Baxter State Park Photography Hot Spot Location

and New England Outdoor Center.

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Where to do Photography in Maine

Baxter State Park is a large wilderness area permanently preserved as a state park, located in Piscataquis County in north-central Maine. It is in the North Maine Woods region.

The park was established by 28 donations of land, in trust, from Park donor Percival P. Baxter between the years of 1931 and 1962, eventually creating a park of over 200,000 acres in size. Baxter Park is not part of the Maine State Park system. Sole governance is provided by the Baxter State Park Authority, consisting of the Maine Attorney General, the Maine Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and the Director of the Maine Forest Service. The park is independently funded through a combination of revenues from trusts, user fees, and the sale of forest products from the park’s Scientific Forest Management Area. The park is home to the state’s highest peak, Mount Katahdin. The number of visitors to the park declined from 75,000 in 2000 to 55,000 in 2005, but since 2005 visitor use has been slowly increasing.

New England Outdoor Center

Baxter S.P. cabin showing two beds in the wilderness of the state park

One of Photography Magazines Favorite Places to Stay – 2018. A moose tour at New England Outdoor Center is an absolute must! The cabins are incredible and the tour starts just a short walk from your cabin!!

Rekindle Your Spirit of Adventure at New England’s Top Adventure Resort.

We wouldn’t stay anywhere else! The New England Outdoor Center is the home of Twin Pine Cabins, the Penobscot Outdoor Center, and the River Drivers Restaurant. Voted Top Adventure Resort in New England by Yankee Magazine NEOC comprises all the essential pieces for an unforgettable Maine spring and summer vacation.

There are summer and outdoor winter activities At New England Outdoor Center. We took the moose tour. We were taken deep into the areas of the lake by boat where the moose are known to gather. Of course, we saw moose even though it was the hottest day of the year. It was a great boat ride, and we all got some great shots.

new_england_outdoor-center showing a boat on the lake for the moose tour

Photo taken at New England Outdoor Center before our moose boat tour.

INFO - PHOTO MAGAZINE EXTRA - photography magazine extra, photography, where to do, how to do, travel photography, Pam Goodyer

How to do Photography in Maine – Baxter State Park

Photography Information

Lens: This area is definitely a wide angle and zoom lens location.

Gear: Make sure you bring your tripod and your circular polarizing filters. The CPL will make your white puffy clouds burst and deepen the blue sky color around them. It will also take the glare off the water and replace it with the reflection. Bring your tripod too. It is also a dark sky milkyway photography hot spot location so bring your tripod! Don’t for get your ND filter in case of you want to shoot moving waters.

Gear List at a Glance: Circular polarizing filter, neutral density filter, tripod, shutter release, wide angle and zoom lens.

When to Go: Late June to early July supplies prime moose photography opportunities. Keep in mind that during scorching days, the moose do not like to come out to play. Avoid going during a heatwave. This is also prime milky way territory. The week before the new moon in Spring to fall is the best time to go. Be sure to see our milky way photography pages here.

Camera Settings

Shutter Priority – If you have moving subjects such as moose or boats moving, you will want to shoot in shutter priority to be sure they come out clear. See our shutter speed information here.

Manual Mode – You have moving waters here. You can do your long exposure running, milky water shots at the lakes in the area. You will have to use a tripod for this effect. All of your settings will vary depending on the lighting and what neutral density filter you have. You will shoot in manual mode for the milky waters. ISO is always 100 or as low as your camera will allow. Aperture is f22. Your shutter speed will vary depending on the light. Take some test shots to decide on your shutter speed after you put your neutral density filter on. (It’s like sunglasses for your camera to stop light from coming in). Use your live view mode to focus to lock the mirror up and avoid any camera movement. Use your shutter release or your 2-second timer to also prevent camera movement. Voila. You now have your milky water exposure. You will want at least a 2-second exposure for water. (If you don’t have a neutral density filter, you may not get more than 1/15th of a second in the sun.) That does not give you a good effect. Go to our store to buy your ND filter. We like the ten stop filters for super long exposure in the sunshine.