This weekend we joined my husband’s aunt and her family on a camping trip at Mt. Blue State Park in Weld, ME. It is a sprawling park that is set at the foot of a small range of mountains, including Mt. Blue, Blueberry Mountain, and Tumbledown Mountain. Within the park there is lovely, crystal clear Webb Lake (featured in this months Maine Magazine).
The camping section of the park isn’t terribly large, perhaps 80 sites in total, and at this point in the year it wasn’t very crowded. The sites are of an average size and comfortably accommodated our small pop-up camper and still left plenty of room for the kids to roam.
Because this was just a weekend trip, we didn’t get to explore as much of the park as I would have liked. There are plenty of hiking trails within and just outside of the park, including several moderate to difficult trails that take up up the surrounding mountains. A hiking trip is on the docket for either later in the summer or fall, for sure.
Even though we didn’t take the time to hike, we did take some time for the lake. The kids had a blast wading into the water and swimming with their daddy and I. While a bit rocky, the beach is lovely and sandy and the water stays shallow for quite a distance, perfect for young and new swimmers. We spent several hours going in and out of the water and playing in the sand.
Even though we spend much of our trip at the lake, we did take some time to check out a few other sights. Mt. Blue has a sweet little nature center not too far from the lake, which is staffed by a rotating host of rangers. The ranger who was in when we visited was a young guy and enthusiastic, eager to describe each exhibit and entertain our family with stories of mischievous black bears and surprisingly chatty loons.
There was also a large and recently built playground that the kids (and adults) thoroughly enjoyed. And just beyond the playground was a short and easy walking trail that followed along the lake, providing cool relief in the shade on a hot day.
Another neat feature at the park was their outdoor movie theater where different movies were shown the two nights we were there, including Guardians of the Galaxy and The Life of Pi. Though we didn’t go to any of the evening showings, the idea is a very cool one, in my opinion.
We thoroughly enjoyed our low-key and sun-filled weekend at Mt. Blue State Park. If you find yourself in the beautiful mountains of western Maine, I highly recommend stopping here, either for a good hike, a picnic by the lake, or for a few nights (or more!) of camping.
Mama in the Forest 