Park Notices
Patriot's Day ClosureThe Reservations Line and Park Headquarters in Millinocket are closed Monday, April 20.Earth Day Litter PatrolJoin us Saturday, April 25 at 9 AM for a community cleanup and BBQ.Park Tote RoadClosed to snowmobiles for the season. Ungroomed travel only.Patriot's Day ClosureThe Reservations Line and Park Headquarters in Millinocket are closed Monday, April 20.Earth Day Litter PatrolJoin us Saturday, April 25 at 9 AM for a community cleanup and BBQ.Park Tote RoadClosed to snowmobiles for the season. Ungroomed travel only.
Baxter State ParkWilderness · Maine
A long, still ridgeline at Baxter State Park. Layered pine, granite, and low cloud stretching to the horizon.

Photograph: Knowlton, courtesy Baxter State Park.

Conditions line207-723-9500
Millinocket9 mph NW · Fire low
Baxter State Park · MaineAn independent agency of the State of Maine

Welcome to a
Magnificent Obsession.

A 209,644-acre wilderness sanctuary in northern Maine. Held in trust for the people of Maine under the Deeds of Trust of Percival P. Baxter. Plan gently. The park comes first.

Tagline
Wilderness first
Katahdin
5,267 ft
Season
May 15 to Oct 15
Reservations Today’s ConditionsFeesPark RulesPlan your trip
A formal black-and-white portrait of Percival P. Baxter, the 53rd Governor of Maine, who spent the next four decades of his life assembling the park that bears his name.

Percival Proctor Baxter, 53rd Governor of Maine

Served 1921 to 1924. Deeded his first 6,000 acres to the State in 1931.

Our Founder

Percival P.
Baxter.

Percival P. Baxter made it his life's 'magnificent obsession' to create, protect, and provide to the people of Maine a wilderness sanctuary across some of the most rugged terrain in the Northeast. The Park Authority is charged with upholding his wishes.

“Man is born to die, his works are short-lived. Buildings crumble, monuments decay, wealth vanishes. But Katahdin, in all its glory, forever shall remain the mountain of the people of Maine.”
Percival Proctor Baxter
Read the history About the park
Park at a glance

By scale, held in trust.

Stats alone don’t tell the story. They help orient a first visit.

Acres of wilderness
209,644
Miles of trails
220+
Named peaks
40+
Acres as wildlife sanctuary
~156,874
Acres in Scientific Forest Management Area
~29,537
Year Percival Baxter deeded first acres
1931
Start here

Everything you need to visit.

Plan your trip →
From the park

Dispatches, notices, and seasonal updates.

Closures, schedule changes, volunteer days, and dispatches from the rangers and staff.

All news →
Stewardship, history, and learning

A park that asks you to pay attention.

The land, its keepers, and the people who walk it are all part of the same long project.

Leave No Trace

Seven principles, applied here

Plain language, applied to the particular landscape of Baxter — alpine zones, glacial ponds, and everything that doesn't recover in a season.

Read more
Organization

The Authority, staff, and advisors

A three-person Authority, approximately 70 staff, four advisory committees, and decades of continuity.

Read more
Reports

Public records, in the open

Annual reports, management plans, Authority meeting minutes.

Read more
Shop · Support

The park is self-funded. You help.

Governor Baxter established an endowment so the park would not depend on state taxpayers. Fees, shop sales, and donations keep that promise.

Visit the shop →Donate
Before you go

Call ahead. Register at the gate. Tell someone your plan.

Cell service is not reliable inside the park. The rangers prefer a short conversation to a long search.

Today's Conditions →Park Rules