Moosehead Lake
Moosehead Lake
5
About
Maine's premier lake region offers great outdoor recreation and sports, including fishing, hunting, mountain biking, canoeing, hiking, and "flightseeing" by seaplane.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
287 reviews
Excellent
244
Very good
37
Average
4
Poor
0
Terrible
2
Hillary S
6 contributions
Oct 2022 • Couples
We went to Moosehead Lake during peak leaf season which was Indigenous Peoples weekend. We stayed at the fabulous Blair Hill Inn. It is under new management and Jen is eager to please and engage in conversation. The Inn Is lovely with very comfortable rooms and modern appointed bathrooms. The views are spectacular and the food was delicious. She had just snagged the chef from Natalie’s a hot spot in the Rockland, Maine foodie scene.
We took a trip on the Katahdin around Sugar Island and met the fabulous volunteers who help with the tours. Our planned Sea plane excursion was cancelled because of high winds, so we drove up the west side of the lake to to the Birches just north of Rockwood. On the way we walked to the dam separating the lake from the Little Moose River. Lunch at the Birches was in front of a roaring fire in a huge field stone fire place . On our return trip we stopped at the Sea plane museum. A definite must for any history buff. Although we had planned on dining at different establishments, we had dinner every night at the Inn. The food was so good. Not to mention, the breakfasts which are only for the guests of the Inn, are over the top delicious!!! We stayed 3 perfect nights with plans to return next year. Warning, the Inn is pricey, but worth every penny.
We took a trip on the Katahdin around Sugar Island and met the fabulous volunteers who help with the tours. Our planned Sea plane excursion was cancelled because of high winds, so we drove up the west side of the lake to to the Birches just north of Rockwood. On the way we walked to the dam separating the lake from the Little Moose River. Lunch at the Birches was in front of a roaring fire in a huge field stone fire place . On our return trip we stopped at the Sea plane museum. A definite must for any history buff. Although we had planned on dining at different establishments, we had dinner every night at the Inn. The food was so good. Not to mention, the breakfasts which are only for the guests of the Inn, are over the top delicious!!! We stayed 3 perfect nights with plans to return next year. Warning, the Inn is pricey, but worth every penny.
Written October 18, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nina E
1 contribution
Jun 2023
We loved our time on Moosehead Lake! We stayed at Misty Morning Cottages and fished from our pier (so fun!). The lake is beautiful! We are coming back one day to stay again! One part of our trip included a fishing excursion. We wanted to get on the water and catch our dinner. We booked one fishing excursion through Northwoods Outfitters. Our guide was Craig and he didn't want to be there. Also, we only got to ride along on the boat while he did all the work with the equipment. We were not expecting that we would not actually cast lines. We were supposed to get drinks and snacks but those were never offered. I never received a confirmation email to know what to expect that morning. We just showed up and wandered around until we finally found a boat with someone. It was a LONG BORING fishing excursion. We just rode around and back and forth in the same spot. We did catch 2 fish, but the captain does not fillet so be prepared for that. Fortunately, we had brought our own knives for this. We were allowed to reel the fish in. If you are looking for more exciting fishing, this is not the excursion for you. He brought us back 30 minutes early so he could go to the bathroom. It was expensive for 2 fish and a boring ride up and down a small patch of the lake. However, Moosehead Lake is amazing and everyone should go!
Written July 6, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Pauline
8 contributions
Jul 2022
Hubby and I stopped by last September 2021 to check out the lake and decided that we needed much more time there. We took a Day Cation July 2022 and stayed at Keno View Lodge. The next day we took a trip on the Katalin for their Sugar Island Cruise. So much fun we crammed into two days. We will have to return to do more on the lake.
Written July 13, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Apr 2017 • Family
What's on my Mind? Her name is Barbara Daigle and she owns and manages the Moosehead Lake Cottage Resort. Our family has owned a timeshare here for 10+ years and have had the unfortunate experience of dealing with this unpleasant human being. It's taken 10 years to finally say enough is enough and do something. When our children were babies and unable to swim we had "arm floaties" on them when using the pool and she informed us there were no "pool toys" allowed and made us take them off. We had nothing else with us to use so we had to leave. Heartless! The next time we went we had to put the babies in life jackets which was the only thing she didn't consider a "pool toy". Now any of you with small infants know that a life jacket can be cumbersome and they prefer the floats you can set their legs in but nope, it was against "Barbara's Rules". Another time we had lunch in the kitchen provided for timeshare holders and our toddler broke a little salt shaker. She took the time to write us a letter about her displeasure her salt shaker got broken. Every time we visited there was no hot water so we would have to shower our kids in freezing cold water despite the fact we brought this to their attention for FIVE YEARS and the response was "we will have someone look at it." We pay yearly maintenance fees to use the facilities to be working properly and maintained. I suspect they didn't want to pay to heat hot water for the showers considering it had been FIVE years without hot water. The Sauna, never on or works. The staff smoke inside when no one is there based on the smell in the building. When guests are there they smoke beside the front door of the building and in the summer time the door is left open so the facility if full of smoke. This is a complete disregard for public safety. The clearly arent' concerned with any children that have allergies or asthma. The final straw came Today. We went to the pool and there were a total of six kids in the pool. The other kids in the pool had a pool frisbee they were playing with and our kids brought the ball Max is holding in the picture below. Barbara came into the pool and demanded the kids get the "pool toys out!" I said, but there is no sign indicating no pool toys and there is no one else in the pool. She said " if you don't like it lump it" and walked out. After I took minute to digest what just happened I went to her office to discuss things further and her response was " look lady I'm in no mood to deal with you today". I told her we own a timeshare, pay yearly maintenance fees and her behavior was completely inappropriate. She then turned her back to me and sat at her computer. I left her office and went to pack up to leave. On my way out I told her I would be making a formal complaint and in front of my kids while we were leaving she said " you've got a fat a*s". I thought to myself wow she is a 65 year old bully who has never been called out on her bad Behavior and these are her coping skills. My 6 and 7 year old said " mom she just did a name call". Sad. I had to explain to them why an adult would act so poorly. So the moral of the story is....if you are looking to buy a timeshare near Greenville Maine (Moosehead lake) don't buy one at Moosehead Cottage Resorts. Barbara Daigle manages the property and is a complete nightmare to work with!
Written April 22, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jjinga
georgia8 contributions
Spent 4 days on moosehead lake. Very relaxing, despite a lot of rain. This lake is more like an ocean...we heard of 7 foot waves during storms. We rented a pontoon boat at Beaver Creek Marina and had a great time...it does get choppy out in the middle. Another good time is canoeing on Prong Pond - more like a lake! Go early when water is flat! Several good places along shore to pull up canoe and take a rest!
Restaurants: Splurged on Greenville Inn - which was great. Would have tried Blair Inn but they only serve on wkends. Kelly's has the best view. Black frog is popular but we didn't go there.
Hiking is mediocre, or maybe we didn't know where to go.
You definately feel like you've gotten away when you go here.
Restaurants: Splurged on Greenville Inn - which was great. Would have tried Blair Inn but they only serve on wkends. Kelly's has the best view. Black frog is popular but we didn't go there.
Hiking is mediocre, or maybe we didn't know where to go.
You definately feel like you've gotten away when you go here.
Written August 1, 2005
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
asdaven
Clarksville, MD886 contributions
This is the most beautiful and scenic lake I have ever been to. It is a very large lake and the largest lake in Maine. And the best part, it is not crowded! The town of Greenville is a small,quaint town with good restaurants and the town is not commercialized like many other places in Maine. Two must do's are the 3 hour boat ride on the Kathadin and the hike up to Mount Kineo. The boat ride takes you a good ways up the lake and you really see the lake more so than you do from the road. You get good views of mount kathadin and mount kineo. It is very pretty and well worth the money. The hike to Mount Kineo is also well worth it. You take a short boat ride from Rockwood. There are two routes to the summit. The indian trail is the most scenic and most steep. The bridle trail is less steep, but no views. At the top, there is a fire tower. You must climb the tower. At the top, there a 360 degree view of the lake and you can see both ends of the lake, mount kathadin and the surrounding mountains, and probably into Canada. Other must do's are the B-52 Crash Site, moosehunting (I saw 3). If you are taking a trip to maine, don't miss moosehead lake!
Written August 16, 2007
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MichiganMadmoose
Michigan103 contributions
Aug 2016 • Couples
We knew it would take several hours. But we did not know what we were getting into. After having breakfast in Kokadjo we proceeded to drive around Moosehead Lake. We got towards the north end of the lake when we come across a arm across the road directing us to pull into a parking lot and go into the adjacent building. A bit bewildered we followed the signs. We were told that the whole north end of the lake was private property and to proceed we would have to pay a tole. The North Maine Woods Co. owned the land and charged us $24.00 to complete our trip around the lake. We were on dirt roads that were sometimes no better than two tracks. We had come that far and did not want to return the way we had just come. So we paid the tole. Beware, we found this disappointing and surprising both.
Written January 23, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
WRon
Port Royal, SC107 contributions
Jul 2019
Amazing..who knew! Some dear friends invited us to join them at their "camp" as we were touring Maine in July. The lake offers it all, fishing, boating, swimming..and many family opportunities.. Lot's of shopping and the touristy stuff...but most importantly consider the views, biking & hiking.The northernmost 100 miles of the Appalachian Trail pass through in Baxter State Park. The Grand Canyon of Maine (Gulf Hagas) is highly recommended. Checkout destinationmooseheadlake.com for full information . We would recommend at least a week to explore the beauty of Maine!
Written August 11, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mcdg2002
New York City, NY7 contributions
Aug 2018 • Family
I think Moosehead Lake is definitely a cool place to visit in the summer, but you must know what you’re going to be doing everyday, and really plan out everything. It is impossible to stay in a hotel in a surrounding town, being that all of the surrounding towns are very, very, very poor for two hours (at best) outside of the town of Greenville. Hotels are very expensive so stay in a cabin or cottage, even though they force you to book by the week. There is a lot to do (white water rafting, hiking boating, etc.). Just know that it is a two hour drive through extremely poor towns. It is EXTREMELY isolated throughout the entire central Maine. In these towns like Monson, Dexter, Guilford, Sangerville, Abbot, Athens, Harmony, and Dover Foxcroft. Here will be houses with broken windows w/o roofs, rusted, destroyed trailers, like you wouldn’t believe. I took a road trip from the New England to the Grand Canyon, and in my travels throughout Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, Indiana, Nebraska, etc., I have never ever seen such a poverty stricken area other than in central Maine. There were even 2 scarecrows in front of someone’s garden dressed like a bride and groom that made my tough, strong teenage boys scream like little girls in horror. All of my 4 kids were fascinated and creeped out by the hours and hours of poverty we drove through, and I felt bad for these people. To conclude, if you plan on visiting this lake, be prepared with enough gas and food in your car for the car ride through these towns, and I would NOT recommend stopping through here or breaking down, or getting into trouble, because if you need the police, they probably won’t be coming to your side. You will be satisfied with the views and abundance of activities when you arrive, however.
Written August 4, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bruce A
Captiva Island, FL17 contributions
Aug 2016 • Family
My wife, grandson, and I went to the Moosehead Lake region of Maine to look for moose, see the area itself, and experience a more remote area of Maine. We stayed at the Greenville Inn (which was excellent) and hired a guide recommended by them. The guide was Chris Young of Young's Guide Service. Chris picked us up early on our first morning to search for moose. We bounced onto the dirt roads of the paper company land to find these enormous animals. It was a memorable trip as we saw 12 moose in an hour and a half! We saw two more that evening returning from dinner in Rockwood, Maine. Other activities included swimming in the lake at Lily Bay State Park, a three hour tour of the lake on the Katahdin, a 100 year old classic steamboat originally built to haul wood down the lake, walking around Greenville, and eating dinner at three different area restaurants. As to the latter we would highly recommend Maynard's but for sure make a reservation.
In general the local residents and workers were friendly. We met and talked to many visitors as well as the local folks who work in the stores and restaurants. Three full days were enough to get a good taste of the area. We were glad to have gone there and would recommend the area for an experience of rural Maine full of wildlife and beautiful scenery.
Bruce A. Old Lyme, Ct.
In general the local residents and workers were friendly. We met and talked to many visitors as well as the local folks who work in the stores and restaurants. Three full days were enough to get a good taste of the area. We were glad to have gone there and would recommend the area for an experience of rural Maine full of wildlife and beautiful scenery.
Bruce A. Old Lyme, Ct.
Written September 17, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We are planning a road trip to Maine in June 2022.
We were there several years ago and didn't see a single moose! (we were there in October - which I understand is hunting season).
Last time, we explored Mid Coast, Bangor / Acadia, Downeast and a quick run through the Maine Highlands.
I would like to explore, the Highlands, Kennebec and Moose River Valleys and Western Lakes.
We typically do our own thing, but I heard that the Moose safaris out of Greenville is well worth it.
Suggestions on accommodations and sight seeing?
Thanks in advance.
Written May 25, 2022
Demented Biden
Greenville, Maine
Had a lot of bad experiences at the moose head cottage resort. The desk wench there is mean and hideous. There are much better places to stay. Avoid the headache and steer clear . They despise children there and the pool is always cold or shut down for some problem.
Written November 5, 2020
We were there in the middle of July and did not have any bug problems not even when we went canoeing on a pond looking for moose.
Written August 3, 2020
Yes they are. When I was wandering around I saw several dogs enjoying time with their families.
Written October 23, 2018
Written
Nesowadnehunk
Pronounced “ sow da hunk”
Location approximately 60 miles ne of Greenville, Maine, 2+ hours
Written July 8, 2020
What trails are best for young kids...1.5-2 miles max?
Written October 2, 2017
A great small book to pick up is "Best Easy Day Hikes around Greenville" by Greg Westrich. I found it very helpful.
Written October 3, 2017
Yes ! They're are actually several places on Moosehead to rent all sizes of boats, canoes and Kayak s
Written February 1, 2017
Hi everyone.
Looking to spend a few days bass fishing the lake. Looking for a cabin or camp with water front and a dock for a 20' bass boat. Thanks!
Written October 24, 2015
Gray Ghost camps in RockWood Maine, cabins are nice and inexpensive. They let you park any size boat at there docks. Ignore what others say about bass on Moosehead, Like all the other lakes that run along the Moose River it is infested with illegally transported small mouth. Even better nobody fishes for them up there
Written October 25, 2015
Am interested in any reviews/comments from anyone who has stayed at Moosehead Cottage Resort, Greenville, Maine. Wifi./cell phone reception? Laundry facilities in cottage? Activities? Cottages themselves? Thanks for any info provided....safe travels to all....
Written February 12, 2015
A Tripadvisor member
Portland, Maine
2 contributions
Yes! We have owned a timeshare there for 10+years . Check out my review for Moosehead Cottage Resorts. The owner and manger Barbara Daigle is a compleat nightmare to deal with! This Resort or not kid friendly at all and she will make your stay awful. The rules she has put forth for the resort are absurd! The staff is rude as is she! Horrible experience.
Written April 23, 2017
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