Courtesy / Appalachian Mountain Club
A map showing where the AMC's Medawisla Lodge and Cabins are located on the shore of Second Roach Pond in the Moosehead Lake region.
June 29, 2017
AMC's rebuilt Medawisla Lodge adds to Moosehead's recreational venues
Courtesy / Appalachian Mountain Club
The Appalachian Mountain Club reopens its Medawisla Lodge and Cabins near Greenville on Saturday following a multi-year rebuilding project.
By Staff
The Appalachian Mountain Club marks another milestone in its Maine Woods Initiative as it reopens Medawisla Lodge and Cabins near Greenville on July 1 following a multi-year rebuilding project.
AMC reported that more than 50 local workers, including a dozen Maine contractors, were employed in the construction of its new lodge and cabins on Second Roach Pond in Maine’s 100-Mile Wilderness Region. Located at the confluence of Second Roach Pond and the Roach River, seven miles from Kokadjo and northeast of Greenville, Medawisla Lodge and Cabins is one of three wilderness lodges operated by AMC in the region and open to use by the public.
The project includes nine new cabins, two bunkhouses, a waterfront pavilion and a new lodge that is off the grid and will be powered by a photovoltaic system. It also features composting toilets and extensive insulation and has a wood-fired sauna for winter use.
Cabins feature Maine-made woodstoves, screened porches, and gas lamps. Meals are served in the central lodge, which also houses a wood-fired sauna for wintertime use.
New recreational opportunities
“Guests can enjoy swimming, paddling, mountain biking, and fishing for brook trout and landlocked salmon,” Dan Rinard, AMC’s Maine Woods Initiative operations manager, said in a news release about the reopening. “An extensive network of trails traverses the property for hiking, cross-country skiing, and mountain biking.”
The reopening of Medawisla means that this coming winter, a groomed, lodge-served cross-country ski network will once again become available, as Medawisla is connected via trail with the family-owned West Branch Pond Camps and AMC’s Little Lyford Lodge and Cabins and Gorman Chairback Lodge and Cabins.
AMC’s Maine Wilderness Lodges are key components of the organization’s Maine Woods Initiative, a unique approach to land conservation in Maine’s 100-Mile-Wilderness region that combines outdoor recreation, resource protection, sustainable forestry, and community partnerships.
AMC spokesman Rob Burbank told Mainebiz that since 2003 AMC has made a total Maine Woods Initiative project investment of more than $57 million, leading to a total economic impact of more than $18 million in Piscataquis county and more than $25 million in Maine.
AMC owns and manages nearly 75,000 acres (more than 115 square miles) of conservation and recreation land in the 100-Mile Wilderness region, Burbank stated.
Remote campsites created by AMC’s Maine Chapter members on nearby ponds offer opportunities for overnight and multi-day paddling trips.
Reservations for AMC’s Medawisla Lodge and Cabins and other AMC destinations can be requested online or by calling (207) 358-5187.
“The reopening of Medawisla is cause for celebration as we once again make this welcoming destination available for outdoor recreation and relaxation in the Maine woods,” said Walter Graff, AMC’s senior vice president and leader of the Maine Woods Initiative. “Along with local outfitters’ services, neighboring camps, AMC’s other lodges and outdoor skills training programs, Medawisla adds to the region’s growing nature-based tourism opportunities.”
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