www.parksandlands.com Bureau of Parks and Lands and Parks of Bureau History Campsites Rules Welcome Eighty-one fire safe, authorized campsites are located through- The rules governing the Allagash Wilderness Waterway (AWW) or more than a century “the Allagash” has been praised Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry and Conservation Agriculture, Earliest History out the Waterway. When approaching from the water, you will have been established to protect visitors and the wilderness and enjoyed as a sportsman’s paradise. Many famous Maine Department of Department Maine The last Ice Age left a tundra-like environment in north- see that they are clearly marked with a triangular sign. character of the Waterway. These rules contain important people, including Henry David Thoreau, have enjoyed ern Maine that yielded to dense forest about 10,000 years F information on several subjects, such as the limitations placed its beauty and come away filled with determination to protect it ago. Though a few families of Paleoindians may have traveled on the use of boats, motors, and canoes. Please refer to the for future generations. The people of Maine made what these through the Allagash region at that time, the archaeological • Camping is permitted only at these sites. rules when planning your trip. men dreamed a reality. The State of Maine, through the Bureau record shows a larger population during the Archaic period, • All sites are equipped with tables, tarp poles, Umsaskis Lake cover photo by Steve Day. of Parks and Lands within the Department of Agriculture, approximately 10,000 to 4,000 years ago. The people of this fireplaces, and an outhouse. AWW Rules are available: Conservation and Forestry, seeks to ensure that this area will be era were generally nomadic, using nets for fishing and stone or maintained forever as a place of solace and refuge. wood for tools. Most plentiful among the artifacts discovered • Online at www.maine.gov/allagash Fire: Campfires may be built only in the fireplaces from this period are stone axes and gouges for woodworking. • By contacting the: provided. Use only small downed wood; Between 4,000 and 3,500 years ago these types of tools Northern Region Office, no cutting of green/live trees or vegetation. The locomotives at Eagle Lake. Photo by Kevin Brown. became less common, suggesting a shift from dugout canoes to Bureau of Parks and Lands, Because uncontrolled wildfire is extremely a birch bark type. This shift is also 106 Hogan Road, Suite 7 dangerous, campers should keep fires small supported by the many sites Bangor, Maine 04401 and constantly tended. Before leaving your Access & Parking archaeologists have found in drain- (207) 941-4014 campfire drown it with water and stir until age areas where heavier dugouts Private roads provide access to the Waterway and are maintained Wild and Scenic River Scenic and Wild you can place your hand in the ashes. would have been difficult to use. by the landowners for rapid transit of logging trucks. North Maine Woods checkpoints monitor access and on a on The Ceramic Period of 3,000 to Water: Tested public drinking water is available at collect fees. For their maps, rules, and road conditions visit • Logging Trucks have right of way at all times. 500 years ago is named for the Chamberlain Bridge and Churchill Dam. www.northmainewoods.org Iconic paddling paddling Iconic Long Lake Dam. Photo by Rex Turner emergence of the use of pottery. Photo by Deborah Gardner Other water sources should not be • North Maine Woods checkpoints monitor access and The Allagash Wilderness Waterway was established by the Maine Though not very durable at this considered safe. Take appropriate collect fees. For maps, rules, and road conditions: Legislature in 1966 to preserve, protect, and enhance the point, pottery enabled cooking precautions such as: filtration pumps, www.northmainewoods.org wilderness character of this unique area. It is a magnificent directly on the fire, rather than the boiling, or adding a purifying agent. • Registration is Required for everyone entering the 92-mile-long ribbon of lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams labor-intensive method of heating Springs should not be regarded as safe Waterway. Visitors must register at the first opportunity at winding through the heart of northern Maine’s vast commercial stones and placing them into a bark drinking water. Gear a North Maine Woods checkpoint or with the first forests. Protection of the Waterway was further enhanced in or wooden container. Although A canoe trip in the Allagash need not be a survival test. Prior camping experience will be a good guide to determining your basic needs. Waterway Ranger encountered. (See map for Ranger 1970 when it was named the first state-administered component ceramic artifacts do not survive well Washing: Dishes and clothing should be washed in Remember that once you are in the Waterway, there will be no opportunity to get items you have overlooked. Station locations.) of the National Wild and Scenic River System by the United in the conditions of the Allagash a container away from lakes and streams. States Department of the Interior. region, archaeologists have found Consider this list of equipment in planning your trip: Personal washing should also be done from • Vehicle Access Points provide the easiest access for pottery in the region at least 2,000 a basin or bucket. Wash water should be mobility impaired people. FMI: (207) 941-4014 guide & map & guide The permanent residents in this area are the animals and disposed of by dispersing on the ground years old. Hat Flashlight Ax plants; visitors show respect and care by leaving the fewest at least 100 feet from the lake, river, or any • Parking Areas are designated; return transport to Sunglasses Matches or lighter Camp saw possible signs of their presence. The archaeological record seems to indicate that traditional other water source. This will help prevent points of departure should be arranged in advance. Native Americans began to move away from the Allagash region Sunscreen Camp stove and lamp Knife waste, soap, and detergents – which stimulate • A list of Licensed Outfitters & Guides is available from Waterway Raingear Liquid fuel Whetstone early in the 1800s. The Waterway’s Native American heritage the growth of algae – from degrading the North Maine Woods at: www.northmainewoods.org. is found in the names of its places, such as Umsaskis Lake and Boots, mocs, sneakers Water filtration pump Knapsack/pack basket water of the Allagash. Musquacook Stream. • Watercraft with Motors must be registered with the Wilderness Extra clothing Sleeping bag and pad Trowel Toilets: Outhouses are provided at all campsites and Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Henry David Thoreau visited the Can opener Tarp Zipper seal bags most access points in the Waterway. FMI: www.maine.gov/ifw Allagash in 1857 with Penobscot Allagash Cooking/eating utensils Tent Should “nature call” and an outhouse is not guide Joe Polis. Among other Pail Toilet paper Life preservers – At least one available, a shallow hole should be dug at • Launch Sites, hand-carry and trailerable, are highly sites, they made camp on Pillsbury variable; see map or use the Online Sortable Launch Sewing kit Towels Coast Guard-approved wearable least 100 feet from the water. Fill the hole Black Bear (Ursus americanus). Photo by Steve Day. Island in Eagle Lake near what is with soil before leaving the area. Listing: www.maine.gov/dacf/boatlaunches now Thoreau campsite. First aid kit Biodegradable soap personal flotation device per Insect repellent Canoe patching material person (required by law). Trash: The Allagash is a carry-in carry-out Low-Impact Camping • Aircraft Access to the Waterway by aircraft is limited to a Read Thoreau's The Maine Woods to waterway. Plan ahead to reduce waste: avoid few designated sites. (Rules at www.maine.gov/allagash) Human use of a wilderness area is bound to have some learn more about his journeys in Compass Pole, 10-12’ disposables and excessive packaging. impact, but you can reduce your impact by careful planning and • Allagash Wilderness Waterway Conditions & Alerts: Maine. GPS unit Supply of 1/4” rope Overnight, hang waste bags high and away thoughtful use. Please consider the following tips, and consult a www.maine.gov/allagash (With option to subscribe to Alerts) Thoreau Maps Extra paddle from your campsite to keep animals out of handbook on low-impact camping before your trip. the trash. Moose (Alces alces americana). Photo by Steve Day. • Choose reusables over disposables, especially for dishes Aroostook County Region Closed Sites: From time to time waterway management and silverware. Avoid disposable flashlights, butane The Logging Era may close campsites for repairs or cylinders, and Sterno cans. Overview With the reversing of the flow of water in Chamberlain and These farms became supply points for logging activity in the renovations. Closed sites will be posted Directions Shortly after Maine became a state in 1820, David Pingree, a • Camp stoves have less impact on the wilderness than The Allagash is not a wilderness in the sense of it being Telos Lakes, logs could be cut and run via the log drive from area. Some of the more significant farms on the Waterway were “Closed." Camping at these sites is not businessman from Salem, Massachusetts foresaw the demise campfires made from wood gathered there. Choose untouched by humans. It is a wilderness in that any time Access to the Waterway Allagash Lake all the way to Bangor! located at: Chamberlain Farm, Churchill Depot, Harvey Farm, allowed during the repairs. of his hometown as a major shipping port. Worried about the refillable liquid-fuel stoves and lanterns over of year visitors may experience living under largely natural is over private roads that future value of his vast shipping enterprises, he looked Michaud Farm, and the Moir Farm.