Katahdin Woods & Waters National Monument Camping

Outstanding campground and very well taken care of, ranger gave a weather warning and suggestions for trails we might like to explore.

Wonderful little walk, seeing sections I had not seen before.

Great site to stay at while visiting the park.

One of the truly quiet places left in Maine. The dark skies are incredible!

Great as a base for exploring, always nice to come back to a warm cabin on the river.

I parked at Sand Brook and bike-packed, on a fat-tire mountain bike with paniers, to Esker for one night and then Wassat... Lean-to for a second night. It was a short peddle from Sand Brook to the Esker campsite and again from Esker to Wass Lean-to. Katahdin Loop road gravel was mostly hard-packed which made a smooth ride, the wide road and occasional car made it feel less remote then the road to Wass parking lot. The bike ride from the Loop Rd to the parkinglot was not hard-packed which made the ride bumpy and slower-going, The ride from the parking lot to Esker was perfect, a tunnel of green, mostly smooth riding with a few rougher challenging spots. Easker campsite was awesome. The firepit there was full of trash, empty cans and scrap metal - it could use a cleaning out. (I didn;t have any fires.) The Wass site was great, nice that there is a pit toilet. After dropping my panniers at Wass I rode to Orin Falls, fairly flat, gentle ride. On my way back to the Lean-to I rode the trail toward Bernard Moutain. This was a challenging, uphill, loose rocks in places, ride. A mile or so up the trail it became quite overgrown with thigh high weeds. I didn't make it to the turn off up Benard. I turned around when the trail started downhill.
I'll be back to explore the trails to the north either by bike or hiking. Love the place. Thanks for your work there.

This is a wonderful new park/monument with hiking, biking, and canoeing routes. Lots of tentsites, a few shelters and two huts that have wood stoves, hand pumps and sinks, and bunks for up to 20 people.
The basic N-S trail follows the International Appalachian Trail. Most of it is along Messer Pond Road, a wide former logging road with even grades. Between Lunksoos Shelter and Wassataquoik Shelter (over Lunksoos and Deasey Mountains) it turns into a very basic footpath with no trail engineering, steep at times. That section is a long day -- it could use a tentsite or shelter in the middle, maybe at the old fire warden's cabin on Deasey Mtn. The former fish hatchery on Little Spring Brook is another obvious place for a tentsite; it already has a level clearing and picnic table, and that'd bring Lunksoos Shelter in closer range from the north.
The hut at Big Spring Brook is closed for repairs. The repairs needed look minimal, and I hope the NPS will make them this fall and reopen the hut for cross country skiing.
Some trail clearing is needed too. Alder thickets are growing up on Keyhole Road and the upper reaches of Messer Pond Road on the way to Lunksoos Shelter.
Finally, a trail from Messer Pond Road to Big Spring Brook tentsite would be a really good idea. The tentsite is reachable only by water (canoeing down the East Branch) but you can't tell that unless you look very closely at the map.

Excellent
Want to go back again for longer time

I love the Upper East Branch site- had a terrific visit. I was hoping for better fishing but the water temps were still too high. The amenities: a bear and rain-proof storage bin, the handicap vault toilet, picnic tables and fire ring are all in great condition. Very private and very peaceful.

It would be helpful if a map of the Lunksoos sites were posted here online and at the kiosk onsite. It's a little unclear if the path leads to Site 1 or all sites and some clarity would help, especially for campers who arrive at dusk or dark.