Baxter State Park contains the northern end of the Appalachian Trail, one of the best long-distance hiking trails in the United States, found in Maine's Highlands region. It's also home to Mount Katahdin, the state's highest peak.

The state park is a bit of an unusual anomaly in that while it has the name "state park" in its name, it is not a part of Maine's state parks system and has a wilderness-first policy, which is enforced at all costs. Such wilderness in the 21st century is quite hard to find on the US East Coast, but this park is one of the few remaining patches of land where it does exist.

Understand

“ Man is born to die, his works are short-lived.
Buildings crumble, monuments decay, wealth vanishes.
But Katahdin, in all its glory, forever shall remain the mountain of the people of Maine. ”

—Percival Proctor Baxter

Visitor information

• Park office, ☏ +1 207-723-5140. M–F 8AM–4PM. (updated Jun 2023)

Get in

The park is 18 mi (29 km) northwest of Millinocket via Millinocket Road.

See

• 1 Mount Katahdin. The state's highest peak with an elevation of 5,269 ft (1,606 m). (updated Jun 2023)

Do

• Hiking – there are over 200 mi (320 km) of trails in Baxter State Park

Sleep

Camping is only permitted during the season (May 15–Oct 15).