Questions about parking while camping in Baxter State Park.

[adirobdack46r]

I'm going to Maine in August. This will be my first trip to Baxter State Park. I have reserved a lean-to site at Roaring Brook campground. My question is about parking there. Is there a driveway for each lean-to site, or will I have to park in one of the two parking areas I see and carry all my stuff to my lean-to? I also plan to be pulling a trailer with an adventure motorcycle on it. Don't even get me started about the fact that motorcycles are not allowed on any of the dirt roads within the park, even though passenger cars and trucks are. I can understand not permitting ATVs and dirt bikes to tear the area up but a motorcycle is a fully registered no restrictions vehicle just like someone's car or truck. People drive them from many states away only to arrive at the park and find they can't get in. OK enough about that, their rules are their rules, my bike won't come off the trailer while in the park, but this goes back to the parking question. My truck and trailer do not even come close to exceeding the rules about length/height for vehicles or vehicles with trailers on the BSP rules and regulations document pertaining to vehicles. But the question is will I be able to park the trailer in a driveway at my lean-to, or have to park it in a general parking area? And if so would I be allowed to detach it and leave it in one of the parking areas taking up a spot? Lots of questions as I've never been there. I'm thinking some of you who have camped at Roaring Brook would have a very good idea of the area and can clear things up for me. Thanks.

 

[Tim Horn]

Depends on the site. Call and ask all of your questions at (207) 723-5140. The Rangers are first rate and extremely helpful. I think you will find that once you have been to Baxter you will appreciate the way they operate the Park.

 

[Stan]

You might also check the regulations regarding trailers, length and overall vehicle-trailer length. The roads are narrow, winding and all gravel.

Regarding the limitations of means of transport within the park, you'll find there are three kinds of people: 1) Those that enjoy the park for the wildness the regulations support, 2) those that go just to bag select peaks, and 3) those that don't go there at all.

 

[CaptCaper]

Motorcyles are noisy very noisy..maybe the biggest issue..plus other factors such as hitting rut's and wiping out..causing casualties...Ha..
I camped outside at a place that had great views of the mountain and was able to have my dog and camper..on a river... maybe you should consider that.

 

[egilbe]

Most of the parking spots near the lean tos are fairly large. Large enough to fit two cars. Or a moose. Best bet is to call and ask the Rangers.

 

[SpencerVT]

I very much understand that Parks have to preserve the beauty and sanctity of the forest. However, Baxter State Park is a great example of government regulation getting out of control. It's too over-regulated. I have been through airport security that's more laid back than Baxter State Park. They tell you where to piss for goodness sakes. Baxter State Park needs some overhauling - too overregulated!

 

[egilbe]

I very much understand that Parks have to preserve the beauty and sanctity of the forest. However, Baxter State Park is a great example of government regulation getting out of control. It's too over-regulated. I have been through airport security that's more laid back than Baxter State Park. They tell you where to piss for goodness sakes. Baxter State Park needs some overhauling - too overregulated!

I disagree. The regulations there are mostly common sense. They are educational in nature. They are easy to follow. I find it hard to believe that people have to be told not to poop on the trail, to not leave trash out and to pick up after themselves. The regulations are there to keep Baxter pristine, unspoiled. Do you want it turned into Yellowstone or Acadia? The alpine zoned are easily damaged and take a long time to recover. Pissing on vegetation that is then damaged by animals after the salt can take 20 years or more to recover. Piss on a rock, the slots dry and the animals can lick the rock. With the numbers of people climbing Katahdin and pissing where they please, how long do you think that pristine mountain top will last?

 

[adirobdack46r]

Motorcyles are noisy very noisy..maybe the biggest issue..plus other factors such as hitting rut's and wiping out..causing casualties...Ha..
I camped outside at a place that had great views of the mountain and was able to have my dog and camper..on a river... maybe you should consider that.

I hijacked my own thread by bringing up the motorcycle thing. The thread really was just about parking. But in response to "Motorcycles being noisy very noisy" ......I know trucks that are louder than many bikes. I have a friend with a BMW 1150 adventure motorcycle that you can barely hear going down the road. All I'm saying is it is unfair to try and paint all trucks, all cars, all motorcycles, and especially all motorcycle riders with the same brush.

 

[peakbagger]

Make sure everything is well tied down with nothing sticking out from the trailer. The heavy use of the road leads to long stretches of washboard and I expect the trailer will be resonating with the washboard (may car does). Potholes and mudholes also crop up. The roads are at bare minimum 2 cars wide and when passing, both vehicles have to get right into the brush on either side of the road and occasionally in the ditch. Everything will be coated with a fine layer of greasy dust by the end of the trip. There are few good places to backup or turn around with a trailer. If you do have a drive up site at Roaring Brook consider walking the route in and out of the campsite before driving in.

It will be interesting to hear your opinions after you have visited the park. Many folks get way to hyped up on the negative publicity and convince themselves that they will have a bad time. Follow the rules and have good weather and you will surprised.

 

[adirobdack46r]

Make sure everything is well tied down with nothing sticking out from the trailer. The heavy use of the road leads to long stretches of washboard and I expect the trailer will be resonating with the washboard (may car does). Potholes and mudholes also crop up. The roads are at bare minimum 2 cars wide and when passing, both vehicles have to get right into the brush on either side of the road and occasionally in the ditch. Everything will be coated with a fine layer of greasy dust by the end of the trip. There are few good places to backup or turn around with a trailer. If you do have a drive up site at Roaring Brook consider walking the route in and out of the campsite before driving in.

It will be interesting to hear your opinions after you have visited the park. Many folks get way to hyped up on the negative publicity and convince themselves that they will have a bad time. Follow the rules and have good weather and you will surprised.

Thanks for the info. I've been known to be a pessimist, well at least that's many people's opinion of me till they get to know me. I'm sure I'll have a good time. If it weren't for rules and regs people would destroy parks and they would no longer be what they are and how we try to keep them. I always try to be as low impact as possible. I have lean-to 8 at roaring brook. I'll call that number someone suggested above and see if the person on the other can tell me about that particular lean-to site.

 

[Bob]

I disagree. The regulations there are mostly common sense. They are educational in nature. They are easy to follow. I find it hard to believe that people have to be told not to poop on the trail, to not leave trash out and to pick up after themselves. The regulations are there to keep Baxter pristine, unspoiled. Do you want it turned into Yellowstone or Acadia? The alpine zoned are easily damaged and take a long time to recover. Pissing on vegetation that is then damaged by animals after the salt can take 20 years or more to recover. Piss on a rock, the slots dry and the animals can lick the rock. With the numbers of people climbing Katahdin and pissing where they please, how long do you think that pristine mountain top will last?

don't even get me started on the official way to take a dump there, Mr. Poopypants

 

[peakbagger]

By the way, the "secret" that most folks don't realize is that parts of BSP were reportedly trashed due to overuse and limited rules in the sixties/early seventies. Baxter was getting old and wasn't visiting the park as often, the revenues were very low and staff was limited, the rangers tended to pack in the folks. Chimney Pond had an open dump and from folks who stayed there during this period they described about 2 acres of open ground with hacked tree stumps and numerous fire pits and the area was plagued by near resident bears. Davis Pond was run as nearly a private campground by the AMC and apparently it too was beat, it had the reputation of a party spot where the hippies went. The park had a large open dump and one of the things to do at night was to go feed the bears at the dump. At some point, the park was going to shut down Chimney and Davis Pond completely to camping. They also instituted a far more restrictive park reservation policy in response to the outdoors boom of the seventies and put in carry in carry out policy and closed the dump. I first went up to Chimney in the early eighties and even then it was recovering, most lean tos had no privacy and a tarp was generally recommended to hang in front of the lean to. About 3/4 of the paths were closed and brushed in and the remaining ones were lined with rocks on either side to guide the traffic. On my most recent trips to Chimney the amount of open space is now very limited, basically a small area for emergency helicopters and the woods along the trails have grown back significantly. Every lean to now has substantial privacy and are surrounded by 20 foot high dense fir and spruce. The moose are still resident but mostly stick to the campground paths and at night you are just about as likely to encounter a moose as a camper. The shoreline used to be a lot wider and a couple of the lean tos had private beaches. The shoreline is now grown back in except for the one path in front of the cabin. In general it looks a lot more like a wilderness campsite. Many folks haven't been visiting the park over a long enough period to realize the change but I have been lucky enough to see some of it.

Baxter was a product of his times and when the deeds of trust were developed, the stereotype of a motorcycle was a blend of the Hells Angels and Easy Rider. Unfortunately, changing the Deeds of Trust is darn close to impossible on purpose when Baxter had been clear in his intentions and apparently he was quite clear on no motorcycles. There is a fairly active group who openly opposes change to the park and in the past have threatened or actually taken legal action when they felt that the park was violating the original deeds. I expect they would oppose any attempt at allowing motorcycles in despite the change in their status.

 

[adirobdack46r]

By the way, the "secret" that most folks don't realize is that parts of BSP were reportedly trashed due to overuse and limited rules in the sixties/early seventies. Baxter was getting old and wasn't visiting the park as often, the revenues were very low and staff was limited, the rangers tended to pack in the folks. Chimney Pond had an open dump and from folks who stayed there during this period they described about 2 acres of open ground with hacked tree stumps and numerous fire pits and the area was plagued by near resident bears. Davis Pond was run as nearly a private campground by the AMC and apparently it too was beat, it had the reputation of a party spot where the hippies went. The park had a large open dump and one of the things to do at night was to go feed the bears at the dump. At some point, the park was going to shut down Chimney and Davis Pond completely to camping. They also instituted a far more restrictive park reservation policy in response to the outdoors boom of the seventies and put in carry in carry out policy and closed the dump. I first went up to Chimney in the early eighties and even then it was recovering, most lean tos had no privacy and a tarp was generally recommended to hang in front of the lean to. About 3/4 of the paths were closed and brushed in and the remaining ones were lined with rocks on either side to guide the traffic. On my most recent trips to Chimney the amount of open space is now very limited, basically a small area for emergency helicopters and the woods along the trails have grown back significantly. Every lean to now has substantial privacy and are surrounded by 20 foot high dense fir and spruce. The moose are still resident but mostly stick to the campground paths and at night you are just about as likely to encounter a moose as a camper. The shoreline used to be a lot wider and a couple of the lean tos had private beaches. The shoreline is now grown back in except for the one path in front of the cabin. In general it looks a lot more like a wilderness campsite. Many folks haven't been visiting the park over a long enough period to realize the change but I have been lucky enough to see some of it.

Baxter was a product of his times and when the deeds of trust were developed, the stereotype of a motorcycle was a blend of the Hells Angels and Easy Rider. Unfortunately, changing the Deeds of Trust is darn close to impossible on purpose when Baxter had been clear in his intentions and apparently he was quite clear on no motorcycles. There is a fairly active group who openly opposes change to the park and in the past have threatened or actually taken legal action when they felt that the park was violating the original deeds. I expect they would oppose any attempt at allowing motorcycles in despite the change in their status.

Nice history update. I've read a little about its history but not all that much. That was very informative. Thank you for sharing.

 

[CaptCaper]

I hijacked my own thread by bringing up the motorcycle thing. The thread really was just about parking. But in response to "Motorcycles being noisy very noisy" ......I know trucks that are louder than many bikes. I have a friend with a BMW 1150 adventure motorcycle that you can barely hear going down the road. All I'm saying is it is unfair to try and paint all trucks, all cars, all motorcycles, and especially all motorcycle riders with the same brush.

I wouldn't be surprised if they don't let you bring it in on a trailer.
Trouble is there are a great deal more motorcyles that are noisy compared to auto's or pickups. Don't know how they pass inspection... a car wouldn't be allowed to have that kind of noise outputs..
The bikers like it because it let's other drivers know a bike is nearby.... I don't like it never did but I understand why they want that noise. But I wouldn't want large groups of them coming into Baxter either. Which they would.

 

[adirobdack46r]

I wouldn't be surprised if they don't let you bring it in on a trailer.
Trouble is there are a great deal more motorcyles that are noisy compared to auto's or pickups. Don't know how they pass inspection... a car wouldn't be allowed to have that kind of noise outputs..
The bikers like it because it let's other drivers know a bike is nearby.... I don't like it never did but I understand why they want that noise. But I wouldn't want large groups of them coming into Baxter either. Which they would.

I do actually generally share your concerns about bikes/bikers making an otherwise quiet wilderness place less than enjoyable for others to visit. But again I ask you not to generalize or stereotype all of us as being all the same. The group I ride with keep getting invited back to a state park we frequent with open arms. The Ranger makes a point to stop by and chat with us and welcome us every time. I only mention this because this very same park and Ranger have asked several other groups of bikers to leave and never ever come back because they are rowdy, loud, obnoxious, and just otherwise unpleasant to be around. So though I understand your concern, and agree that there are many bikers that ruin things for the rest of us, we are NOT all the same and are very insulted that we are treated as such.
This is really deviating from the path I wanted this thread to take about simply asking about parking within the campground. But it is unreasonable to expect me to sit back and say nothing when people like me and the friends I ride with are being unfairly profiled and stereotyped.

 

[CaptCaper]

I do actually generally share your concerns about bikes/bikers making an otherwise quiet wilderness place less than enjoyable for others to visit. But again I ask you not to generalize or stereotype all of us as being all the same. The group I ride with keep getting invited back to a state park we frequent with open arms. The Ranger makes a point to stop by and chat with us and welcome us every time. I only mention this because this very same park and Ranger have asked several other groups of bikers to leave and never ever come back because they are rowdy, loud, obnoxious, and just otherwise unpleasant to be around. So though I understand your concern, and agree that there are many bikers that ruin things for the rest of us, we are NOT all the same and are very insulted that we are treated as such.
This is really deviating from the path I wanted this thread to take about simply asking about parking within the campground. But it is unreasonable to expect me to sit back and say nothing when people like me and the friends I ride with are being unfairly profiled and stereotyped.

Look ...I'm not stupid...I realize about quiet bikes out there and on the road...and different types of bikers like anyting else..even hikers..But think about how are Rangers going to select which ones get in or not ? or say .."well BMW's are welcome and not Harleys. etc." So it's a no brainer on not allowing any. The park isn't that great... there are many around New England that will allow bikes...
It goes with not allowing radios there as well... just the way they want it. I camped out at Abel's and had a great time due to my dog and RV...so don't get your feathers ruffled over what I say.

 

[bignslow]

I do actually generally share your concerns about bikes/bikers making an otherwise quiet wilderness place less than enjoyable for others to visit. But again I ask you not to generalize or stereotype all of us as being all the same. The group I ride with keep getting invited back to a state park we frequent with open arms. The Ranger makes a point to stop by and chat with us and welcome us every time. I only mention this because this very same park and Ranger have asked several other groups of bikers to leave and never ever come back because they are rowdy, loud, obnoxious, and just otherwise unpleasant to be around. So though I understand your concern, and agree that there are many bikers that ruin things for the rest of us, we are NOT all the same and are very insulted that we are treated as such.
This is really deviating from the path I wanted this thread to take about simply asking about parking within the campground. But it is unreasonable to expect me to sit back and say nothing when people like me and the friends I ride with are being unfairly profiled and stereotyped.

Sounds like your problem is with other bikers giving you and your peers bad reputation, and not with the good folks at Baxter. As with many hobbies and lifestyles, all it takes is that one group of people to ruin it for everyone else, and then you get into the "this is why we can't have nice things" mentality.

Mike

 

[MikePS]

FYI- LT #8 as well as 9&10 have small one vehicle only parking spots-I would suggest calling the park to pre-arrange trailer spot. It is a great place I have been fortunate to visit for the past 34 years, I remember the 80s as a tough time, including dumpsters overflowing at the campgrounds, the park is more pristine and better managed today, even while updating camping areas and adding some selected spots. great upgrades for group site on Roaring Brook road, and at Foster field, hope you hit the weather right to summit Katadhin. Enjoy.

 

[adirobdack46r]

Depends on the site. Call and ask all of your questions at (207) 723-5140. The Rangers are first rate and extremely helpful. I think you will find that once you have been to Baxter you will appreciate the way they operate the Park.

I called the number Tim Horn suggested. The nice lady I got on the phone said there is a cleared area by the Togue Pond gate where they keep service equipment that I'll be able to park and secure my trailer (with motorcycle on it) at while in BSP. And that I'll be able to park my truck in a driveway at my lean-to.

 

[adirobdack46r]

So another question I have is.....hmmm I guess I should have asked this while I was on the phone......because I'm paying to have a lean-to, does that cover me for any permits I would need for hiking? Is there some other permit I'm gonna need to obtain for hiking?