This area has not been a "wilderness" since Thoreau passed through ... let's blame Thoreau ... after all, he recognized the beauty of the area and spread the word.
For eons before Thoreau visited, the area was bountifully used for hunting, fishing and gathering ... not for sport but for subsistence which is part of the motivation of the traditions which continue today.
It has also been used for logging for centuries and this has given us the benefit of access to backcountry on roads built expressly for that purpose. Some of these roads come and go with the logging cycles. The clear cuts, mostly done according to sound forestry management now, open up vistas and feedlots for large mammals.
The land which AMC acquired is home to four sporting camps, AMC now operates three, and several leased lots on which modest cabins were constructed. AMC canceled these leases and some of the cabins are in their rental inventory.
Rather than constructing roads, AMC, sometimes to my chagrin, is abandoning them. There isn't a paved road in AMC's North Woods holdings and you traverse what's there at your own risk, high clearance, 4 WD and extra spare tires often a necessity.
As beautiful as this area is, appreciate that it is at approximately midstate (appreciate that after driving 7 hours to get there) and this is the southern gateway to to the great North Maine Woods, most of which is privately owned for industrial forestry (a renewable resource remember) and most of which is accessible to the public for the traditional uses which have been going on for centuries.
The area is far from a "wilderness" under bureaucratic definitions, but it is wilder than anything in the Northeast. Let's not be selfish and shortsighted about how it is used ... notwithstanding the AMC holdings, the North Woods generates revenue for the US Treasury, not consumes it. It is jobs, recreation and spiritual renewal ... but for better superlatives, ask Thoreau.
I have been visiting the area since I was 2, and have fished/hunted the Roach Ponds too many times to count. The fishing was always good and the ponds have the largest frogs I've ever seen. The hunting was always meager, too much land for not enough wildlife, but the moose were abundant.
You're right about the roads, and for fishermen they were a gold mine to some of the best spots, but you've always needed a high clearance 4x4 to get in there. Based on their own website, they plan on closing the area down to all motorized traffic, which is too bad. The area is so dense there is little chance people are going to wander off-road and create a problem. But, while it was a good fishing spot, it was rarely used by more than a handful of people.
I have no problem with the AMC dictating terms of the land, it's theirs and they can do with it what they wish, within state regulations. I am glad to see they plan on maintaining the working aspects of the forest, but do wish more consideration was given to snowmobilers and ATV's, which is where most of the tourism industry in that area derives its money. The locals were not for the sale to the AMC, but accepted it as part of the Plum Creek management plan, of which the public had significant input.
However, I think it's a monumental blunder on the AMC's part to try and develop it as a wilderness center and expect a lot of people to show up. The closest place for resupply is Greenville, with only the Indian Hill Trading Post carrying anything of value (IHTP also owns the other grocery store in town), but they do stock a nice selection. It is remote, much more than anything in the Whites, and will take considerably more effort to reach a destination. Once you arrive, you won't have the beauty and splendor of the mountains, you have a place in a forest with no majestic views to take in.
KI is similar, but the main thrust is Gulf Hagas and the KI history, neither of which exist in the Roach Pond tract.
The winters are just as harsh as the White mountains with the cold and snow (sometimes colder, the pond/lake ice is often over 4' thick), but good luck calling S&R out there. For those people looking for a wilderness experience where they're self sufficient, it's a perfect location. But, for those people looking for a more gentile woods experience, it's entirely the wrong place.
Augmenting the location in the woods is the fact you've got to drive umpteen hours just to get there (I live in Maine and it's over 3 hours for me to get there, which is more time than it takes me to get to the HC), over the suckiest roads in existence (Maine roads are HORRIBLE), and there is nothing close by that will entice you further, just more woods. When I go to the Whites, I always stop in North Conway, which has some great shops, restaurants, and sights, supported not only by the hiking & climbing industry, but also the plethora of ski areas nearby, along with shoppers and sightseers. In Maine there is very little similar, with snowmobiling, ATV's, hunting, and fishing being the main tourism components, and if people can't drive to their destination (motorized access), they won't go. No one is going to lug a deer or moose very far without a vehicle, nor will a lot of fishermen walk to a pond they can only fish from a bank. So right from the start the "public uses" are significantly diminished.
I can understand why the AMC bought it, to complete the tract along the 100-Mile corridor, but I don't think for a minute it'll become profitable like anything in NH. I see it as more of a long term investment/land conservation green initiative than a self-sustaining entrepreneurial endeavor.
Just my 2 cents on the subject.
