My wife and I did Katahdin back in ‘16. We started from Katahdin Stream Campgrounds. Its 5.2 miles to the top with over 4000 feet of elevation gain. It ended up being an all day hike. Brutal but we loved it. The AT starts, or ends, at the top of Katahdin.
Yeah, kind of thought we were in the area. We simply didn't have time for the hike, but kudos to you for the accomplishment! 4000 feet of elevation is no joke, especially covering it in slightly over 5 miles!
Randy, THANK YOU SO MUCH to you and Hailey for reaching this remote area and filming it for us! The “National Park NO” sign is a private citizen protesting. There was a lot of effort to stop this area from becoming a National Park in Congress, but then the Roxanne Quimby Family Foundation bought up the land and donated the property (valued at $60 million), plus $20 million to fund initial operations and a commitment of $20 million in future support. in 2016, the US President proclaimed it a National Monument. What a national gift this place is. Congress could still make it a National Park in the future, but in the meantime it is protected. THANK YOU FOR EXPLORING AND SHARING THIS NEW NATIONAL MONUMENT, . . . Mike
its VERY remote up there, and VERY big. Its a vast wilderness up there so misjudging time and underestimating situations is easy to do. New England seems little and quaint but The Maine Woods are for real, and so is Mt. Katahdin. The reason locals say "no national park" is about Baxter State Park remaining a "State Park" in Maine as Perceval Baxter (who donated it to the State in 1931) intended it to be in its Charter, the rest of the North Maine Woods are privately owned multi-use industrial/timber lands which allow people to recreate in them. This requires singing in at check points and paying small usage fees, and then use of logging roads is permitted (logging trucks have the right of way). its a pretty great way to use the land which allows the best of both worlds. Never seen it done this way anywhere else. Its the way life should be !!!
Hey Andrew, really appreciate the insightful remarks! Learned a lot there. Hope to get back up there can climb Katahdin one of these days. Beautiful area!
Great video. We were there last year. The Park was given to the National Park Service by a generous woman. The park land is surrounded by (and adjacent to) lumbering etc so the ‘No National Park’ signage was a statement alluding to the lumberers not particularly feeling welcoming to their new neighbors - wanted the land themselves but she would not sell to them. My fav part of visiting was meeting young people who just finished a thru hike of the App Trail and their story and elation. Great video!!!
Really interesting, Betty! Kind of assumed something like that, but I appreciate you filling me in on the finer details. We did very kittle research, so when we arrived, we just went with the flow for the few hours of daylight available. Thanks for watching!
There’s a great natural water slide off of the Kancamagus highway in NH on the Swift river. It’s a well marked spot with ample parking and can be quite crowded but very scenic and worth it. Actually the entire highway is very scenic with lots of places to stop.
Great video Buddy... My family will be visiting Island Falls Maine in mid September 2022. Watching numerous video's to get educated for our trip. One question for ya. I have my favorite bug spray, but always like to hear others. What is your go to bug spray for fly's, mosquitoes, etc. Thank you for the advice and video. We will be checking these spots out in your video. Have a great day...
Appreciate the kind words and hope you and the family have a great trip in Maine. We used Repel 100 - I'm no expert, but it got the job done. Take care!
What a great adventure. After the trouble you were having finding your way I was a little concerned about you finding your way back to the car. Glad y'all made it!!
Wow ..... I've never experienced a 'slide rock'! What fun. 🙌 I love Maine .... but haven't been there for quite some time and never that far north. Thanks for taking me along. Love the wild flowers 💐 and the butterflies. Safe travels! 👋
That's a pretty cool place! Great video! Can't wait to make it up to that end of the AT one day. Me and my dad just did a Sliding Rock near the beginning of the AT. I'll have that out in a few weeks looks a lot different on both ends.
It's so easy to get turned around! Akane and I got turned around so many times on some hikes this summer. Glad you were able to find what you were looking for despite the slow ride down the rocks!
Subscriber here! Wondering if you have ever wanted or have hiked Knifes Edge on Mt. Katahdin? Would love to see some advice and video for that adventure. Love the videos! Keep it up!
Thanks, Austin! We were planning on that hike, but arrived too late in the day to start the journey. Hope to get back there. So undisturbed, unpopulated and beautiful!
I have friends that live up there. It is an amazing wilderness. I'm sad to say I've never been to the Nat parks, but the rest of the area is absolutely amazing too. I'm surprised you didn't see any moose that week! Usually the females are wandering around everywhere with the young of the year. But they can be defensive and aggressive !
That would have been great to see some moose! Didn't do much research - just drew the itinerary as we went along. Think I'm sensing an upcoming road trip for you and the "boys." Have a great weekend!
Always great to see someone else appreciating the Baxter area. :) A word to the wise, Katahdin is no easy climb. I've done many of the largest peaks out in the Rockies that are enormous by comparison, but the Katahdin hike took my legs the longest to recover from, not kidding. Once you break tree line it's pretty much a boulder field, with occasional scree. No flat path, not 'just put one foot in front of the other' trail. Gotta watch where each foot goes, for a couple straight miles. You'll be tired, lol. Put some solid hikes under you before you go up there and you'll kick butt. Can't wait to see your video from the top - the views are out of this world!!!
Really appreciate the insights and super great to hear of someone who knows about this place! Wish we had more time/did more research. Hope to get back. As of date, my hardest hike has been Mount Saint Helens. Crazy going up that lava ash.
This was really an adventure since you were constantly getting lost while driving and hiking. There were so many bugs I could actually see them on video which was crazy. Anyways at least you can say you went and cross this one off your list. Thanks for sharing Randy.
What an adventure at the river You guys are very brave and adventurous Great tips Thanks for sharing guys We enjoyed watching until the end Have a great day
Such a beautiful Nature Park 💖Good that you found a way out :) I was last Weekend in Watkins Glenn State Park, NY ... there are also all kinds of biting Animals :)
Americas Parkt ty brother Randy and I’m always blessed to see you spending time with your family. May God always bless and protect your family. Happy Sunday funday. ☀️🚙⛰🇺🇸🇵🇭💦🏃🏻♂️🏃🏻♀️
Not the easiest place to find and almost as though they did not want you to find it. Good to see it is not only me that makes a wrong turn on the trail. The falls looked refreshing but the sideing needs more effort lol. Cheers Alan
Man I hope they do more to established KW&W! It’s has so much potential but was just faced with so much opposition when Obama authorized it. Northern Maine is so nice. Baxter State Park is an incredible place, no running water, no paved pathways, no electricity, makes you really feel like you’re in true wilderness. If you ever have the chance to take the Cathedral Trail to the top of Katahdin I highly recommend it as long as you are in good shape and don’t mind an all day hike. I did last year with some friends, it took us 10 hours to hike 12 miles, from Roaring Brook to Cathedral, and down Saddle.
Hey Richard, that was really well-said! Thanks for the comment and recommendation. I would LOVE to hike Katahdin, wish we had the time on our recent visit. And the point about potential - right on! For a National Monument, I was surprised how undeveloped the pace was. Hope to return! Enjoy your week!
Ah, this is the infamous Roxanne Quimby (the most hated person in Maine at one time and probably still is) land purchase. It’s been a while since I looked into the exact land ownership, but when originally bought Quimby wanted the land shut down to fishing, hunting, and all motorized vehicles. This didn’t sit well with the natives, to say the least. I can just imagine why signs noting National anything are few and far between.
Man..those Mosquitoes! Reminds me of when I went to Alaska in 2012. Im pretty much all in on making Maine the destination next year.We are looking at probably July or early August with a flight to Buffalo NY for Niagara Falls via a rental car and a long drive up to Maine.I will probably try and squeeze in a few other sites along the way( like Teddy Roosevelt in Buffalo). I'm sure I will talk with you before then to pick your brain on the area.Was this a BLM site? Looks beautiful but man I hate bugs... Love seeing these places I have never heard of before. So hey....whats up next for you travel wise? I got the November thing in the Sierras and probably 3 day trips planned to shoot some video and some December stuff in the works to close out the year. Hope all is well my friend!
Yes, we actually just got back from a brief all-family 3 -day trip to Buffalo. Did Niagara and Alleghany NF, along with TR Inaugural which was pretty cool. Katahdin is a N Monument. Not much to see up there unless you do a ton or research. Really undeveloped and yes, a ton of bitting bugs. Sounds like you have some great trips planned. Looking into our plans for 2020. Enjoy your weekend, Robert!
@@AmericasParks awesome Randy! Looking forward too seeing those clips! Gonna have to call you soon to pick your brain on a few things soon.super excited to get to work on planning our trip to Maine. Also curious about your 2020 plans/ whether you are heading west again next year.
I love the good observations, especially on the footage that takes some work to obtain! :) We've switched off, but I've found it much easier for the passenger to film. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Appreciate the advice, Earl. Normally we do, but situations always arise when we make a last-minute changes in our plans based upon time or the advice of an individual we meet at the location. Other times we anticipate a visitor's center/map on location, but find inadequate facilities/resources.
@@AmericasParks oh yeah, I get that. I'm headed up tomorrow for three days of exploring Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. I've been to Baxter state Park several times and climbed Katahdin a couple times. The Rangers weren't kidding when they recommend 8 hours. I think closer to 12 is more realistic. BSP is one of the Jewels of America. Of course, I have maps. That's not an area to not know where you are and GPS is totally unreliable, for some reason.
@@egilbe2003 Have a great trip! We only had a half day at the end of our big Maine visit. Really looking forward to returning and really exploring the place more seriously.
Enjoy how you guys also visit the less-traveled and often neglected National Parks too.
Appreciate you appreciating that! lol! Love them all...
My wife and I did Katahdin back in ‘16. We started from Katahdin Stream Campgrounds. Its 5.2 miles to the top with over 4000 feet of elevation gain. It ended up being an all day hike. Brutal but we loved it. The AT starts, or ends, at the top of Katahdin.
Yeah, kind of thought we were in the area. We simply didn't have time for the hike, but kudos to you for the accomplishment! 4000 feet of elevation is no joke, especially covering it in slightly over 5 miles!
Randy, THANK YOU SO MUCH to you and Hailey for reaching this remote area and filming it for us! The “National Park NO” sign is a private citizen protesting. There was a lot of effort to stop this area from becoming a National Park in Congress, but then the Roxanne Quimby Family Foundation bought up the land and donated the property (valued at $60 million), plus $20 million to fund initial operations and a commitment of $20 million in future support. in 2016, the US President proclaimed it a National Monument. What a national gift this place is. Congress could still make it a National Park in the future, but in the meantime it is protected. THANK YOU FOR EXPLORING AND SHARING THIS NEW NATIONAL MONUMENT, . . . Mike
Learned something new! Thanks for the information.
Right outside of Baxter state park to the left of it are some of the most remote and secret lakes in Maine. They are amazing places to camp.
Right on! That was such a pristine and beautiful area! So glad we had the opportunity for a brief visit.
its VERY remote up there, and VERY big. Its a vast wilderness up there so misjudging time and underestimating situations is easy to do. New England seems little and quaint but The Maine Woods are for real, and so is Mt. Katahdin. The reason locals say "no national park" is about Baxter State Park remaining a "State Park" in Maine as Perceval Baxter (who donated it to the State in 1931) intended it to be in its Charter, the rest of the North Maine Woods are privately owned multi-use industrial/timber lands which allow people to recreate in them. This requires singing in at check points and paying small usage fees, and then use of logging roads is permitted (logging trucks have the right of way). its a pretty great way to use the land which allows the best of both worlds. Never seen it done this way anywhere else. Its the way life should be !!!
Hey Andrew, really appreciate the insightful remarks! Learned a lot there. Hope to get back up there can climb Katahdin one of these days. Beautiful area!
Great video. We were there last year. The Park was given to the National Park Service by a generous woman. The park land is surrounded by (and adjacent to) lumbering etc so the ‘No National Park’ signage was a statement alluding to the lumberers not particularly feeling welcoming to their new neighbors - wanted the land themselves but she would not sell to them. My fav part of visiting was meeting young people who just finished a thru hike of the App Trail and their story and elation. Great video!!!
Really interesting, Betty! Kind of assumed something like that, but I appreciate you filling me in on the finer details. We did very kittle research, so when we arrived, we just went with the flow for the few hours of daylight available. Thanks for watching!
There’s a great natural water slide off of the Kancamagus highway in NH on the Swift river. It’s a well marked spot with ample parking and can be quite crowded but very scenic and worth it. Actually the entire highway is very scenic with lots of places to stop.
Thanks, Robert! Just made a note of that. Was there last fall and do hope to return. Beautiful area!
Great video Buddy... My family will be visiting Island Falls Maine in mid September 2022. Watching numerous video's to get educated for our trip. One question for ya. I have my favorite bug spray, but always like to hear others. What is your go to bug spray for fly's, mosquitoes, etc. Thank you for the advice and video. We will be checking these spots out in your video. Have a great day...
Appreciate the kind words and hope you and the family have a great trip in Maine. We used Repel 100 - I'm no expert, but it got the job done. Take care!
What a great adventure. After the trouble you were having finding your way I was a little concerned about you finding your way back to the car. Glad y'all made it!!
Thanks, Debra! Glad my daughter is good with directions! :)
Wow ..... I've never experienced a 'slide rock'! What fun. 🙌
I love Maine .... but haven't been there for quite some time and never that far north. Thanks for taking me along. Love the wild flowers 💐 and the butterflies.
Safe travels! 👋
Wonderful to hear! Maine is one of a kind. Such a beautiful and special state!
Very nice place and scenery is great!
Thanks for sharing dear friend.
Have a great time.👍👍
Thanks! Hope you are doing well!
That's a pretty cool place! Great video! Can't wait to make it up to that end of the AT one day. Me and my dad just did a Sliding Rock near the beginning of the AT. I'll have that out in a few weeks looks a lot different on both ends.
Cool! I'll have to check it out!
Love Maine! Want to go back for the blueberry harvest.
Great taste, Kim! Can't get enough of Maine either!
This park was absolutely spectacular definitely putting this on our list of parks to visit sledgehammered that like button and a full watch
Sweet! Special place up there. Hope your family can make it out!
It's so easy to get turned around! Akane and I got turned around so many times on some hikes this summer. Glad you were able to find what you were looking for despite the slow ride down the rocks!
Hey, Josh! Hope all it well! Yes, most hikers can identify with this one!
Subscriber here! Wondering if you have ever wanted or have hiked Knifes Edge on Mt. Katahdin? Would love to see some advice and video for that adventure. Love the videos! Keep it up!
Thanks, Austin! We were planning on that hike, but arrived too late in the day to start the journey. Hope to get back there. So undisturbed, unpopulated and beautiful!
We are going back up the East coast before long. Love your adventures 👍
Thanks so much, Jim!
I have friends that live up there. It is an amazing wilderness. I'm sad to say I've never been to the Nat parks, but the rest of the area is absolutely amazing too. I'm surprised you didn't see any moose that week! Usually the females are wandering around everywhere with the young of the year. But they can be defensive and aggressive !
That would have been great to see some moose! Didn't do much research - just drew the itinerary as we went along. Think I'm sensing an upcoming road trip for you and the "boys." Have a great weekend!
Beautiful state park, amazing trip.
Thanks! Wish we did a little more research, but we still had a great time!
Always great to see someone else appreciating the Baxter area. :)
A word to the wise, Katahdin is no easy climb. I've done many of the largest peaks out in the Rockies that are enormous by comparison, but the Katahdin hike took my legs the longest to recover from, not kidding. Once you break tree line it's pretty much a boulder field, with occasional scree. No flat path, not 'just put one foot in front of the other' trail. Gotta watch where each foot goes, for a couple straight miles. You'll be tired, lol. Put some solid hikes under you before you go up there and you'll kick butt.
Can't wait to see your video from the top - the views are out of this world!!!
Really appreciate the insights and super great to hear of someone who knows about this place! Wish we had more time/did more research. Hope to get back. As of date, my hardest hike has been Mount Saint Helens. Crazy going up that lava ash.
This was really an adventure since you were constantly getting lost while driving and hiking. There were so many bugs I could actually see them on video which was crazy. Anyways at least you can say you went and cross this one off your list. Thanks for sharing Randy.
Yeah, good way to look at it! Not sure if I'll get up there again. Would be nice to tackle that mountain. Enjoy your weekend, Eric!
Nice vid, but for bugs, glad you used caution. Fun sliding.
Hey Pat, appreciate the affirmation! :) Hope you have a great week!
What an adventure at the river
You guys are very brave and adventurous
Great tips
Thanks for sharing guys
We enjoyed watching until the end
Have a great day
Thanks so much for the kind words! Hope you have a fantastic weekend!
@@AmericasParks you too guys
Such a beautiful Nature Park 💖Good that you found a way out :) I was last Weekend in Watkins Glenn State Park, NY ... there are also all kinds of biting Animals :)
Thanks, Yvonne! Those insets are nasty! We were eaten alive in upstate NY last week.
Slide rock looks fun.
Hey buddy, hope you have a great Lord's Day. Yeah, nice time up there with my daughter!
Americas Parkt ty brother Randy and I’m always blessed to see you spending time with your family. May God always bless and protect your family. Happy Sunday funday. ☀️🚙⛰🇺🇸🇵🇭💦🏃🏻♂️🏃🏻♀️
Ever think of hitting the Presidentials? In the White Mountains, they are amazing. Alpine hiking in the east!
Never heard of them until now.Just looked, would love to explore New Hampshire! Thanks!
Love it! Looks like a great time. Even if you always stay left.
What a rough day! Guessed wrong on every turn. lol! Have a great weekend!
Glad you guys found your way out. Looks like wonderful place to visit. Maybe I’ll hire a guide lol 😂
You sure about that? lol! I don't think we could have made more wrong turns! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Looks like you guys stumbled on Blueberry Ledges, most of the videos on here refer to Ledge Falls as the more exciting ride. :) Good stuff!
You guys been up there? For the most part, I really had no clue where we were. lol!
@@AmericasParks Nope, just a quick google/youtube search. :) Looks like the place to be if you want to live off the grid!
You have to come back and do a video hiking up the mountain and across knifes edge!
I know - it's killing me! Thanks for the invite and hope to do so in the future. That alone would be worth the 8 hour drive!
Not the easiest place to find and almost as though they did not want you to find it. Good to see it is not only me that makes a wrong turn on the trail. The falls looked refreshing but the sideing needs more effort lol. Cheers Alan
haha! Yeah, looked easy, but didn't get too far on the sliding! :) Fun day, good memories! Enjoy your weekend, Alan!
Man I hope they do more to established KW&W! It’s has so much potential but was just faced with so much opposition when Obama authorized it. Northern Maine is so nice. Baxter State Park is an incredible place, no running water, no paved pathways, no electricity, makes you really feel like you’re in true wilderness. If you ever have the chance to take the Cathedral Trail to the top of Katahdin I highly recommend it as long as you are in good shape and don’t mind an all day hike. I did last year with some friends, it took us 10 hours to hike 12 miles, from Roaring Brook to Cathedral, and down Saddle.
Hey Richard, that was really well-said! Thanks for the comment and recommendation. I would LOVE to hike Katahdin, wish we had the time on our recent visit. And the point about potential - right on! For a National Monument, I was surprised how undeveloped the pace was. Hope to return! Enjoy your week!
Ah, this is the infamous Roxanne Quimby (the most hated person in Maine at one time and probably still is) land purchase. It’s been a while since I looked into the exact land ownership, but when originally bought Quimby wanted the land shut down to fishing, hunting, and all motorized vehicles. This didn’t sit well with the natives, to say the least. I can just imagine why signs noting National anything are few and far between.
Appreciate the insights, Robert! You add much to the little I've learned about this unique land controversy. Beautiful area indeed!
Man..those Mosquitoes! Reminds me of when I went to Alaska in 2012. Im pretty much all in on making Maine the destination next year.We are looking at probably July or early August with a flight to Buffalo NY for Niagara Falls via a rental car and a long drive up to Maine.I will probably try and squeeze in a few other sites along the way( like Teddy Roosevelt in Buffalo). I'm sure I will talk with you before then to pick your brain on the area.Was this a BLM site? Looks beautiful but man I hate bugs... Love seeing these places I have never heard of before. So hey....whats up next for you travel wise? I got the November thing in the Sierras and probably 3 day trips planned to shoot some video and some December stuff in the works to close out the year. Hope all is well my friend!
Yes, we actually just got back from a brief all-family 3 -day trip to Buffalo. Did Niagara and Alleghany NF, along with TR Inaugural which was pretty cool. Katahdin is a N Monument. Not much to see up there unless you do a ton or research. Really undeveloped and yes, a ton of bitting bugs. Sounds like you have some great trips planned. Looking into our plans for 2020. Enjoy your weekend, Robert!
@@AmericasParks awesome Randy! Looking forward too seeing those clips! Gonna have to call you soon to pick your brain on a few things soon.super excited to get to work on planning our trip to Maine. Also curious about your 2020 plans/ whether you are heading west again next year.
@@RobertLWard sounds good. for now, don't think far west is in the plans.
@@RobertLWardWA, CO, MN are in the running. Maybe Virgin Islands
need to let daughter navigate ovbiously
haha.. right on!
So when you get shots of your car driving down a road, do you make Hailey get out and film? Haha, loved the video though!
I love the good observations, especially on the footage that takes some work to obtain! :) We've switched off, but I've found it much easier for the passenger to film. Thanks for watching and commenting!
She must run really fast!
@@thefactualconservative9922 lol!
Maine, not just vacationland.
Beautiful state!
I know its a year later, but you really should have a map.
Appreciate the advice, Earl. Normally we do, but situations always arise when we make a last-minute changes in our plans based upon time or the advice of an individual we meet at the location. Other times we anticipate a visitor's center/map on location, but find inadequate facilities/resources.
@@AmericasParks oh yeah, I get that. I'm headed up tomorrow for three days of exploring Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. I've been to Baxter state Park several times and climbed Katahdin a couple times. The Rangers weren't kidding when they recommend 8 hours. I think closer to 12 is more realistic. BSP is one of the Jewels of America. Of course, I have maps. That's not an area to not know where you are and GPS is totally unreliable, for some reason.
@@egilbe2003 Have a great trip! We only had a half day at the end of our big Maine visit. Really looking forward to returning and really exploring the place more seriously.