's unlikely it would land on your lap if you hit one in a 30 ft RV, but still you don't want to hit one.
Sorry I can't help you with the camps.
Sorry I can't help you with the camps.
Jul 24th, 2009, 06:52 AM
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There are moose all over the place in northern New England. We have one in the woods around HERE these days, in fact! A friend on the next street had it scamper across in front of him as he drove two days ago!
No, you do NOT want to hit one of those behemoths! If anyone has never seen a full grown moose up close, they are BIG.
On our primitive camping trip in the paper country area of Maine (outside of, and west of, Baxter State Park) years ago, we came across TWO full grown MALE moose, standing there head to head in the road ahead of us! Their racks were enormous, and their size? Something else! (Yes, we stopped the car a distance away and waited. They soon looked our way and then separated and clomped off into the woods on either side, never to be seen again.) What a shot it made though!
No, you do NOT want to hit one of those behemoths! If anyone has never seen a full grown moose up close, they are BIG.
On our primitive camping trip in the paper country area of Maine (outside of, and west of, Baxter State Park) years ago, we came across TWO full grown MALE moose, standing there head to head in the road ahead of us! Their racks were enormous, and their size? Something else! (Yes, we stopped the car a distance away and waited. They soon looked our way and then separated and clomped off into the woods on either side, never to be seen again.) What a shot it made though!
Jul 24th, 2009, 10:59 AM
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> Also any advice pertaining to seeing moose
When we stayed near Moosehead Lake, the motel had a sheet of paper in each room answering that question. The main point was that seeing moose is as much a matter of dumb luck as good planning. You can go to the exact same stretch of road, time of day, and time of year; and you'll see twenty moose one time and none the next. All you can is increase your odds. I've used the advice below for seeing them about a dozen times over the years.
1) moose are most visible at dusk and dawn, almost never in the middle of the day. It's just too hot. Unfortunately, August is not that good a time for that reason.
2) moose are VERY shy around people, so try to avoid crowds. Unless, of course, there's a moose jam. Drive down the quieter roads and hope. Your RV, unfortunately, will probably tend to drive the moose away.
As noted above, hitting a moose while driving a car is NOT something you want to do. It's not so great for the moose, either! Be aware as well that moose WILL attack if THEY decide you are a threat. If you are on foot and a moose turns it head to look at you, that means you are too close -- just back away and use your zoom feature.
When we stayed near Moosehead Lake, the motel had a sheet of paper in each room answering that question. The main point was that seeing moose is as much a matter of dumb luck as good planning. You can go to the exact same stretch of road, time of day, and time of year; and you'll see twenty moose one time and none the next. All you can is increase your odds. I've used the advice below for seeing them about a dozen times over the years.
1) moose are most visible at dusk and dawn, almost never in the middle of the day. It's just too hot. Unfortunately, August is not that good a time for that reason.
2) moose are VERY shy around people, so try to avoid crowds. Unless, of course, there's a moose jam. Drive down the quieter roads and hope. Your RV, unfortunately, will probably tend to drive the moose away.
As noted above, hitting a moose while driving a car is NOT something you want to do. It's not so great for the moose, either! Be aware as well that moose WILL attack if THEY decide you are a threat. If you are on foot and a moose turns it head to look at you, that means you are too close -- just back away and use your zoom feature.
Jul 25th, 2009, 09:18 AM
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It's true that August is not the very best moose watching. Sometimes they stand in water to eat the bottom vegetation and keep the bugs off themselves. They just don’t have to move around that much to eat and I don’t know if it’s rutting season, which will keep them moving about. If it is rutting season, they will be more aggressive, so beware.
When in Greenville, ask around to see if there are any places they are regularly crossing or hanging out. Possibly moose are not the regular local's most interesting thing, so they might not be much help. You can probably easily find a ranger to ask. There are also guides that take people out on planes and across to that mountain in the middle of the lake. These might be people to ask too.
The last moose that I saw was standing in a lake in 5 or 6 feet of water. When his head was under the water he looked like a rock. Then he would raise his great head with water running off his rack. He was chewing a mouth full of vegetation. Once he got done chewing, he put his head back down for awhile. That was in Baxter State Park. It was fascinating.
When in Greenville, ask around to see if there are any places they are regularly crossing or hanging out. Possibly moose are not the regular local's most interesting thing, so they might not be much help. You can probably easily find a ranger to ask. There are also guides that take people out on planes and across to that mountain in the middle of the lake. These might be people to ask too.
The last moose that I saw was standing in a lake in 5 or 6 feet of water. When his head was under the water he looked like a rock. Then he would raise his great head with water running off his rack. He was chewing a mouth full of vegetation. Once he got done chewing, he put his head back down for awhile. That was in Baxter State Park. It was fascinating.
Jul 28th, 2009, 10:19 AM
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We always see moose hiking in Baxter, but it's hit or miss at Moosehead. My brother lives in northern Maine and owns a cabin on Moosehead and a good friend of his was killed hitting a moose.
On the other hand he's known two people killed by logging trucks... be very careful around those trucks.
On the other hand he's known two people killed by logging trucks... be very careful around those trucks.
Jul 29th, 2009, 05:52 PM
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i live in dover-foxcroft - you'll likely pass through on your drive to greenville. if you need grocery supplies stop in d-f at the Shaw's on the western end of town in the small mall, or in dexter at Bud's shop & save. in greenvile there are 2 small stores. best meats/fresh vegs & fruits from dexter bud's.
casey's in on moosehead lake & probably the prettier location. northern pride is not on moosehead. kokadjo is maybe 20 mins north of spencer bay & has about 10 buildings. http://www.flickr.com/photos/millwhistle/2729152585/
it is on a pond, but no where close to the size & beauty of moosehead. you would be quite a distance from greenville (45 mins, more in rv) if that matters. however northern pride offers a moose tour and they might be your best bet for spotting moose.
there are ppl who spend all their time in the woods and have a pretty fair idea where to look. there are places where moose are more likely to be. tbelgian is mistaken - greenvillites make a good bit of their living off moose sightings and so are most cheerfully willing to share any info they have.
northern pride's tour is by boat and since it will be hot that may be just the spot to look/find. when you call either rv park for reservation ask if they will recommend a guide for you - this person might be expected to provide a jeep for you all to go in. or rent atv's and ride nearby trails that way. as others have said -no gaurantees though.
re logging trucks. normal rules of road apply on normal roads. on any roads made by the paper companies their trucks have right of way at ALL TIMES - meaning even if you have to pull completely off road & stop. their attitude is they own the road and time is money. you will not be taking rv onto dirt paper company roads anyway, so should be no issue.
wliwl were those ppl on the golden road when killed by logging trucks?
non moose fun in greenville. you might like a ride on the steamship katahdin. http://www.katahdincruises.com/ moosehead is an especially beautiful lake and this will give you some great viewing. you may be able to ride the chairlift at squaw mtn ski area for a great view. or take a flightseeing tour with http://www.curriersflyingservice.com/
aug 7th&8th is Forest Heritage Days. you can see what loggers actually do these days, as well as what they used to do - many woods jobs have been mechanized, but some folks still know how to use the hand tools.
kelly's landing is a fun place to eat - no diet food served.
the black frog right in the center of greenville on the lake is my personal favorite. pretty good food served with a fun attitude.
casey's in on moosehead lake & probably the prettier location. northern pride is not on moosehead. kokadjo is maybe 20 mins north of spencer bay & has about 10 buildings. http://www.flickr.com/photos/millwhistle/2729152585/
it is on a pond, but no where close to the size & beauty of moosehead. you would be quite a distance from greenville (45 mins, more in rv) if that matters. however northern pride offers a moose tour and they might be your best bet for spotting moose.
there are ppl who spend all their time in the woods and have a pretty fair idea where to look. there are places where moose are more likely to be. tbelgian is mistaken - greenvillites make a good bit of their living off moose sightings and so are most cheerfully willing to share any info they have.
northern pride's tour is by boat and since it will be hot that may be just the spot to look/find. when you call either rv park for reservation ask if they will recommend a guide for you - this person might be expected to provide a jeep for you all to go in. or rent atv's and ride nearby trails that way. as others have said -no gaurantees though.
re logging trucks. normal rules of road apply on normal roads. on any roads made by the paper companies their trucks have right of way at ALL TIMES - meaning even if you have to pull completely off road & stop. their attitude is they own the road and time is money. you will not be taking rv onto dirt paper company roads anyway, so should be no issue.
wliwl were those ppl on the golden road when killed by logging trucks?
non moose fun in greenville. you might like a ride on the steamship katahdin. http://www.katahdincruises.com/ moosehead is an especially beautiful lake and this will give you some great viewing. you may be able to ride the chairlift at squaw mtn ski area for a great view. or take a flightseeing tour with http://www.curriersflyingservice.com/
aug 7th&8th is Forest Heritage Days. you can see what loggers actually do these days, as well as what they used to do - many woods jobs have been mechanized, but some folks still know how to use the hand tools.
kelly's landing is a fun place to eat - no diet food served.
the black frog right in the center of greenville on the lake is my personal favorite. pretty good food served with a fun attitude.
Jul 29th, 2009, 09:32 PM
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Good post Virginia. As for the locals; maybe it was just the ones we asked. A couple of them shrugged and said they, (the moose,) were around. And I'm a Mainer, so I sort of understand the shrug. Even I do the shrug sometimes when asked where to buy the cheapest lobster..."did you see those poor guys in the pick up trucks, and the signs saying 2.99 lobster? It doesn't come much cheaper than that."
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