A Visitor’s Guide to Baxter State Park 2019
Baxter’s guiding words: Wilderness first
With each parcel of land Governor Baxter donated, he included a deed of trust, a document
that laid out specific ways to care for the land. His love of wild spaces was made clear in each
document. He wrote that Baxter State Park, “…shall forever be retained and used for state
forest, public park and recreational purposes… and remain in the natural wild state… as
a sanctuary for beasts and birds.” With this aim of creating a wildlife sanctuary, Baxter
stopped allowing domestic animals, even his own beloved dogs, into the park. Recognizing
the multiple ways the park could help Maine, he set aside 30,000 acres of land for the
study of ecologically responsible forestry methods and opened another 52,682 acres for
hunting.
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Gov. Percival Baxter
“Katahdin should and must always remain the wild, storm-swept,
untouched-by-man region it now is; that is its great charm.”
Welcome to Baxter State Park
The 209,644 acres of Maine
landscape known as Baxter State
Park can best be described as
Maine’s largest public trust. Given
to the People of Maine by former
Governor Percival P. Baxter, we
are independently funded through
a combination of the revenues
from the endowment left by the
Governor, visitor entrance and
camping fees, revenues from the
sale of forest products from the
Scientific Forest Management Area,
and donations. Baxter is Maine’s largest state park, but we are not
part of the Department of Conservation’s state park system. As
a trust the Park is governed by the Baxter State Park Authority,
comprised of the Maine Attorney General, the Commissioner
of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, and the Director of the Maine
Forest Service.
Governor Baxter was clear in his priorities for this place;
that protection of the wilderness comes before recreational
opportunities. This remains our top priority today. Please help us
protect this beautiful place. Leave no trace in your travels. Hike
and camp safely in our wilderness.
Gov. Percival Baxter 1937
As the new Director of the Park, I’d like to thank you for your
interest in this very special place. I encourage you to learn
-- from this guide, our knowledgeable staff in the Park, the
reservations office and the visitor center -- as much as you can
about the Governor’s gift and the land he protected. The more
you understand the magnificent obsession that drove Gov. Baxter
to amass over 200,000 acres over 28 years, the more enjoyment
you’ll get out of visiting this stunning landscape, staying at our
10 campgrounds and backcountry sites, and travelling our 220+
miles of trail.
Wherever you are in the Park this summer, please remember
that your safety is your responsibility. Hiking up is optional, but
hiking down is mandatory - your real goal for any hike in the
Park’s wilderness is the safe return to your car or campsite.
-Eben Sypitkowski, Park Director