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Home > Find Parks and Lands
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Duck Lake Public Reserved Land
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Camping
Campers can drive to small campgrounds at Longfellow Cove on Duck Lake, on the spit of land between Middle and Lower Unknown Lakes, and on the south shore of Gassabias Lake. Many of these sites are suitable for small self-contained recreational vehicles.
More remote campsites await hikers on Upper Unknown Lake and boaters on Duck, Nicatous, and Fourth Machias Lakes. Available on a first-come, first-served basis with no fees or permits required, all campsites have a table, fire ring, and nearby pit toilet. Refer to the unit's map that shows all authorized campsites. While visitors may camp elsewhere on the unit, they may not build fires. Visitors can help protect this area by obeying rules regarding fires and practicing low-impact camping techniques.
Boating
Visitors can launch small trailered boats at gravel boat launch at the Duck Lake campground or conveniently put in hand-carried craft at Middle and Lower Unknown Lakes and Gassabius Lake. Boaters should watch out for big boulders near the launch site on Duck Lake, especially at low water. While boaters enjoy picnicking on sand beaches on Middle Unknown Lake and Duck Lake, hardy canoeists may pass through the unit on the Eastern Maine Canoe Trip or the Machias River Trip.
Wildlife Watching
In addition to loons on all the lakes, this unit offers a rare opportunity to see big birds of prey. Near Duck Mountain, visitors may see some of Maine's biggest hawks, broadwings, goshawks, and red tails, riding the thermals. Observant visitors may even spot ospreys or bald eagles around the lakes.
Fishing and Hunting
The lakes of the Unit have made this area popular with maine recreationalists. Duck Lake, for which the Unit is named, is home to a salmon fishery that has attracted anglers for many years. Gassabias, Fourth Machias, and the Unknown Lakes provide angling opportunities for such warmwater species as bass, pickerel, and perch. Families with children especially enjoy hiking the half-mile trail to Upper Unknown Lake, picnicking on a sandy beach, and fishing for pickerel.
Unusual in this part of Maine, Duck Lake supports landlocked salmon and brown trout, while Nicatous Lake has both coldwater and warmwater species. While fishing is the primary attraction, there is some hunting for moose and ruffed grouse. Fishing and hunting are allowed on the unit, subject to state law. Please note rules restricting firearms on and around campsites, trails, and boat launches.
Enjoying Winter
Ice fishing is very popular on Duck Lake. As roads are not plowed on a regular basis, most winter visitors arrive by snowmobile, using ITS 81/84 and local club trails. Riding on plowed roads is prohibited. The bureau does not encourage riding on lakes because of potential hazards and dangerous areas.
Getting There
Early in the spring, visitors usually come via the Champion 32-00-0 Road from Route 9 in Beddington or the Stud Mill Road. After it has been graded, visitors follow the Nicatous Road from Route 188 in Burlington. The approach from Route 6 in Springfield is often not passable by car.
9 Tips for Wildlife Watchers
1. Keep a safe distance from all wildlife
2. Avoid nests and dens. Leave young birds and mammals where you find them.
3. Know and respect wildlife alarm signals.
4. Avoid stressing animals by deliberately making noise or chasing them.
5. Go out early in the morning and again late in the day for best wildlife watching.
6. Move slowly and quietly; then stay still.
7. Use binoculars or a spotting scope for closer views.
8. Stay in your vehicle when watching wildlife from the road.
9. For your safety and their well-being, don't feed the animals and do secure your food and trash.
Low Impact Recreating
1. Buy food in bulk and pack it in reusable containers and resealable plastic bags.
2. Choose reusables, especially silverware, dishes, and flashlights.
3. Avoid disposables, especially lighters, fuel cylinders, and solid fuel cans.
4. Use refillable, liquid-fuel stoves/lanterns.
5. If you build fires, where allowed, use only down and dead wood, or bring your own.
6. Burn only paper waste, not foil, plastic, Styrofoam, or food.
7. Avoid trenching or disturbing the ground.
8. Wash with phosphate-free soap/detergent in a basin; dump waste water in the toilet pit or in a small pit 100 feet from water.
9. Seal food waste in a bag and hang it high and away from animals and camp.
10. Carry out all trash; please recycle.
11. Stay on trails in sensitive areas, such as alpine, coastal, and wetland areas.
Safety Tips
For your safety in remote regions, please:
1. Yield right of way to logging trucks on gravel roads in and around the unit.
2. Bring adequate supplies of medicine, food, fuel, insect repellent, and safety equipment, as there may be none nearby.
3. Purify all drinking water by boiling, filtering, or treating with chemicals.
4. Be prepared to wait for safe boating conditions to cross lakes exposed to strong winds, usually from the northwest.
5. Stay on trails and supervise children closely. Cliffs may have loose rocks and long vertical drops to the rocks and water below.
6. In emergencies, call the Maine State Police at 1-800-452-4664 or *77 on cellular phones.
Contact Information
Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands: (207) 287-3821
(out-of-state callers: use 207 area code for all phone numbers)
Acadia National Park 288-3338
Baxter State Park 723-5140
Maine Forest Service
Fire Permits and Campsite Information:
Ashland 435-7963
Greenville 695-3721
Old Town 827-1800
Augusta 624-3700
Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Hunting/Fishing Licenses: 287-2571
Boat/Snowmobile Registration: 287-2043
Maine Tourism Association: 1-800-533-9595
Mattawamkeag Wilderness Park: 736-4881
Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge: 454-3521
North Maine Woods: 435-6213
Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge: 646-9226
Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve: 646-1555
White Mountain National Forest: 824-2134
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