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Trip to Borestone Mountain

As we head into our summer trip season I wanted to share one of my favorite locations in Maine with everyone: Borestone Mountain. This is one of Maine Audubon’s eight sanctuaries and at 1,600 acres, the largest. Located in Elliotsville, Borestone is north enough to be getting into some higher elevations and nice boreal habitat which allows for study of some uncommon species to us Falmouth-frequenters. Borestone can be done as a day trip, if you sign up early you get reserve space in our lodges, or you can join our Naturalist Weekend trip! Below, I’ll share a few highlights from our past Borestone Weekend trips:

Hike to Onawa Overlook

First, I should mention that Borestone has opportunities for all levels of naturalists–from the expert to the newly interested. Our average day involves light hikes around the lodges, with one longer trip (1.0 miles) to the summit of Borestone, none of which goes beyond an ‘easy’ pace because we are stopping to enjoy the plants (omg the moss!) and birds (Blackburnian Warbler was one of our most common species there in early June) along the way. It is also worth mentioning there is no obligation to go on these excursions and there is no better place to relax with a book than the porch of the lodge at Borestone (yes, there is a hammock).

Gary Roberts leading the way.

Gary Roberts, our main Maine guide for the weekend, is volunteer-naturalist-extraordinaire. He has been volunteering for Maine Audubon for over 30 years and his knowledge of Borestone, its history, plant and animal life, and any facet you can come up with, is probably unrivaled. I try to spend every minute of this trip within ear-shot of Gary because there is always something to be learned. And did I mention his cooking! Three days of accommodations with Chef Gary’s cooking is worth the cost of the trip alone.

Aliens! Just kidding, but blue-green cup-fungus (Chlorociboria) does look like it could have been left behind by some otherworldly beings. My point here is we find some cool stuff – large and small, Borestone has an amazing amount of biodiversity to offer naturalists of all fields of interest.

Milky Way over Peregrine Ridge

Finally, there is a lot to be said for the remoteness of Borestone Mountain. There is virtually no light pollution (see above) and the noisiest things around are the singing birds and trilling frogs. No cell phone service (we can show you the secret spots if you need your news in the morning). Its peaceful.

If you’re free the 6th through the 8th of Septmeber and want to explore one of Maine’s great wildernesses (or just relax by the pond and enjoy Gary’s awesome cooking) then consider signing up for our Borestone Naturalist Weekend: maineaudubon.coursestorm.com/course/borestone-naturalist-weekend-2019

-Doug