K Is for Katahdin

Katahdin from the Sandy Stream Pond Trail

The most famous mountain in Maine? It's certainly the tallest at just shy of 1 mile (5, 269 ft). Although called 'Mount Katahdin' that's a bit of a redundancy. (Like La Brea Tar Pits which is 'The Tar Tar Pits' in translation!) Katahdin means 'Greatest Mountain' so it turns out we're all saying 'Mount Greatest Mountain'!

Katahdin is the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. The last 100 miles of the trail are said to be the hardest with places that are not even trail but just scrambling over and between boulders deposited by the retreating ice when the glaciers melted.

BTW, that is not snow in the photos, it's granite.

Not much else for me to say...just enjoy the photos! Taken from 3 different sides of the mountain. 

Katahdin from our room at the inn

Katahdin from the Sandy Stream Pond Trail

South Twin Lake with Katahdin

Katahdin from the Golden Rd

Katahdin (no, that is not a moose in the water, but we did stop because we thought it was!)

It's about a 3 hour drive from White Cedar Inn to get to Millinocket. If you decide to head up that way and stay over, we enjoyed the 5 Lakes Lodge in Millinocket. (See photo above for the view from every room at the lodge!) Wonderful innkeepers and great breakfasts. They can get you set up for an early start if you're going to climb Katahdin!

If you'd rather camp in Baxter State Park you must have a reservation for both your camp site and a place to park your car at the trail heads. If you do not reserve in advance you may find yourself out of luck. Parking is minimal, roads are not quite 2 lane. No large vehicles, no motorcycles and no dogs allowed.

This is truly a park for enjoying nature!

White Cedar Inn Bed and Breakfast 178 Main St Freeport, Maine 04032

www.whitecedarinn.com