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Big Moose Inn Cabins & Campground

83%

· Millinocket, Piscataquis, Maine

34 acres hosted by Big Moose Inn C.

17 lodging sites · 8 RV sites · 34 tent sites

Hike-in sites

Hike-in to some sites at this Hipcamp.

Big Moose Inn Cabins & Campground Irving O. Hunt and his brother Lyman built some rough camps on Millinocket Lake before they became interested in the Nesowadnehunk Stream region. Whether or not their old camps were at the same site as the present camps on Millinocket Lake we do not know. The Millinocket Lake Camps, known today as Big Moose Inn, are located on a narrow spit of land separating Ambejejus Lake and Millinocket Lake. Before a dam controlled Ambajejus’ water level, it was possible to pole up the short stream from Millinocket Lake into Ambejejus. Fred Spencer build the camps, originally named Camp Eureka, in 1899 or 1900 and ran them with his brother. With the founding of Millinocket only a few years earlier and lumbering roads nearing Katahdin, the two lakes became more easily accessible. Camp Eureka was advertised as the only camp reachable by both boat (from Norcross) and road (from Millinocket). In 1905, the rate was $1.50 per day, meals included. Spencer also claimed the lakes had no flies or mosquitoes during spring and summer- a phenomenon caused by the way winds blow across the lakes, which makes it difficult for insects to gain a foothold. The camps’ name changed to Camp Spencer and later to Spencer’s Camps. Around 1929 the lease was transferred to Elmer Woodworth, who lived with his wife on a nearby island while they operated the camps. Elmer, a well-known guide, trapped over the winter, and his wife served as the camp cook. The couple soon renamed the camps Millinocket Lake Camps and Trading Post. They also maintained an outlying camp on Sandy Stream for their guests. In 1941, a major fire broke out in the area. The Woodworths saved the camps by wetting them down, but lost their island home when a stray spark jumped the cove. There is some evidence that, for a short time, a gentleman named Johnny Given either held the lease or managed the camps for the Woodworths. Except for that brief change the Woodworths operated the camps for many years until they passed the lease on to their son Ray, who ran them with his wife Muriel. In 1977, the lease was transferred to Bob and Frederica (“Teddy”) Boynton, who in 1981 sold the trading post to Erwin and Maureen Bacon. The Boyntons retained the sporting camp operation and later added a public restaurant. Teddy renamed the camps Big Moose Inn. Bob and his son Bruce made many renovations to the camps, while Teddy decorated and furnished them. The Boynton Family has remained involved in the success of the inn and restaurant. After Teddy’s death in 1991, management passed to Bruce and his sister Laurie, but Bob and other family members are still very involved. The dam separates the flowages of the two lakes. Millinocket Lake is about eight feet above its original level, and Ambajejus is now some 21 feet above its original level. Today several West Branch rafting companies make the inn their seasonal center of operations. At Big Moose, we bring you a rare blend of friendly service and lovely surroundings that successfully reflects our unique personality. Located on Millinocket Lake, Big Moose is the closest full service accommodations to Baxter State Park. Our central Katahdin Region lodging offers easy access to many of Baxter State Park's magnificent natural resources. Our Katahdin lodging packages consist of inn rooms, suites, lakefront and trailside cabins, and campgrounds. Fredericka's restaurant offers casual fine dining between two lakes while the Loose Moose Bar & Grille offers comfort food after a long day outdoors. -Dine in our newly remodeled dining room with friends and family. Our authentic solid oak tables and chairs make this room adaptable to any decor you choose when hosting weddings, reunions or anniversaries. A great place for corporate retreats and workshops. Our new side dining room offers intimacy and privacy for gatherings of 25 or less. Call to reserve it for your special celebration. •Big Moose Vacation Packages -Big Moose selects the best businesses to deliver a complete vacation package to you. We team with local and regional experts to offer guided tours, photography workshops, guided fishing trips and more. Choose one of the complete all inclusive packages from the list on the left and you will be assured a wilderness outdoor vacation that you won't soon forget. Want a weekend trip to Maine all your own, checkout the "Guides & Tours" section under Maine Adventures. Find great outdoor activities to do or take a guided excursion from one of the many knowledgeable tour guides who cater to Big Moose guests. The Big Moose Inn's location affords our guest many opportunities to enjoy the Maine outdoors. It is only a short distance from Baxter State Park and the North Maine Woods, where our guests enjoy the recreational adventures they come to the Katahdin region for. Explore the area by yourself or join a guided tour looking for wildlife or hike into remote wilderness areas with a Registered Maine Guide. The Penobscot River offers many recreational opportunities from fishing, canoeing to whitewater rafting. Our Policies Pets: Dogs are welcome in our campground. However, we do not have any pet-friendly cabins. Pets are not permitted inside the Inn. Please follow these rules and expectations: • Pet must be on a leash at all times • Pet must not be left unattended because of the summer heat, barking, and possible damage. • Must pick up after your pet. If you would rather board your pet contact Katahdin Kritters Pet Resort - 207-746-8040 Tax: All rates are subject to 9% Maine sales tax. PLEASE NO SMOKING IN CABINS OR INN ROOMS/SUITES, FINES MAY OCCUR. Cancellations: As an independently owned and operated inn, we do not overbook our accommodations - each reservation is made for a specfic date, accomdation, number of guests and we are expecting you! Cancellations and changes made with short notice impact us significally. We do sympathize, however, we must maintain our business policy due to limited season and accommodation demands. Prior to 30 days of arrival, full refund; cancellation within 30 days, no refund/forfeiture of deposit. No adjustments or refunds for early departures. Please note: There are no exceptions to our cancellation policy whether it be for reasons of sickness, family emergency or weather. Check-in: 4pm-10pm Check-out: 10am. Cabin guests must bring their own towels, or they may call in advance to arrange for towels to be rented.

Activities

Boating

Fishing

Hiking

Paddling

Natural features

Beach

Forest

Lake

River, stream, or creek

83%

12 ratings · 10 reviews

Skylar M.recommends

September 12, 2024

RV Center 3

Loved our stay happy to come back.

We loved the vibes of the place. The camp store and little cafe was great for coffee and breakfast. Sitting right between two bodies of water we got stunning views of both the sunset and the sunrise over the water. We didn’t get the chance to try out the restaurant but everyone inside looked like they were enjoying themselves. The bathrooms and clean and tidy. There are 4 showers coin operated. $.50 for every two minutes. Showers were small but each were in their own private room and the water was hot so doesn’t get much better than that. Only big complaint would be the lack of privacy. All the sites are very near to eachother so on our first night when our neighbor pulled in after 10pm and set up camp it was rather loud even though they were clearly trying to be quiet. Location, bathrooms and electric hookup plus the convenience of the store make it worth how pricy it was. Plus close proximity to Baxter state park. We really were right down the road so that was a huge perk.

Kiera M.

September 2, 2024

5 Lean to

Overall the lean to was nice and clean. However, the driveway to enter the campground was very rough, which I was not expecting from the description. Also, the shower was very cold and did not heat up much even after I ran hot water in the bathroom as recommended on the sign. We still enjoyed our stay as we were close to Baxter state park which was where we were spending our time.

Mary K.recommends

August 27, 2024

Tent 2A

Excellent communication by the staff and nice remote tent site close to Baxter State Park

Michelle C.doesn't recommend

August 26, 2024

RV Site AB

Not terrible but not great either.

This campground was a bit of a let down. We arrived and were told that there was a problem with our campsite AB and so they switched us to BB. Ok that happens, so both AB and BB are on either side of the bathroom. People seem to think it’s ok to sit at your campsite though to wait for others who are in the bathroom. We never did find the water for BB, and as others have said the shower is really hit or miss for the hot water. My water took a bit to get warm and then it kept switching to freezing during my entire shower. On top of that they charge you for the shower. It is now 50 cents for 4 minutes and 1.00 for 8 minutes. I don’t mind terribly paying for the shower if it’s a good shower with good hot water. The location was pretty busy when we were there and finding the office and then parking to get checked in was not convenient. The rv spots are tight and definitely not suited to large rvs. We walked through the tent sites and they were more spacious and nice. The only down side to those is you have to go up a pretty steep rocky hill to get to most of them. Again it wasn’t terrible just was a let down.

Ch F.recommends

August 23, 2024

Lean to 1

Comfy Lean-to

Convenient location for exploring. Good amenities in campground. Had a blast staying here with my son.

Justin M.

August 17, 2024

7 Lean to

The location, our campsite, and the facilities were all incredible! We loved staying in the lean to and had easy access to the very well maintained showers and bathrooms. We did have a hard time figuring out how to check in (or that we needed to check in) because it’s in a congested area with little to no signage and no information ahead of time. The road into the town campground is also pretty steep, so 2WD cars may struggle. Other than needing another camper to help us figure out what to do when we got there, we loved our stay! Campers- when you arrive, go to the white-ish building to the right that says Office to check in! From there they will direct you on how to get to the lean to, which is down the road.

Location

Millinocket, Piscataquis, Maine, United StatesTraditional, ancestral territory of Wabanaki (Dawnland Confederacy), N’dakina (Abenaki / Abénaquis), and Penobscot First Nations according to To respect the Host's privacy, the precise address of this land will be provided after booking