Camden Hills State Park

Ocean Lookout --- taken from the Maine Bureau of Parks & Lands website to promote a visit! (http://www.state.me.us/doc/parks/index.html)

All I could see from where I stood
Was three long mountains and a wood;
I turned and looked another way,
And saw three islands in a bay.
So with my eyes I traced the line
Of the horizon, thin and fine,
Straight around till I was come
Back to where I'd started from;

 Excerpt from "Renascence", Edna St. Vincent Millay

If you are familiar with Renascence, do I have a State Park for you.  Edna St. Vincent Millay composed this beautiful poem from the summit of Mt. Battie, now located within Camden Hills State Park where you can glimpse the ‘three long mountains and three islands in a bay’ which inspired the epic for yourself.

I have pitched a tent more times at Camden Hills State Park than any other campground in Maine, but unfortunately, it has always been solo.  To convince friends up for a visit, it seems I had to bait the hook with heavy hitters (Acadia and Baxter State Park) and poor Camden got overlooked.  This is a shame because this really is a wonderful site.

The park is located immediately off of Route 1 just north of Camden.  You can skip the hiking and simply enjoy one of Maine’s most inviting villages by touring Camden.  This sparkling harbor city on Penobscot Bay is chock full of interesting shops, quality diners and tons of charm. As alluring as the city is, I prefer the State Park’s campground for sleeping.  The camp sites are on a hillside facing towards the ocean, and despite not having a water view, you get lulled to sleep by lowing fog horns.  I am unable to describe how peaceful this atmosphere is at night.

I have a fond memory of Camden  Hills from camping there once in early November, with a little snow already on the ground.  It was cold, but don’t laugh --- there weren't any bugs!  Favorably positioned at the trailheads, I started out at daybreak to hike up Mt. Battie and secure the beauty of this spot for myself.  Because there is also a road leading to the crest, the top is usually cluttered with tourists.  My selfish pleasure of monopolizing mountain views on one side and Camden Harbor on the other was only disrupted when I disturbed a Pileated Woodpecker.  I was amazed at how big this guy was --> such an enormous red head and I swear I could feel the thump of his beating wings as he flew over my head!

But I digress.  The trails up Mt. Battie are somewhat steep, but only a half mile or so in length, so fairly easy and pretty all along the way.  Camden Hills State Park has about thirty miles of trails altogether, so there is much more beyond Mt. Battie.  The biggest peak here is Mount Megunticook, which can be hiked along a trail that is roughly five miles long (elevation gain a bit of 1,000 feet).  Ascending along the trail starting from the campgrounds provides intermittent views from all different directions.  One of the best is looking back to Mt. Battie, for a splendid view of the small stone tower perched on the summit.  You will also pass a spacious ledge called Ocean Lookout, which is aptly named.  I think the views here rival most anything on the Maine coast and it is an excellent choice for a lunch break to savor everything.