After Maine Audubon took over Borestone Mountain from National Audubon in 2000, it took a lot of hard work to get the lodges back into the condition that visitors appreciate now. Two volunteers who played a big part in that were George Libby and Gary Roberts, and they started leading weekend trips called the “Borestone Naturalist Weekend.” We have continued to offer these weekend getaways, but are renaming it this fall based on the most common feedback we get: it is a peaceful retreat to disconnect thanks to the lack of cellular connectivity at the lodges. So join us this September for a “Borestone Mountain Unplugged Retreat” from September 18 to 20. We’ll still offer all the natural history content you can desire, but in an age of constant connectivity we want to highlight one of the rare opportunities of this site: being disconnected. This is a special chance to stay at the lodges, which are otherwise not open to the public.
What to expect:
Over the three days, we will balance our time with hikes, nature study, good eating, and time to relax. We keep the schedule loose as weather and conditions can play a factor in daily activities, but we aim to start after lunch on Friday. Meeting at the trailhead, all of our gear is taken up the mountain by sanctuary staff in a truck and boated over to the lodges. We’ll hike up the road by foot (about 1.3 miles), focusing on the transitions in wildlife as we gain elevation and stopping at a scenic overlook. We can stop in the Visitor Center and Nature Store before getting ferried across Sunrise and Midday ponds to get to the lodges. Depending on the time and our stamina, we may do a short hike, but we’ll prioritize a good dinner and orientation because we have a big day two!
Saturday is typically our day to summit Borestone Mountain. We spend most of the day slowly ascending, and will have packed lunches that we can enjoy on the summit. The climb is not very technical (though there is a handhold on one steep section) but strenuous enough that we’ll take plenty of rests and water breaks are required. The views from the summit are spectacular but even on cloudy days you have a great sense of connection with the environment on the rugged landscape. Following our descent, many people opt to take a dip in the pond or take out the canoes and kayaks. We’ll have some activities planned but this is a great time to relax by the water any way you wish. (Note: all activities are optional—we’ve had people skip all the hikes and just join us for meals!) Weather dependent, we’ll make a campfire and set up a sheet for some evening mothing.
Sunday we think of as the “what haven’t we done” day. If our summit gets rained out on Saturday, we’ll do it this day. Often we take a morning hike on the Onawa Overlook Trail, which typically offers the best chance of spotting moose. We’ll continue exploring (or you can keep relaxing) before we need to clean up and get people shuttled back to their cars by mid-afternoon.
Highlights
Over the years we’ve seen some pretty interesting birds, like Horned Larks migrating through and stopping at the summit, and the always entertaining Winter Wrens around the lodges. One of my favorite birds we find nearly every trip are the local Red Crossbills, with their specialized beaks for getting into the spruce cones around the sanctuary.
Frogs will be quieting down by September, which can be a good thing because the evening chorus is deafening in June. Mammals tend to make a good show with deer and the occasional mink, Eastern Meadow Voles frequent the grounds around the lodge, and the shores of Onawa Lake can be reliable for Moose feeding on aquatic vegetation:
Big or small, we’ll appreciate it all… like this Chlorociboria fungus:
Sign up for the Borestone Mountain Unplugged Retreat here: maineaudubon.org/events/borestone-naturalist-weekend-sept26/
For a full itinerary and more details, download this PDF.
Want to know more about Borestone Mountain?
• Visit our Borestone Mountain Sanctuary page
Read these blog posts:
• 2024 Naturalist Weekend
• 2023 Naturalist Weekend preview
• Our June 2026 Monson Arts Borestone Mountain retreat
