Lodging near Baxter State park

[Papa Bear]

In a couple of weeks two of us will be hiking the 100 Mile Wilderness, and we hope to summit Katahdin on Sept. 8th or 9th.

We may have a day and a night or two to stay in the area before meeting up with a couple of others for 4 days of Hiking in Baxter.

We would be interested in suggestions of places near food and hopefully near a laundromat. Cheap would also be nice. We assume after summiting K, we can easily hitch down to the Millinocket area.

A few notes from another thread suggested the Katahdin Inn. I've also had the Big Moose Inn reccomended by a friend.

Anyone know if there is food and/or laundry near these places? Any other opinions?

Thanks
Pb

 

[Stan]

I vaguely recall a laundry in the Katahdin Inn and found the place to be clean, comfortable and friendly. They also have a small breakfast set up (juice, cereal, toast, coffee) included. You could probably arrange a car spot locally.

If you're hiking the major peaks in Baxter Park I'm sure you're already familiar with trail options etc. but this year for the first time we went backpacking instead of peakbagging and traversed the interior from Nesowadnehunk Campground to Roaring Brook via Russell Pond. My only regret was not spending more time at each destination but learning that was part of the purpose of this trip. For example, there are several side trips to good viewpoints above or on the shores of the beautiful lakes and ponds. Center Mtn Pond, Russell Pond and Wassataquoik Lake all have canoes available for park visitors. To really make the most of the interior, plan on lingering.

 

[Daniel Eagan]

We stayed at the Katahdin Inn two weeks ago. It's a moldy, rank cinderblock box with an atrium built around a sickly looking indoor pool. It took an hour to check in, mostly because the person behind the desk was incompetent, and the people trying to get rooms had been told about a half-dozen different room rates. Then people were given dirty rooms with broken toilets.

Our room was okay, at least we slept okay. The breakfast was gallon-sized plastic containers of Cheerios and some other cereal, watery milk and orange juice, bad coffee, and plastic-wrapped muffins they stored in a cabinet underneath. We opted for the Appalachian Trail Cafe in town.

When i got my credit card bill later, the Katahdin Inn staff had forged my signature and added ten dollars to a separate bill. At first they said it was for a "crib," although my wife and I are childless. Then they said they added the first bill wrong. They assumed, correctly enough, that it wouldn't be worth it for me to argue over ten dollars from a distance of five hundred miles. But it will be a long time before we stay there again.

Unfortunately, the alternatives looked just as weak, especially the Adobe Inn, which advertises itself as within walking distance of the only adult nightclub in the area.

The Big Moose Inn is half the distance to Baxter State Park. Get a cabin, and its room rates are half those of Katahdin Inn. We went there for an excellent dinner. It seemed noisy and crowded, but also friendly and comfortable.

There is a laundromat in Millinocket, on Main Street near the car lot. Easy to see. Hitching a ride back from Katahdin to Millinocket will not be nearly as easy.

 

[Raymond]

Our experience at the Katahdin Inn was closer to Stan's than to Daniel's, but Daniel did give an accurate physical description of the place (can't say I noticed any mold, though).

There were some washing machines on at least one of the floors. There was also a room that was supposed to have a masseuse inside, but it always looked closed up when we walked by.

Daniel, can't you take up that charge with your credit card company?

There's always the Hotel Terrace, which has a nice restaurant with a dirt cheap breakfast buffet. The hotel's hallways smelled of stale cigarette smoke, rather than chlorine, so you have your choice.

 

[hikethe115]

I'm not sure about a laundry mat at Big Moose Inn. We stayed there a couple of years ago. It is right between 2 lakes so it's nice for kayaking on non hiking days. It is near the entrance to the park. There is a place next door for food and the Inn has a restaurant. Breakfast is included and they let you use their kitchen if you're getting a really early start as you need to for Baxter. It is very informal. The doors don't lock. It is outside of town. They charge by the person for the rooms...$40/person during the week and $44/person on Friday and Saturday. There is no air conditioning, but that shouldn't matter in September.

 

[Blue]

suggestions

I've stayed at the Hotel Terrace twice because they have a breakfast buffet AYCE for $2.99. The last time I was there, we were the only guests and arrived after 10 PM - they left the key in the door for us. The pink shag carpets are silly and the hallways smell like cigarettes, but it's ok.

You can stay at the Appalachian Trail cafe - not sure about their rooms, but their food is pretty good.

The Gateway is pretty nice, but further away. Breakfast is included, but continental.