Round Pond Public Reserved Land

When “serious” and “well-equipped” are the adjectives used to describe the typical visitor—whether hunter, angler, or canoeist—to an area, you know that “desolate” is a pretty good way to describe the place. And desolate indeed is the 20,000-acre wilderness in northwestern Maine known as Round Pond Public Reserved Land, home to a number of unmarked roads, trails and abundant wildlife including bald eagles. Hunting and fishing in Maine doesn’t get much more remote—or beautiful—than this!

Round Pond itself is actually a broad swath of the Allagash River. It sustains a sizable fish population of brook trout and both white and yellow perch—and sometimes even a salmon. If the fish aren’t biting, try hiking the trail up Round Pond Mountain. At the summit, a fire tower affords awe-inspiring views of the waters and forested lands below. You can even see Tornado Path, where a strip of trees was once flattened by a tornado. The young deciduous trees growing there now appear as a light green ribbon through the evergreen woods.

Serious, well-equipped visitors to Round Pond Public Reserved Land find a variety of primitive camping spots to choose from. Many dot the shores of the pond itself. And where the Allagash River and Croque and Chase Brooks meet, you’ll find sites along the western bank.

Latitude: 46.767
Longitude: -69.288