Walk to this secluded lakeside cabin in downeast Maine

Enjoy a secluded lakeside retreat in down east Maine. Relax on the shores by yourself. No neighbors are within sight of the cabin. Spend your quiet time watching the water, paddling the canoe, enjoying nature, or resting in the rocking chairs on the porch. The rustic cabin looks down the full length of the lake and rests 15 feet from the water's edge. The cabin has one queen-sized bed and a cot.

Check in time is 1pm on weekends or around 4pm or later during weekdays. Some flexibility is available.

Guests should bring personal towels, good shoes for the walk, a variety of clothes, backpacks for gear, and flashlights.

To reach the cabin, drive along 4 miles of dirt roads. Park, and then carry your gear one-third of a mile along a hiking trail to the humble log cabin.

WATER AND FOOD

Guests enjoy 5 gallons of water from a nearby spring.

The cabin does not have electricity or running water.

The cabin has a 2 burner propane stove for cooking. Dishes, pots, pans, glasses, and utensils are provided. Guests should bring a cooler to keep food refrigerated.

The Airline Lodge and Diner is 6.5 miles away. The diner is also a basic convenience store with great pies and showers for a fee. As for grocery stores, CH Matthews is 20 minutes south in Cherryfield. A better store is the the Bay Side Shop 'n Save another 10 minutes south in Milbridge.

Farmers Markets:

-- Winter Harbor, Tuesdays 9-noon, mid June to Labor Day
-- Milbridge, Saturday, 9-noon, Memorial Day through September
-- Ellsworth, Saturday, 930am-1230pm, May through October
-- Machias, Saturday, 9-noon, May through October

HIKING AND EXPLORING

-- Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park, 2 hours away, crowded in the summer
-- Schoodic Point, 1 hour away, rocky ocean point and hiking trails
-- Tunk, Catherine, Caribou Mountains, 40 min away, fun hiking
-- McClellen Park in Milbridge, 40 min away, rocky peninsula on ocean + camping
-- Schoodic Mountain, 1.3 hours away, rocky summit with nearby swimming
-- Hamilton Cove, Cutler Boot Head, Quoddy Head in Lubec, 1.5 hours away, awesome cliffs along the ocean
-- Lubec, old fishing town
-- Eastport, old fishing town, 1.3 hours away

Check out the Maine Coast Heritage Trust, Downeast Coastal Conservancy, and Frenchman Bay Conservancy web sites for more hiking information.

HISTORY

The cabin was likely built in the 1930's to 50's and was part of a logging operation. The cabin enjoyed phone service for a while from the Narraguagus Telephone Company, which closed operations around World War II. The cabin phone was made out of wood and the line ran along the bottom of the lake.

The cabin was a hunting camp for a few decades. A few deer antlers still hang on the wall. At one point, the cabin had a bear skin rug.

A famous Maine Guide owned the property for a about a decade or so. In 1925, he was the youngest guide in the state. This person designed a canoe that is still in production today.

Prior to 1980, accessing the cabin involved parking a vehicle and driving a Model T about a mile and crossing a low part of the Narraguagus River. Then after parking the Model T, people carried their gear through the woods to the lakeshore. From there, people put their gear into a canoe and paddled across the lake. Later, after years of logging and new roads, today's access just requires 4 miles of dirt roads and 1/3 mile hike.