BY ERIN RHODA
I had recently had a baby but couldn’t say no to the chance to stay in a remote cabin an hour north of Greenville. It was September 2021, and my husband and I packed up our van and loaded in our 4-month-old daughter and 3-year-old son. We would join my parents at Spencer Pond Camps, a remote, off-grid grouping of six cabins on Spencer Pond, set below views of Little Spencer Mountain.
When we arrived, we found a piece of Maine as it had largely been for more than a century. The nearest neighbor is 14 miles away. Our furnished cabin had a wood stove, books, gas lamps, and an old propane refrigerator. In addition to no electricity, there was no wifi or cell phone service. The baby didn’t canoe or swim, but others in the family did, and we all spent a day hiking. Mostly we enjoyed being with one another in the beautiful surroundings.
Sporting camps like this one represent an important part of Maine’s heritage, but they have faced a number of challenges since the early 1900s when there were more than 300 across the state. Today, the Maine Sporting Camp Association catalogs 44 sporting camps, though the list is not exhaustive. You can find a handful in the Moosehead region.
They give people today a way to experience the area’s wild places as visitors have done for more than 100 years. As John Rust, president of the Maine Sporting Camp Heritage Foundation, pointed out, staying in a sporting camp is not just good for guests’ wellbeing but supports family-owned businesses that are working hard to keep their doors open.
Some sporting camps have closed because they couldn’t find new owners, or they were purchased and privatized. Some ran into problems related to leasing their land from timber companies. They face high land valuations, taxes, and insurance costs, said Rust, a Maine guide who formed the nonprofit in 2012 to support sporting camps.
When visitors stay at a camp, “they are enjoying the experience there and letting the people operating these continue on and stay open for other people to enjoy,” Rust said. “There are places where you could be sleeping in a 100-year-old log cabin. They are essentially historical properties in that respect.”
Each sporting camp is different, but many cabins were originally built for loggers, Rust said. In the late 1800s, they shifted to accommodate visitors who wanted to hunt and fish, often accompanied by Maine guides. The hunters and fishermen were called “sports,” giving the camps their name. Over time the camps expanded, often drawing people for extended stays who wanted to escape the city. Usually they had a central lodge where guests ate meals together.
Today, sporting camps have adapted. They may no longer cook for guests. Some may have electricity, wifi, hot water, and modern toilets. They may offer fishing equipment, boat rentals, guided hunting, and wildlife tours. But their real value is their history and their prime locations for exploring the wild.
Moosehead-Area Sporting Camps
According to Rust, here’s a list of traditional sporting camps in the Moosehead region that offer lodging and provide meals. Visit their websites for more details and prices.
Northern Pride Lodge | northernpridelodge.com
The Birches Resort | birches.com
West Branch Pond Camps | westbranchpondcamps.com
These camps in the Moosehead region now offer mainly cabin rentals:
Gray Ghost Camps | grayghostcamps.com
Lawrence’s Lakeside Cabins & Guide Service | lawrencescabins.com
Maynard’s in Maine | maynardsinmaine.com
Spencer Pond Camps | spencerpond.com
Tomhegan Camps | tomhegan.com
Wilsons on Moosehead Lake | wilsonsonmooseheadlake.com
Wilson Pond Cabins | wilsonpondcabins.com