Katahdin Woods & Waters National Monument
It’s the time of year where the days start with a bundle of layers and by noon, even your base layer is too warm. It’s called late summer, and we’ve waited all year for it. While, for many, September means back to school and the end of summer, but for us, this month feels like our little secret. The tourists have made their way home and Maine is ours to enjoy.
We found ourselves in Millinocket with a day to spare and jumped at the opportunity to explore the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. We turned to Map 51 in our trusty gazetteer and navigated gravel roads to get there. As we approached the Loop Road, an 18 mile tour through the southwestern part of the monument, we crossed paths with David, the volunteer park steward. We rolled down our windows, prepared for a quick wave, but were delighted when he hopped out of his car with an interpretive map that highlights many points of interest along the way. He was proud to share this place with us and we quickly learned why.
In partnership with Bixby & Co, Goodfire Brewing Co., and HOKA ONE ONE, we headed out for a hike, eager to see what KWWNM was all about. Our first stop was at the overlook, a breathtaking vantage point with Katahdin to the west. Pamola Peak danced in and out of the clouds, which occasionally pulled back enough to see Knife’s Edge, but never enough to reveal Baxter Peak. This time, we were grateful our hike had views OF Katahdin, not FROM it. We continued around the loop road, marveling at the various vistas, until we reached our trailhead.
We laced up our Speedgoat 3s, HOKA’s trail running shoe, filled our packs with some layers and several Bixby bars, and left a water bottle sleeve open for a can of Goodfire — you never know when that’ll come in handy!
The trail up Mt. Barnard begins on old logging roads, crossing a valley with the gently cascading Katahdin Stream at its bottom. With about a mile left in the hike, we turn onto the narrow and winding hiking trail. This is where we really noticed the performance of the Speedgoats—they’re light and sturdy, making it easy to leap over roots or skewed boulders. As we approached the top the trail turned into a rock scramble, and each step felt secure with great grip.
Before reaching the summit, energy started to tank as it had been a while since breakfast. We perched on some rocks and reached for a Bixby bar — Cam prefers the bing cherry chipotle one, while I love the milk chocolate peanut butter bar. They’re a great size, packed with organic ingredients like berries and nuts, and they gave us the extra oomph to summit Mt. Barnard.
As we round the final switchback, breathtaking views open up with an aptly placed picnic table. The legs were cut to meet the slant of the granite below, and beyond the Katahdin massif extends before our eyes. We couldn’t believe our beautiful lunch spot. We pulled out some early season Macintosh apples, sharp cheddar, and a CMYK each. For those unfamiliar, CMYK are the four basic colors used in printing — cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, and Goodfrire released a beer with that name—the perfect beer for print nerds like us! Not only on brand for us, CMYK is a crisp and delicious Portland IPA.
We referenced our map to identify ridge lines on the horizon, looking out on the 100 mile wilderness to the left of Katahdin, before plotting our course back. We finished our lunch with another Bixby bar, took our final sips of CMYK, and threw our packs back on. The trip back to the car felt much quicker as we bounded down the trail in our trusty Speedgoats, passing many deer, moose, and even bear tracks along the way.
We finished up the loop road around 5pm with a day chock full of memories. The Katahdin Woods & Waters National Monument offered way more than we imagined. You can’t go wrong here, or really anywhere in Maine, if you bring a sense of curiosity and adventure. Thanks for that reminder, KWWNM, and to our partners who enhanced our experience. We promise to be back!
