Breathing Balsam

We are in Abbot, Maine, south of Moosehead Lake for four days...hunting for moose, although we've just about given up on that quest. We're at the Balsam Woods Campground in Abbot. This is a BEAUTIFUL campground, run by a young personable couple, Matt and Jaime Snyder, who are working very hard to make this a top notch campground. We think it already is!

It's a small campground, 70 (?) sites, but the shady sites are VERY wide...gravel and grass, with plenty of room between sites. Trees are not a problem at all for getting in and out easily. The park accommodates tent campers, trailers and a few big rigs. Some sites are on the short side as far as length goes, but we managed to fit in one nicely with our 40 foot Tiffin. Full hookups, 50 amp, cable and wifi access at every site.  They have ATV trail access right from the campground. Eldy is wishing he had an ATV about now. Sparky is glad he doesn't. :-)  No chance of seeing moose on a noisy ATV!  There are thousands of miles of ATV trails here in the area and of course all over northern Maine. Nice new picnic tables with fire rings as well. It's a beautiful park with LOTS of big balsam evergreen trees. The air is so clean here, it's wonderful to take a deep breath and smell the trees.....The campground is located off busy roads and back into the woods, so it's quiet, no traffic noise on the outside. It's also not far from Greenville--25 minutes, Bangor--an hour, and Bar Harbor--two hours. Hiking trails on nearby mountains are plentiful--Mount Kineo, Big Moose Mountain, the Appalachian Trail and more, along with a few waterfalls in the area.

The Snyders go out of their way to accommodate requests and be hospitable to guests. They are a warm and friendly couple and we hope the campground will continue to grow and develop under their excellent management. Not sure if there is room for any more sites, but they have made a LOT of improvements to the park. They have a brand new septic system. They have updated their wifi for the next range of improvements coming through the area in the future and currently have five access points in the campground for great wifi signals at any site. The pool is a nice size, 20' X 50' and very pretty.

There's a wonderful playground with modern equipment for kids. Small laundry, but very reasonably priced. There's a large general store stocked with lots of supplies. They have a snack bar, too. Clean and modern restrooms with free hot showers. That may seem like a given, but some places up north do charge for showers! You can bike ride in the park, but you can also head out on the two lane county road, Pond Road, outside the park which has been newly paved. It's a dream to ride on but plenty hilly for exercise and not very busy. There's a public boat launch within a mile to kayak on Piper Pond, which is decently sized for an enjoyable hour or two paddle. There's also a tiny beach at Piper Pond for swimming. The campground also rents out kayaks! Greenville has the Northeast Guide Service for more exploratory whitewater rafting, kayaking, and moose hunting trips.

Plenty of space between neighbors!

The FREE wi-fi is fast during the day but slows down a bit at night. Our mi-fi Verizon card works, but  it's a little on the slow side. AT & T phones are in and out with the signal. You have to stand in a certain place in a certain spot in the rig to get a decent signal or the call gets dropped. Seems like you get one or the other here in Maine...decent wi-fi and poor cell service, or vice versa. Or sometimes both are crappy!

We like it here very much....and would definitely recommend it as a great place to stay as you venture further into Maine. It's very difficult to find a nice campground for a big rig with FHU (full hookups) the farther north you go in Maine. This is a great destination in a good location for exploring the area. We were so busy talking about hunting for moose, that our stay is up here. We've been here four days with nary a moose sighting. All we have to show for it is Sparky has a bad case of chiggers all over her feet. So it's back to Bar Harbor's Mount Desert Narrows for our last ten days in Maine.....

Sunset over the mountains in Greenville last night