Sean and I had a great time at Moosehead Lake and were amazed to discover it’s only 2 hours and 30 minutes from our house to Greenville. Maine is such a geographically diverse state. Where we went was so different than our normal routine that Sean said “This is like an adventure but we didn’t have to fly anywhere!” True that.
We did a difficult hike at Gulf Hagas, the “Grand Canyon Of Maine“. We spent a lot of time on woods roads, which reminded me of my childhood in Fort Kent and saw lots of wildlife including moose, a rabbit, hummingbirds, fireflies, salamanders, and the biggest deer I’ve ever seen. We camped and I had my little domestic dream of cooking on the open fire big hearty meals. We even went way too far out of our way to see Moxie Falls which is right near The Forks. (Lesson learned: Just because the word “road” is used doesn’t mean there is pavement or even a level surface involved.) All in all we had a great time.
Yeah blah blah. I know, I don’t care about other people’s vacations either. What I really wanted to write about was state parks. We camped at Lily Bay State Park and as Sean kept saying “Wow, this is nice.” (Of course the last time we camped, we stayed here which was a little less nice.) As prices rise, I think we’re going to see more and more people at least consider camping, especially at a great resource like your nearby state park.
Eleven Reasons Why Your Next Vacation Should Be At A State Park
1. There is one close to your home. Most of America has a state park within a two hour drive of where they live.
2. They are your tax dollars at work.
3. They are well maintained.
4. You can count on the little things, like a dumpster for your trash and a “comfort station” where you can take a hot shower.
5. $15 a night or less. Even if you factor in our $20 tent and $40 sleeping pad (we took pillows and blankets from home), it’s still cheaper than a hotel. And we can use our camping gear again.
6. In addition to area attractions, there are trails and activities at the camp itself. Ours had a beach and a volleyball court as well as hiking and biking trails and lots of other stuff.
7. Park rangers. They keep you safe, are friendly, and have cool outfits. What’s not to love?
8. Attractions you’ve never taken the time to see. If attractions are close by to your home, it’s easy to say “let’s go next weekend”. I bet there are attractions within an hour of you that you’ve never heard of or though to visit but are still very cool.
9. State parks are more offbeat (and inherently cooler) then your state’s very well traveled national park.
10. Campgrounds are fun. There’s a whole subculture and lifestyle that is just fascinating.
11. You can reserve and pay online (at least in Maine anyway). There was only one campsite available when we went but had there been multiple sites, we could have picked where we camped.