Flagstaff Lake Hut

On Sunday, after Gathering 12.0 in Eustis, Joyce, Stan, Peakbagger, and I headed over the East end of Flagstaff Lake for an overnight trip to the new Maine Huts and Trails' Flagstaff Lake Hut.

Info on the huts can be found at their website:

http://www.mainehuts.org/


It is about a 2 mile hike into the hut from the roadside trailhead. We decided to leave the trail and hike along the shore of the lake. The level of Flagstaff lake at this time of the year is low enough to provide a nice wide sand beach to walk along.



The shore is full of drift wood and huge stumps and the views of the Bigelows makes it a great walk. The piles of driftwood are really impressive. The prevalent wind just blows it all to that end of the lake.



After walking along the shore we regained the trail and wound our way around to the hut. The bunkhouse are separate from the main hut:



We checked in, dropped our gear and then set off to explore. The dock near the hut provides water access (well beach access with the water this low).



The sun was getting low and we headed back to the hut for dinner.



We were the only ones at the hut that night so we asked the caretaker, Paul, if he could bump up dinner to 5:00 so we would have time to make it down to the lake to watch sunset. He hooked us up with an early dinner and it was great. Then it was off to the point for sunset.

The view of the Bigelow Range across the lake was really nice with the setting sun.



The ooos and aaahs continued as the sun sank lower



The colors were especially nice after it had set.



We headed in the dark back to the hut and were welcomed by it's warm glow.



The next morning Peakbagger woke me up and we headed down to the lake for sunrise. The stumps and driftwood are very interesting.



And the view over to the Bigelows never disappoints.






We headed back to the hut and had a great hot breakfast and then headed out back to our cars so I could start the long drive home.

Overall, a great experience at the new hut. Kudos to the Maine Huts and Trails for all of their green efforts and for providing a great service. I look forward to returning for a xc ski hut tour.

Thanks to Stan for planning this one.

- darren

One more picture....

We were able to witness a mysterious phenomenon of the lake water erupting in flames.




Very cool. The best part was that Stan did not end up in the lake during the shooting of this shot.

Aloha

- darren

Great pictures!!
I heard there was a new hut there but had no idea it was so nice.

Darren covered most of the highpoints of the hut visit. There is no direct road access to the hut, parking is about 2 to 2.5 mile trail walk along a level trail with the beach as an third option. There is also a dirt service road which is a 20 minute walk in (its gated halfway).

The beach has a very ocean feel complete with a few seagulls. Its a sandy beach in many spots with some rocky sections. We had several loons in the general area and I saw one eagle (reportedly there is a nearby eagles nest)There is no visible development visible along the lakeshore within site of the facility except for the headgates to the power dam that controls the lake. Due to the location on the lake, this would be a great place to paddle to from the Eustis/Stratton end of the lake due to the prevailing winds, but it would be a stiff paddle back up the lake. The lake is the 5th biggest in Maine, but being a dammed river is quite shallow in many places. The staff mentioned that that the lake still was permitted to go down another 8 feet in elevation which would expose more beach and features. It was obvious that this spring and early summer rain had filled the lake to overflowing so every visit to the place will have a different look.

Compared to an AMC hut, the facility is set up to be far less crowded with a separate library area and a large screened in porch, along with a large main dining room/social space. In general its architecture, layout and overall finish is closer to the Highland center, than a typical AMC hut. The private rooms have two beds and a double bunk while the bunkrooms have 1 bed and 3 bunks. They are seperated from the main building by about a 30 foot walk outside. Each bunk and bed has a matress and pillow along with a fleece blanket. The showers are coin operated but guests get a couple of quarters to use when they check in.

The non profit that owns it is applying lessons learned at each hut to each new hut, so I expect that each future hut is only going to get better. Once they have the new Grand Falls facility it opens up a potential for a 5 day hut to hut ski with three nights spent at the new huts.

I want to thank Stan for inviting us. I expect I will be back there again.

Wow, beautifull pics Darren!!

Sure makes me want to go there!!

Wow! Those pictures are amazing! It looks like a place definitely worth visiting. I would be interested in the hut to hut ski touring once it is established.
Great to meet you again at the gathering.

Looks pretty sweet, thanks for the write up. Great pics, Darren.

Darren, beautiful photos. This is an exceptional area and a must see for me!

Hmmm, I wonder where we could have a winter gathering this year??? Polish up those skis, everyone!

Very cool, Darren. Once again, you're enticing me to new places with your photos. I like it!

Has anybody skied the trails between Poplar Stream and Flagstaff Lake? How difficult are they? Beginner? Intermediate?

Is it feasible for someone with average skills to ski in from Carrabassett Valley to the Flagstaff hut?

I havent skied it, but the manager of the huts and trails stated that the trails tended to be between beginner and intermediate (skins not needed). It looks like the route is uphill from Poplar Stream Hut and then levels out to slight rolling hills and then fairly flat. The route between the huts are intended to be an "easy" day for most folks, with the option of taking an ungroomed trail in spots for those up to a bit more challenge. I would expect the trail to Grand Falls would be real flat given the local terrain.

The trails to the west of Poplar Stream are partially based on old narrow gauge railroad tracks, so they should be fairly flat or shallow slope.

He said they groom 10 feet wide with one set of tracks to the side and the rest flat for skis and snowshoes.

One big caveat is that the area is crisscrossed with snowmachine trails and they may be customers of the huts.

neat -- will put it on my list of places to visit.

Which is the dammed lake that's more or less at the divide between the Penobscot watershed and the Allagash watershed? I thought that was Flagstaff, can't remember what's special about Flagstaff Lake from a historical viewpoint.

arghman said:

Which is the dammed lake that's more or less at the divide between the Penobscot watershed and the Allagash watershed? I thought that was Flagstaff, can't remember what's special about Flagstaff Lake from a historical viewpoint.

Click to expand...

Telos Lake matches your original description. Flag's neat to me for historic reasons, including the 1775 Arnold expedition, the pre-1950 townsite and ruins, etc.

Sweet pics of Flagstaff and the hut! I was really interested in seeing what the hut looked like, as i have visited the Poplar hut a few times, but I believe the Flagstaff hut was still being constructed last xmas when i was there. I am really interested in seeing the Grand Falls hut once that is done. The hut to hut skiing should be tremendous once the whole system is completed. That area has been my second home for the last 25 years, and I am really excited to see something like this come to fruition. It's a wild and beautiful area.

Wow!!!! I wanna go!!! Excellent photography, Darren