Moosehead Lake Vacation Rentals

The Maine Highlands boast diverse local and international dining options. Enjoy home-cooked meals, freshly brewed coffee, and farm-fresh fruits and vegetables at Mount Kineo Golf Course. For family dinners, visit Buck's Naked Barbecue restaurant and get the chance to dress your BBQ with the house blueberry sauce. Your children will enjoy the pulled chicken sandwich, cornbread, and sweet potato fries.

Keely's Landing offers a Sunday brunch buffet and lakeside dining experience all year round. Enjoy the seafood chowder for a quick warm-up for some fun on the lake. Head south to Bangor for ethnic flavors from Japan, India, and Mexico. For a lazy evening, source freshly farmed eggs, meat and vegetables and enjoy a home-made meal outside your cabin, under the starry sky.

The Moosehead Marine Museum and Katahdin Cruises offer you a glimpse of the golden days of steam boating and the rich heritage of the Moosehead Lake region. Perusing the museum's artifacts and treasures will tell you of the story of marine, farming, and lumbering traditions of the native tribes that inhabited the lake region.

Take a historical guided tour in the Moosehead Historical Society from June to September and see the unknown territories of Native Americans. Your tour guide will share stories of the way of life of the oldest inhabitants of the region.

Visit the University of Maine Museum of Art in downtown Bangor, and see the 4,000 contemporary and modern artworks by Maine artists. The art museum is open to the public and includes past and present artists who take pride in the culture of the Maine Highlands region.

The wide open waters of Moosehead Lake make it a popular spot for floatplanes. Every year, floatplane pilots host the Seaplane Fly-in festival where they show off their skills, compete in races, and offer rides to visitors in the region. Children will enjoy the aerial tour over the north woods and the fun experience of landing on water.

If you are taking your vacation in winter, the Big Squaw Mountain on the western side of the lake offers perfect downhill skiing and snowboarding with plenty of easy trails for young children and experienced skiers. Teenagers can spend time learning cross-country skiing to keep them busy in the winter months.

The Moosehead region boasts some of the region's best hiking trails including the 100-mile wilderness Appalachian Trail. Challenge yourself by hiking to one of the six summit points of Moosehead.

The annual hiking challenge on the trails earns you a badge or membership to the Winter Ultra Moosehead Pinnacle Pursuit. Regardless of the trail you choose, all of them offer a challenging adventure in rugged terrain, with unique wilderness scenery.

If hiking is not your cup of tea, take the two-mile walk along the lake in Lily Bay State Park. The trail is fairly easy and leads to Mount Kineo's summit which offers you a picturesque view of the lake and mountains. A mile north of Moosehead Lake leads you to the mouth of the ice caves, which remain ice-covered all year long.

The Moosehead Lake region hosts various annual festivals to keep you entertained during your vacation. The all-time winter favorite chocolate festival offers over 40 tantalizingly delicious chocolate samples. Do not miss out on the Wilderness Sled Dog race, where you can watch 30 sled dogs and their drivers race through the 100-mile wilderness trail to the finish line in Greenville.

The Natural Resource Education Centre along with with the Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife host the annual three-day Moosehead Lake Tongue Ice Fishing Derby. Ice fishing is a tradition of the Moosehead Lake region, which is celebrated during the derby. Watch the derby while listening to some classical music performed by local artists.