This was simply a scouting mission. For fishing, hiking, camping and whatever else I could find. It’s an area with remote ponds and lakes along the West Branch, views of Katahdin and, unlike the North Maine Woods, no need to pay to play.
The Debsconeag Lakes Wilderness Area, managed by The Nature Conservancy, sits just south of Baxter State Park and is part of nearly 500,000 acres of conserved forest connected to Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, Katahdin Forest Management and Nahmakanta Public Lands.
Nearly half of the area doesn’t show signs of logging, and trees as old as 300 years have been documented there. The lakes contain brook trout, Arctic charr and rare freshwater mussels, species that require pristine water quality and relatively undisturbed habitat.
The Debsconeag Lakes feed into the West Branch of the Penobscot River, and if you navigate upstream through the Penobscot River Corridor — past Chesuncook Lake — paddlers can access Telos Lake and Chamberlain Lake. The Telos dam marks the southern end of the 92-mile Allagash Wilderness Waterway.
All this is to say, it’s a sportsman’s paradise.
While I’ve been around the area many times before, I’m fairly new to the wilderness area, and I could spend quite a bit more time exploring there.
Camping is first come, first served. ATVs aren’t permitted. Dogs are listed on the conservancy’s site as prohibited, though some online trail descriptions say they are allowed on the Ice Caves Trail.
Other hiking trails include the Horserace Pond, Blue and Rainbow loop trails. Six additional trails are marked on the map, most requiring boat access, though one can be reached by road. The Appalachian Trail even cuts through DLWA land.
A new trail designed to accommodate people of all mobility is expected to open this summer. It was still under construction when I visited, though crusher dust had already been laid down. The three-quarter-mile pathway is located about three miles down Hurd Pond Road from Abol Bridge and offers views of Katahdin and Pockwockamus Falls on the Penobscot River.
My first stop was at the Ice Caves. Many vehicles were parked at the trailhead when I got there and it was clear a rescue was underway. A woman with a possible broken ankle was being carried out on a stretcher by 10 people.
Well, I drove all the way there, so I wasn’t turning around.
The trail is rocky and laced with roots, with large glacial boulders scattered throughout the forest. The caves are about a mile from the trailhead. From there, hikers can continue another tenth of a mile to First Debsconeag Lake or take a short tenth-mile side trail to a viewpoint before reaching the caves.
Is it worth checking out at least once? Sure. Did it blow my socks off? No. The cave itself isn’t really large, and there aren’t tunnels to wander about. Metal stairs descend into the cave, along with several ropes, one of which had handles tied into it. The second stair into the cave wobbled, so I thought, better not.
The walls and floor were lined with ice, and getting down looked slick.
You can certainly spend time exploring the tunnels throughout the boulders near the ice cave itself, but I didn’t particularly feel like getting into a “127 Hours” situation. This was the only place black flies bothered me, so I didn’t stay long.
From there I fished the West Branch and caught a couple landlocked salmon. I will return for the fishing. The hiking will be a means to get there.
Overall, my impression is that this region of Maine is a place for hunters, anglers and serious outdoor adventure. If you prefer cell service, the ocean, lobster rolls and overpriced moose T-shirts for an animal you’ll probably never see, you might prefer Acadia.
I’ll stay out of service.
