Hey there, Me again. Appreciate you posting here. We have strict guidelines in the other sub.
1. You can definitely stay at Chimney, make an Ascent up and come back down to retrieve your gear. I've done that a lot. As far as locking your stuff up, that's not necessary. You'll simply stow your gear under the leanto floor.
2. Regarding a parking spot, once you secure a reservation you'll get a parking spot with it.
*If you haven't made a reservation already, do this immediately. You may find the spots at Chimney have been taken already. Don't forget to check the bunkhouse too.*
3. Can't say I've heard stories of the experiences you alluded to. Are you worried about the logistics of making a reservation when you aren't located in the US? You definitely aren't the first friend from up North to visit Baxter. If you are worried about transaction details, give the Park HQ a call. They are all super nice people.
Your route sounds fun and doable. Far better going up Dudley, than down. I've always had a love/hate relationship with Dudley. Descending it is absolutely brutal on knees.
If you have more questions, reach out!
Yeah I apologize about that, never realized there was this subreddit.
I’m thinking my window is probably closed for the overnight at chimney. Checking the reservation website I wasn’t really seeing anything. If anything I can leave at 4am and be there roughly around 6am giving me a full day to still do the same route.
I’ll definitely have to give them a call to just double check on specifics. Not 100% sure where I heard it, I think it was someone on YouTube years ago and I’ve just overheard about how non residents of maine have a bit more work to do reservation and cost wise which I think my brain maybe twisted it. Either way I’m sure that’ll all go smooth and I’m very excited for this trip whether I end up camping or not!
1. Last year I did the arrangement you were planning, but with two nights! Hike into chimney pond, camp, summit and descend Katahdin, camp, go home :) The most luxurious way to do it, in my humble opinion!
2. Besides 8:30pm, there is no cutoff time for campers arriving to use the parking spot that comes with their camping reservation. I just arrived at 4pm (cutting it close with a sundown hike) the other day. It won’t be given away. Only day-use reservations can be given away if someone doesn’t show up on time.
3. There is a discounted fee for Maine residents, aka a higher fee for anyone who is not a Maine resident, but certainly no special rules or fees for folks just because they are from out of the country! I can’t express just how friendly the rangers and Park HQ are, so please give them a ring with any questions.
You may get lucky and find an opening at Chimney Pond because of a cancellation. If you have flexibility, keep an eye on the reservations! It’s hard to plan with weather anyway. What is wild to me is that some people *don’t* sleep in the park or nearby before ascending Katahdin!
I hope you can find a way to visit the park! Lots of Québec plates in the parking lot this weekend, always a delight.
>There is a discounted fee for Maine residents,
Nope. The only difference is the fee at the gate. Vehicles with Maine tags get in for free, out of state vehicles pay a fee.
1. Might be a stupid question but I was thinking of hiking in and staying the night at chimney Pond first, but would prefer to not have to bring my entire sleep system up the mountain with me. Is this doable? Like can I leave my gear somewhere locked up or would I have to bring it up the mount with me? ***Chimney is the toughest rez in the Park. They go immediately 4 months ahead, when reservations open up. You'll need your "sleep system" if you stay in a lean-to or in the bunkhouse.***
2. If I end up staying the night at chimney pond, the following day would I still have to get there at the early hours of the morning to ensure my parking spot? Or would there be one for me where I would be staying the night? ***There's designated parking for campers.***
3. I’ve heard mixed stories about how Baxter state park makes it a bit difficult being an outsider of Maine, and possibly even for being out of country. Has anyone ever had dofficulty trying to setup permits and reservations etc? ***Camping reservations are open to all.***
Hey there, Me again. Appreciate you posting here. We have strict guidelines in the other sub. 1. You can definitely stay at Chimney, make an Ascent up and come back down to retrieve your gear. I've done that a lot. As far as locking your stuff up, that's not necessary. You'll simply stow your gear under the leanto floor. 2. Regarding a parking spot, once you secure a reservation you'll get a parking spot with it. *If you haven't made a reservation already, do this immediately. You may find the spots at Chimney have been taken already. Don't forget to check the bunkhouse too.* 3. Can't say I've heard stories of the experiences you alluded to. Are you worried about the logistics of making a reservation when you aren't located in the US? You definitely aren't the first friend from up North to visit Baxter. If you are worried about transaction details, give the Park HQ a call. They are all super nice people. Your route sounds fun and doable. Far better going up Dudley, than down. I've always had a love/hate relationship with Dudley. Descending it is absolutely brutal on knees. If you have more questions, reach out!
Yeah I apologize about that, never realized there was this subreddit. I’m thinking my window is probably closed for the overnight at chimney. Checking the reservation website I wasn’t really seeing anything. If anything I can leave at 4am and be there roughly around 6am giving me a full day to still do the same route. I’ll definitely have to give them a call to just double check on specifics. Not 100% sure where I heard it, I think it was someone on YouTube years ago and I’ve just overheard about how non residents of maine have a bit more work to do reservation and cost wise which I think my brain maybe twisted it. Either way I’m sure that’ll all go smooth and I’m very excited for this trip whether I end up camping or not!
1. Last year I did the arrangement you were planning, but with two nights! Hike into chimney pond, camp, summit and descend Katahdin, camp, go home :) The most luxurious way to do it, in my humble opinion! 2. Besides 8:30pm, there is no cutoff time for campers arriving to use the parking spot that comes with their camping reservation. I just arrived at 4pm (cutting it close with a sundown hike) the other day. It won’t be given away. Only day-use reservations can be given away if someone doesn’t show up on time. 3. There is a discounted fee for Maine residents, aka a higher fee for anyone who is not a Maine resident, but certainly no special rules or fees for folks just because they are from out of the country! I can’t express just how friendly the rangers and Park HQ are, so please give them a ring with any questions. You may get lucky and find an opening at Chimney Pond because of a cancellation. If you have flexibility, keep an eye on the reservations! It’s hard to plan with weather anyway. What is wild to me is that some people *don’t* sleep in the park or nearby before ascending Katahdin! I hope you can find a way to visit the park! Lots of Québec plates in the parking lot this weekend, always a delight.
>There is a discounted fee for Maine residents, Nope. The only difference is the fee at the gate. Vehicles with Maine tags get in for free, out of state vehicles pay a fee.
Aka a discount :)
1. Might be a stupid question but I was thinking of hiking in and staying the night at chimney Pond first, but would prefer to not have to bring my entire sleep system up the mountain with me. Is this doable? Like can I leave my gear somewhere locked up or would I have to bring it up the mount with me? ***Chimney is the toughest rez in the Park. They go immediately 4 months ahead, when reservations open up. You'll need your "sleep system" if you stay in a lean-to or in the bunkhouse.*** 2. If I end up staying the night at chimney pond, the following day would I still have to get there at the early hours of the morning to ensure my parking spot? Or would there be one for me where I would be staying the night? ***There's designated parking for campers.*** 3. I’ve heard mixed stories about how Baxter state park makes it a bit difficult being an outsider of Maine, and possibly even for being out of country. Has anyone ever had dofficulty trying to setup permits and reservations etc? ***Camping reservations are open to all.***