Frequently asked Questions
North Maine Woods is a private, non-profit organization that manages public use of the private forest lands within the northwestern part of Maine. All of the roads in this region are private and fees are charged. NMW was established by 30 or more private landowning companies to keep this region open to public use. Fees charged cover operations and NMW does not receive any public financial support.
NMW charges a day use fee of $13 per person for residents and $18 per person per day for non-residents.
There are nearly 350 campsite locations on the private lands within the North Maine Woods region.
NMW also charges a camping fee of $12 per person per night for residents and $15 per day per night for non-residents.
NMW does not charge visitors under age 18 day use or camping fees.
NMW does not charge senior citizens age 70 and older day use fees.
Within the 3.5 million acre North Maine Woods region, there are two river corridors owned by the State of Maine which are managed by Maine’s Bureau of Parks and Lands. These are the Allagash Wilderness Waterway and the Penobscot River Corridor. These areas are managed by the state and operations are subsidized financially from Maine’s general taxation fund. The user fees for camping on these rivers are different from the fees charged by North Maine Woods.
There are no day use fees for use of the state managed lands.
Overnight camping fees are $6.00 (plus 9% sales tax of .54) per person per night for residents and $12.00 (plus 9% sales tax of 1.08) per person per night for non- residents.
There are no camping fees on the AWW or PRC for visitors under 10 years of age.
Where you will be required to travel over a private road through the North Maine Woods region to drive to either the Penobscot River Corridor or the Allagash River you may be required to pay a one day fee to North Maine Woods. Depending on your exit point from these state managed lands, you may also be assessed a second day for the day you travel through the North Maine Woods to go home. If you canoe the Allagash River and take out in the Town of Allagash you will not be passing through the NMW at the end of your trip. If you canoe the PRC and take out at the south end of Chesuncook Lake you will not be passing through NMW at the end of your trip.
Example: For a 5 night stay for 2 Maine residents: 2 people x NMW day fee of $13= $26. AWW camping fees for 5 nights x 2 people x $6.54 per night= $65.40. Total for the trip is $91.40 unless you take out somewhere within NMW at the end of your trip.
Please check this website. Under Businesses Links on the homepage click on “Kayak/Canoe Shuttle.” We only list license insured and reputable businesses to operate on the private roads in the NMW region. Most of the businesses listed have websites and email addresses where you can ask for details and pricing.
There are various ways to arrange shuttle service:
- drive your vehicle to the Town of Allagash and have someone transport you upriver in their vehicle. If you have a nice vehicle and do not want to expose it to the dust, mud or sharp rocks that cause flat tires, this option may make sense.
- arrange for someone to drive your vehicle from your put in location and have it available at the end of the trip.
- more expense but possibly faster. Drive to Allagash and have a float plane pick you up there and fly upriver to your put in point. Seeing the river from the air can be rewarding.
We do not track camps or lease lots that are for sale. Our responsibility is to manage public use and access of forest land in northwestern Maine for about 30 private landowners.
There are real estate agents listed on our website at www.northmainewoods.org that specialize in camp listings. Another potential source of information is local newspapers serving Greenville, Millinocket, Presque Isle or Fort Kent- depending on what part of the Maine woods you are interested in. There are also two outdoor magazines that have listing on real estate for sale in the Maine woods: The North Woods Sporting Journal or The Maine Sportsman.
Building a new camp in the Maine woods is very costly. When landowners take land out of the tree growth tax program, there is an assessment by the state of several years back taxes that is passed onto the new lessee. Roads or driveways, LUPC permits and building permit requirements can result in substantial costs (+$10,000) before the first nail is even driven.
You will need to obtain a fishing license before entering the North Maine Woods area. You can purchase them at many sporting goods stores including L. L. Bean’s, Cabela’s and Walmart and also online at www.informe.org/moses
The flow rates for all Maine rivers can be found on the "Links" page located on this website's homepage. Click "Links" and choose “Maine Water Flow Data” from the list of links. You will see a map of Maine showing all of the main rivers and by clicking on the location of gauging station icons located on each river, real time flow information will be provided.
Lobster Lake is part of the Penobscot River Corridor which is managed by Maine’s Bureau of Parks and Lands. Access to campsites is only possible by water. There is a boat launch and parking area on the outlet of the lake near the outlet’s junction with the West Branch of the Penobscot River. It is an easy canoe paddle up stream to Lobster Lake from the boat launch site.
Campsites have tables, toilets, sites to pitch a tent and fireplaces with cooking grate.
Disabled veterans with a 50% disability as a result of serving in a combat zone, and those who are 100% disabled will receive complimentary day-use passes to North Maine Woods. These are the same guidelines used by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife when issuing complimentary hunting and fishing licenses.
Camping fees would be required.
