Activities at Borestone Mountain Sanctuary

Maine Audubon sponsors a number of activities at its Borestone Mountain Sanctuary, from artists' workshops, to yoga retreats, to winter camping weekends.

Find listings of upcoming activities here.

Read on for more fun things to do at or near the Borestone Mountain Sanctuary...

Observing Wildlife

Borestone Mountain Audubon Sanctuary is near the southern end of Maine’s “100-Mile Wilderness” forest. Uncut for more than a century, its forest is unlike much of the region’s spruce-fir and northern hardwood forest, which has been cut for timber every 50-70 years.

• Lack of mature forest habitat in Maine makes Borestone a special sanctuary for wildlife. Goshawks wing through deciduous stands of trees to prey on grouse. Pine martens seek nesting red squirrels. Canada lynx, following snowshoe hare, leave tracks visible in snow. Raccoons, owls, woodpeckers, and other species nest in tree cavities.
• Particularly in early summer, birders can look for yellow- bellied sapsucker, red-breasted nuthatch, boreal chickadee, several vireos, winter wren, hermit thrush, white-throated sparrow, and eight to ten warbler species
  (including Blackburnian, Cape May, and bay-breasted).
• Common ravens and turkey vultures regularly soar above the mountain’s exposed granite summit, while peregrine falcons appear along the cliff faces.
• Borestone’s three clear and deep, spring-fed alpine ponds are fishless, offering unique habitat for invertebrates and amphibians, including beavers and the dragonflies that eat mosquitos and black flies. Although fish-eating birds are uncommon at the ponds, Borestone visitors sometimes hear loons calling from nearby Lake Onawa.
• Visitors also can see and hear bullfrogs, leopard frogs, gray tree frogs, and red-spotted newts.
• Lining Borestone’s trails are blueberry and hobble bushes, as well as wildflowers ranging from early blooming dog-tooth violet to late flowering whitewood aster. Mushrooms proliferate in early fall. A variety of mosses and lichens grow in wet areas and on rocks throughout the sanctuary.

Nearby Day Trips

Borestone Mountain is within striking distance of several natural wonders of the North Woods, including:

• Little Wilson Falls and Gorge: One of the highest waterfalls in Maine. The main falls drop over 50 feet, and a long slate canyon below holds many scenic views of the gorge, plus several great swimming holes! An easy hike from the Wilson Stream bridge at the base of Borestone Mountain.
• Big Wilson Cliffs: large slate cliffs that overlook the Wilson Stream valley and the side of Borestone Mountain.
• Slugundy Falls and Gorge: An impressive slate gorge with chains of waterfalls along the Long Pond Stream. Slugundy Gorge is similar (although smaller) to the famous Gulf Hagas canyon, which lies a few miles northeast.
• Barren Mountain : a strenuous, 4.5 mile climb up the western ridge of Barren Mountain via the Appalachian Trail leads past the impressive boulder-field of the Barren Ledges to the open summit and its abandoned fire-tower, with panoramic views of the area. Another 1/2 mile's hike leads to Cloud Pond, an high-altitude glacial tarn.
• Appalachian Mountain Club trails and lodges: The AMC is developing a network of trails and lodges for hikers and cross-country skiers in the vicinity of Katahdin Iron Works, just north of Borestone Mountain. Visit the AMC's Maine Woods webpages for details.

The nearby towns of Monson and Greenville also host a number of attractions and hearty dining options. Monson's General Store hosts Friday-evening bluegrass jam sessions, and the town of Greenville is a departure point for cruises of Moosehead Lake on the historic steamboat Katahdin.

For directions to any of these sites, consult the DeLorme Maine Atlas map 41, or inquire at Borestone Mountain Sanctuary's Nature Center.

Stewardship

Our sanctuaries and centers are a tribute to the generosity, commitment and active involvement of private individuals, foundations and corporations.

You, too, can become a steward - from clearing trails and leading nature walks, to donating land and funding - and by doing your part to help protect wildlife and wildlife habitat.

To ensure an enjoyable visit for all as well as to protect wildlife and wildlife habitat:

History

In the early 1900s Robert T. Moore managed a fox ranch on what is now Borestone Mountain Audubon Sanctuary. Aided by the Canadian Pacific railway station on the edge of his land, he sold award-winning pelts to auctions in New York.

In 1909 Moore hired noted Bangor architect Wilfred E. Mansur to design the Adirondack-style lodges on Sunset Pond. Lodge guests today can still savor quiet evenings in front of a stone hearth or on porches overlooking ponds.

Moore bequeathed Borestone to the National Audubon Society in 1958, and gifts by his son and daughter and other donors enlarged the sanctuary to its present 1,639 acres. In 2000, the National Audubon Society transferred Borestone Sanctuary
to Maine Audubon.

Today, beautiful Borestone Mountain is the center piece of Maine Audubon’s only North Woods Sanctuary. Thanks to Maine Audubon and the surrounding community's support and involvement, more than 4,000 hikers every year have access to this treasured mountain.

Borestone Mountain Sanctuary Home Page

Hiking at Borestone | Lodging at Borestone

Directions

From Bangor or Portland, take I-95 to Newport (Exit 157 from the south, or Exit 159 from the north). Follow Route 7 north to Dexter, then take Route 23 north to Guilford. In Guilford, turn left onto Route 15/6 to Monson. After passing through the village of Monson, turn right onto Elliotsville Road. After 8 miles turn left, after the bridge, onto Bodfish Road. Parking area is approximately .2 miles on the left, after the railroad tracks. The gate and trailhead are on the right.

Borestone Mountain Audubon Sanctuary is located on Map 41 of Delorme’s Maine Atlas.

Contact us

Phone: (207) 631-4050 June-September, or (207) 781-2330 October-May.

For lodge reservation inquiries, click here.