Thru-Hiking in Baxter State Park
Climbing Katahdin and Using Baxter State Park
The northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail is Baxter Peak on Katahdin, Maine’s highest mountain.
Katahdin, along with the surrounding landscape, is part of Baxter State Park -a 209,501 acre wilderness sanctuary and forest preserve. The Park was the lifelong project of one man, former Maine governor (1921-1924) Percival Proctor Baxter. Baxter State Park is self-supporting, in large part due to trust funds set up by Percival Baxter and fees paid by users. By his design, the Park is administered separate and distinct from any other agency or state park in Maine. Percival Baxter clearly stated his goal was to place preservation of natural resources as a priority over the recreational use of his park. Our regulations are designed to support this goal. This page is not designed to promote increased use of the Park but to inform those long distance hikers already intending to come here. See our Long-Distance Hiker Alert for current information on Thru-Hiking in Baxter State Park. Our regulations are distinct from what may be encountered elsewhere, and various groups, including Appalachian Trail and International Appalachian Trail hikers, have expressed confusion or misunderstanding of them. Each of our regulations and operating policies were created to address one or more of the following issues:
- Protection of the Parks natural features and wilderness
- Protection of the visitors wilderness experience
- Promoting an attitude of personal responsibility and safety
There is no other entity comparable to Baxter State Park along the Appalachian Trail corridor, in terms of the Park's origin and mission, as well as the policy-making responsibility and autonomy with which the three members of the Baxter State Park Authority are entrusted. All visitors to this Park are recipients of a very special gift; please work with us to honor the intent of such a generous gift by upholding our policies and regulations.
If you are beginning your hike at Baxter, you should know your itinerary and be able to predict your date of arrival in the Park. To relieve the demand for Long-Distance Hiker’s campsite "The Birches" site during busy times, we ask that visitors starting their long distance hike reserve a regular lean-to or tentsite at Katahdin Stream Campground or Abol Campground (not to be confused with Abol Bridge or Abol Pines down on the West Branch of the Penobscot River). Abol Campground has quiet, wooded sites, located just off the Park Tote Road two miles south of Katahdin Stream Campground and often has sites available when Katahdin Stream is full. Regular Park fees apply in Katahdin Stream Campground and per person rates ($10) apply at the Long Distance Hiker campsite. For more information on making advance reservations, contact BSP Headquarters at (207) 723-5140
There is no camping inside BSP after October 15th. Hikers arriving after Oct. 15th must arrange to camp with private establishments outside Baxter State Park and enter the Park for day use only. Remember: After October 15th, opportunities to climb Katahdin will be determined on a day-by-day basis, depending on access and weather conditions. We cannot emphasize it enough—to avoid disappointment, plan to hike Katahdin by October 15th at the very latest and earlier if at all possible.
Two other points should be clarified regarding thru-hikers in BSP. First, there is no "work for stay" site in BSP; the regular lean-to/tentsite fee applies to everyone camping in Baxter State Park (Remember: Ranger Stations inside the Park do not accept credit cards). Secondly, Park regulations require every hiker entering BSP via the A.T. to register at the information kiosk at Abol Stream as they enter Park lands, and again at Katahdin Stream with a ranger, as they end, or begin, their hike officially. This applies whether you are camping in Baxter or just hiking in for the day from the West Branch. This provides the Park and the ATC with trail statistics and emergency contact information.