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ATV ridingATV riding Boating (motorized)Boating (motorized) CampingCamping CanoeingCanoeing FishingFishing HuntingHunting Watchable wildlifeWatchable wildlife Hand-carry boat launchHand-carry boat launch Picnic areaPicnic area Trailered boat launchTrailered boat launch

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Description

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With 11,000 acres of woodlands and wetlands bordering three lakes near East Machias, the Rocky Lake Public Lands provide opportunities for boating, camping and fishing in a wildlife-rich setting. Bald eagles nest in the area, 10 species of fish frequent the lakes and streams, and dense forests of young spruce and fir provide habitat for deer, snowshoe hare, bobcat, coyote, and even the occasional fisher, bear and moose. The property includes four miles along the upper reaches of the East Machias River, a popular paddling destination that supports sea-run Atlantic salmon.

The glacially sculpted landscape includes meandering streams and rivers, bordered by wetlands, and lakes that run north-south (the direction the glacier traveled), interspersed by low ridges of glacial till. The three lakes (1,555-acre Rocky Lake, 332-acre Second Lake and 275-acre Patrick Lake) draw visitors to fish, canoe, camp, picnic and birdwatch during spring, summer and early fall. Late fall brings hunters, and in winter visitors come by snowmobile (as access roads are not plowed) to ice fish and trap.

While most of the property borders Rocky and Second Lakes, the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands also manages 117 acres on Patrick Lake, three miles east of Rocky Lake. This property includes a gravel boat ramp, parking area and footpath to a picnic area bordering the lake. When water levels drop during summer months, a small sandy beach appears-providing shallow water where children like to swim.

Eleven primitive waterfront campsites are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Both boat launch areas (Mud Landing and South Bay) have authorized camping sites, and six more are accessible only by water. In spring and summer, canoers can use Second Lake as a camping stopover on the 2- to 3-day trip down the East Machias River from Pocomoonshine Lake or Route 9 to East Machias (a popular trip of 30 to 45 miles with Class I-III whitewater). Paddlers can add in a side trip to Rocky Lake as well.

State surveys of the warm-water fisheries have found small mouth bass, white perch, yellow perch, chain pickerel, alewife, American eel, white sucker, fallfish, and pumpkinseed sunfish, along with wild eastern brook trout in spring. Common loons and American bitterns thrive on the abundant fish, and waterfowl frequent the 2,000 acres of wetlands (which beaver help to create and sustain).

The State has designated 1,520 acres of the property bordering both sides of the East Machias River an Ecological Reserve, considering it an "exemplary stream shore ecosystem" with wildlife-rich marshes and an unusual silver maple floodplain forest. The Reserve designation helps maintain these ecosystems in their natural condition and allow for monitoring of ecological changes over time.

The property also contains two small sheep laurel-dwarf shrub bogs on the east side of Second Lake and a large wetland complex on the western shore of Rocky Lake that consists of spruce-larch wooded bogs and northern white cedar woodland fens.

If you are interested in learning about geology around the state, check out the Maine Geological Survey Searchable Database.

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History

The State acquired most of these Public Lands in 1977 from International Paper Company (IP) and St. Regis Paper Company. The acreage at Patrick Lake was added in 1984, following a purchase from Baskahegan Corporation. The State purchased two additional parcels from IP in 2004, including a 59-acre island in Rocky Lake, and a 70-acre parcel abutting the East Machias River.

This area has a long history of timber harvesting and the East Machias River was used for log-driving in the 19th and early 20th century. Local residents also harvested marsh hay from around the lakes and rivers to feed their horses and oxen. During IP's ownership (spanning from the 1950s through 1977), there was a saw mill at the southern end of Second Lake.

The ecosystems around Rocky Lake have been shaped by both fire and insect infestations. There is some evidence that fire spread through these woods in the early 1900s, and small fires were periodically set in the 1960s through 1980s-in an attempt to create more deer habitat. Some of the property's young aspen stands date back to these fires.

Spruce budworm attacked many of the region's conifers in the late 1970s and early 1980s leading to extensive salvage harvesting. The Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands continues to manage the land for timber, as well as wildlife and recreation, outside of the designated Ecological Reserve.

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Activities

  • ATV riding
  • Boating (motorized)
  • Camping
  • Canoeing
  • Fishing
  • Hunting
  • Watchable wildlife

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Rules

  • Cut no live vegetation and kindle fires only at authorized campsites. Fire permits (available from the Maine Forest Service at 207-827-6191) are required for the campsites on Second Lake (at Eagle Ledge) and the East Machias River (Lower Riffles).
  • Carry out all trash.
  • Keep pets under control at all times and on a leash (less than 4 feet) at campsites.
  • No reservations or fees are required, but camping stays on Maine public lands are limited to 14 days in any 45-day period. Bureau of Parks and Lands staff may take custody of any personal property left unattended for more than 3 days (unless advance written permission is given).
  • Although hunting is permitted, do not discharge weapons within 300 feet of any picnic area, camping area, parking area, posted trails or boat launch. Loaded firearms are not permitted at campsites or on hiking trails.
  • Use no chainsaws, generators or other power equipment around campsites.
  • Snowmobiles are prohibited on plowed roads. ATVing is allowed only on marked ATV trails and signed Shared Use Roads.
  • Any structures that you see on the property are private camps on leased lots. Please respect the privacy of lease holders and keep away from these areas.
  • For your own safety, please stay clear of areas where timber is being harvested.

Consider lending a hand. Contact us if you would like to help with stewardship or maintenance work.

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Trails

Except for short footpaths at Patrick Lake (off Route 86) and at the southern end of Second Lake, there are no hiking trails on the Rocky Lake Public Lands.

Snowmobilers and ATV users can enjoy 17 miles of Shared Use Roads and approved motorized trails. The groomed snowmobile trail (maintained by Down East Trail Riders, P. O. Box 658, East Machias, Me, 04630) eventually connects to ITS 84, a major east-west trail in Washington County. The ATV trails are linked to a 700-mile ATV trail system on private lands nearby.

Upon its completion in 2010, the Downeast Sunrise Trail an 87-mile trail for use by pedestrians, bicycles, equestrians, mushers, cross-country skiers, snowmobilers and ATV riders along a former rail line from Ellsworth east to Pembroke (south of Calais) will connect to the property's southeastern corner.

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Services and Facilities

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Special Considerations

Moving firewood can transport exotic insects & diseases that pose a serious threat to our forests. Don't transport firewood, buy it from a local source. Buy It Where You Burn It

Rocky Lake is aptly named (with a maximum depth of 37 feet and mean depth of 14 feet): use caution boating and watch for submerged shoals.

Although the largest islands are state property, several islands within Rocky Lake remain in private ownership. Please respect the privacy of those landowners.

Don't count on your cell phone in an emergency as coverage is spotty to non-existent.

Take care traveling by car, foot, ATV, snowmobile or bicycle along area logging roads. Logging trucks weigh 100,000 pounds and travel faster than you might expect.

Always give logging trucks the right of way: pulling over and stopping regardless of which direction they’re headed. Avoid roads that are too narrow for two vehicles.

Do not block side roads and never stop in the middle of the road, on a corner, on bridges or below the crest of a hill.

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When to Visit

The best times to visit (in terms of water levels and brook trout fishing) are in May and June, but that is also the height of black fly season.

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