View of Mt. Katahdin, Katahdin Woods and Water National Monument
It was such a privilege to visit our newest National Monument, Katahdin Woods and Water during its very first year of existence! Although there is very little infrastructure yet, we enjoyed driving the loop road, an old dirt logging road. We discovered incredibly rich and diverse ecosystems including wetlands, ponds, creeks, rivers and eskers, high narrow sandy ridges left behind from the glaciers. The views of Mount Katahdin were spectacular, it is the highest peak in Maine and the centerpiece of Baxter State Park. The recovering forest is an extraordinary mix of beautiful northern hardwoods and boreal forest species, and it is home to the rare Canadian Lynx. Many thanks to Roxanne Quimby and her foundation, Elliotsville Plantation, for donating this beautiful part of the Maine Woods to the Federal Government so it could become a National Monument, established on the eve of the NPS Centennial on August 24, 2016.