Katahdin Lake and Martin Ponds

Baxter State Park, Katahdin Lake sector (Avalanche Field, Roaring Brook Road)

Katahdin Lake was the piece Percival Baxter never managed to add to his park. The Bangor Daily News reported that a 2006 campaign raised $14 million from more than 1,000 donors, and in December 2006 the lake and the surrounding forest became part of Baxter State Park. Carey Kish wrote in 2025 that the gift fulfilled a long-held dream of Baxter’s.

Today the Katahdin Lake sector has three backcountry lean-tos, according to Kish: one at Martin Ponds and two at Katahdin Lake. It’s one of the gentlest overnights in the park.

The hike

The Katahdin Lake Trail starts at the Avalanche Field parking area on the Roaring Brook Road, about 6.5 miles from the Togue Pond Gatehouse, according to Maine by Foot. It describes the first 1.8 miles as a fairly flat, wide track to the Martin Ponds Trail junction. Brad Viles, writing in the Bangor Daily News in 2011, said the first part follows an old logging road and that he reached the Martin Ponds lean-to in about 45 minutes. Aislinn Sarnacki’s 2013 Bangor Daily News write-up warns of bog bridges that get slippery when wet and of muddy, rocky stretches.

Turn left at the junction for Martin Ponds. Kish puts the lean-to at the southerly of the two ponds, about 2.3 miles from Avalanche Field and about 150 feet from the shore. He spent “two nights and three glorious days” there in 2025 and wrote that the lean-to “gives a wonderful view of Katahdin in the early morning light.” Paddling around the pond took him about 15 minutes at a fast clip.

From Martin Ponds, Maine by Foot says a trail swings east about 2 miles to Katahdin Lake, meeting the lake at a narrow beach; a sign says to walk about 300 yards along the beach to pick up the trail again, wading a wide arc around a deep stream inlet. The direct route from the first junction reaches the sandy beach at the lake’s south end at about 3.5 miles. Near the south shore stand the buildings of the former Katahdin Lake Wilderness Camps, which Kish says operated until around 2018. The park’s lease for the camps expired in 2019, and the Bangor Daily News reported in September 2026 that the park has sued the former leaseholder over belongings left at the site.

Beyond the lake, the North Katahdin Lake Trail runs about 2.5 miles to the far north end. Maine by Foot found it less traveled, with blowdowns, overgrowth, wet spots, and one tricky stream crossing, and met only one other camper there.

For a steeper overnight from the nearby Roaring Brook trailhead, see Chimney Pond, or for a longer one, Russell Pond.

Tips

Reserve early. Viles booked his Martin Ponds lean-to in May for a June trip and wished he had booked more nights.
Bring bug protection in June. Viles slept in a bug bivy because the bugs were heavy.
Watch your footing on bog bridges, especially when wet.
Pass the gate by 8:30 p.m. on your first night, per the park.
No pets. Baxter doesn’t allow them.

Camping

Baxter’s camping page lists three backcountry lean-tos in the Roaring Brook area here: Martin Ponds, North Katahdin Lake, and South Katahdin Lake, each for up to six people. Backcountry sites must be reserved; the park says they’re booked by mail, phone, or in person at headquarters in Millinocket, not online. Each site has a fire ring, an outhouse, and a water source that must be treated. Don’t bring firewood into the park. Group size is generally limited to 12, and quiet hours are 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. Carry out all trash.

Inside Intel: Kish, who spent two nights at Martin Ponds in 2025, says the lean-to “gives a wonderful view of Katahdin in the early morning light.” The Outbound calls the area’s backcountry sites “extremely private and extremely beautiful.”

Trail facts

Distance: 2.3 to 2.5 miles one way to Martin Ponds; 3.3 to 3.5 miles to Katahdin Lake
Route type: Out and back; loop via the Martin Ponds Trail and Katahdin Lake
Difficulty: Easy to moderate
Campsites: Martin Ponds, North Katahdin Lake, and South Katahdin Lake lean-tos (6 each)
Water: Ponds and lake; treat it
Permits: Reserved backcountry site required
Fires: In site fire rings; no outside firewood
Dogs: Not allowed
Trailhead: Avalanche Field, Roaring Brook Road
Last verified: October 17, 2026

The Lowdown

A Katahdin view from a lean-to that books up early:

If the Martin Ponds lean-to is taken, a lightweight tent widens your options elsewhere in Baxter. See the backpacking tents testers rate.

See what testers chose →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.