Become a Leaf Peeper! 

Why: One of the greatest seasonal adventures is admiring Autumn's splendor by experiencing fall foliage up close on a trail or waterway.

How: Pack a rucksack with a water bottle, sandwich and snacks, don your layered clothing, lace up your boots, gather up your family or friends and join in on the Autumn adventure!  

Where: Suggestions are provided on the Fall Foliage Hikes, Rides and Paddles web page. 
An easy to remember URL for this page is: www.maine.gov/dacf/fallfoliagehikes. 

(Photo: Grafton Falls, Grafton Notch State Park.)

The Fall Foliage page also provides:

• Views from seven webcams around the state.
• A Foliage Zone map.
• Link to the Maine Foliage Reports where you can track changes, subscribe to the weekly report, and get additional information for locations to leaf peep throughout the State.
• Link to the Forest Trees of Maine. This field guide is a must-have for tree lovers everywhere. You can view it online and download it in sections as PDFs, or order the book.

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Public Lands

Scenic campsites in remote settings are offered at Public Lands locations throughout Maine. Visitors should be self-reliant and capable of camping in an area where they may or may not be able to get ranger assistance or cell phone service. Wear blaze orange during hunting seasons, as hunting is allowed on Public Lands. Hunting season information.

(Photo: An Attean campsite near landing by Rex Turner.)

Below are three suggestions for fall camping adventures at Public Lands:

• Deboullie offers remote campsites on crystal-clear trout ponds surrounded by low rugged mountains in a sea of forestland in north-central Aroostook County. Over 22 miles of hiking trails await exploration as well as several water-accessed campsites. Guide & Map (24x18-inches PDF 7MB).  Call (207) 435-7963, the Northern Public Lands Office, to have a copy of the Guide & Map mailed to you.
• Moose River Bow Trip / Holeb offers a 34-mile paddling circuit encompassing Attean and Holeb Ponds as well as the Moose River. This is a classic northwoods paddling destination in the headwaters of Moosehead Lake and the Kennebec River. Wildlife and mountain views are common sights along this remote paddling route. Paddling route description and campsite map on Maine Trail Finder.
• Nahmakanta offers an extensive network of hiking trails that lead visitors along lake shores, up to open ledges, and through deep forests in this 43,000-acre public land. The Appalachian Trail courses through Nahmakanta and interconnects with miles of hiking trails maintained by Maine Parks and Public Lands. Six pristine water-accessible campsites on Nahmakanta Lake as well as several hike-to campsites are available to paddlers and hikers. Guide & Map (24x18-inches PDF 3MB). Call (207) 941-4412, the Eastern Public Lands Office, to have a copy of the Guide & Map mailed to you. 

Hiking with children is a wonderful way to see nature in a new way. If you follow their natural bent for exploration you may find yourself down on all fours marveling over an insect at work, hugging a tree to learn what it smells like, or scampering through fallen leaves for the crunchy joy if it! 

When was the last time you released your inner child and let the children in your life show you how to explore the joys of nature?

Four Maine State Park locations have been written up by the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) in their Kids Outdoors guide. Below are links to the AMC descriptions, which include practical suggestions for parents, photos, top rated trips, and wonderful tidbits such as The Fairy Question inspired by one of the locations below.

• Mackworth Island - Falmouth, Maine (In photo above.)
• Mount Battie, Camden Hills State Park - Camden, Maine
• Table Rock, Grafton Notch State Park - Newry, Maine
• Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park - Freeport, Maine

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The 30th anniversary of the online Camping Reservations System has been a record breaking year for camping!

• 53,203 total nights were reserved at Maine State Park's 12 campgrounds. This is an increase of 1,583 over last year.
• 65 % of the campers were Maine Residents.

(Photo: View from Site 56 at Lamoine State Park by Carol DiBello.)

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Campfire Apples

Baking apples is a Maine tradition.  Ideally you'll make a visit to your local orchard, chat with the apple grower about their varieties and those best for baking, listen to a few yarns, then head out to pick-your-own from the grower's trees.  But if you can't pick for yourself most growers have bagged apples ready to go, or deliver to roadside stands or local grocers. 

(Photo: apple wrapped in foil for baking in coals.)

What you need: 

Apples of your choice/taste 
(A tart apple such as a Macintosh is nice, or select a variety that originated in Maine to be really traditional.)

Choice of spices, per apple:
1 Tbs maple syrup, 1/4 tsp nutmeg.
OR
1 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1 Tbs butter.
OR
1 tsp dark brown sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon.

Partially core each apple with a paring knife by cutting past the seeds but leaving at least 1/4-inch intact at the bottom of the apple.  Slice the seeds off the core and and keep remaining stem section as top for the apple while it is baking.

Fill apple with selected spices, and butter if using it.  Wrap apple in heavy duty aluminum foil so that a twisted foil tail/handle remains at the top.  

Place the apple on its side in medium coals for five minutes. Use tongs to grab foil handle and rotate apple to cook other side another five minutes.  Apple will be soft/al dente but not mushy when fully cooked.  Pull out of coals and let cool a few minutes, then untwist foil handle, lift apple lid, and eat with a spoon.  Add more spices to taste.

Live-it-up additions:

• Whipped cream, added after apples have cooled and before serving.
• Walnuts or pecans, crushed and added to core or over top once apple is baked and before serving.

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Pumpkin Flapjacks

In the U.S. flapjack is synonymous with pancake, hotcake, or griddlecake. In Europe flapjack denotes a muesli bar, cereal bar, or granola bar made of oats. Pancakes, in various forms, are eaten worldwide today and are believed to have been the earliest and most widespread form of cereal food in prehistoric societies.

Dry Ingredients:

1-1/2 cup flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp ginger OR a pinch of cloves
1 Tbs dark brown sugar
(3 Tbs non-fat dry milk, if not using fresh milk, see below.)

Wet Ingredients:

1/2 cup fresh cooked and well mashed pie pumpkin (or 6 Tbs. canned pumpkin, but fresh is best) 
1 cup milk (or 3 Tbs. non-fat dry milk & 1 cup water)
1 egg
2 Tbs butter, melted & extra for skillet

At Home: Combine dry ingredients in a resealable container.  Prepare fresh pumpkin: Slice pie pumpkin open, remove seeds, cut into 1/4s then steam in 1/4 inch water on stove top or bake at 350 degrees F until soft, then mash well or puree in a blender.  

Make sure you have real Maine-made maple syrup in your supplies for camp. Sources:

• State Park Campgrounds sell maple syrup during the summer.
• Statewide producer listing from Maine Maple Sunday 2018.
  

In Camp: Preheat butter in a 6-inch skillet, let melt over low heat so it does not brown or burn. 

Beat egg until fluffy then whisk in the rest of the wet ingredients. (If you are using dry powdered milk, remember to add 1 cup water into the wet ingredients). 

Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir lightly - just enough to combine into a batter.

Pour or ladle batter into greased/oiled medium-hot skillet, about 1/4 cup per flapjack. When edges are golden brown and bubbles form and break on top-side, flip them over to cook the other side until lightly brown (1-2 minutes). If edges burn before bubbles appear on first side the campfire is too hot; raise skillet or move to cooler coals.

Note: Add more liquid if you prefer thin flapjacks.

Serve with Maine made maple syrup!

Substitutions:

• 1-1/2 Tbs. canola oil in place of 2 Tbs. butter.
• 1/8 tsp. nutmeg in place of 1/2 tsp allspice, then use cloves and not ginger.
• 2 Tbs sugar in place of 1 Tbs dark brown sugar
• 3 Tbs dry powdered milk plus 1 cup water in place of 1 cup milk.

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The Naturalist's Notebook for Tracking Changes in the Natural World Around You by Nathaniel T. Wheelwright and Bernd Heirich.

This book is for nature sleuths everywhere!  It is for everyone who wants to learn how to delve into the details and mysteries of the natural world.  Don't be intimidated by the title, and do use the journal portion of the book in the way that allows you the most creativity and brings you the most joy.  Sketchers will sketch, poets will write, singers will pencil out ditties, and others will make lists, and still others will be inspired to read on or share with friends.  All will learn how to look more closely at their natural surroundings and experience nature's cycles and their connection to nature more deeply. 

• Find it at a Maine Library.