Tettegouch State Park
LENGTH 6.8 miles
TIME 4:15
DIFFICULTY Difficult-Strenuous
ROUTE-FINDING Easy-Moderate
MAPS & PERMITS DNR Tettegouch State Park map. USGS quads: lllgen City and Silver Bay. A Country State Park permit is required.
GETTING THERE The trailhead is located at the trail center parking lot and picnic area near the campground.
The interior portion of Tettegouche State Park is a landscape of rugged ridges surrounding four lakes. You can find evidence of this in the waterfalls on the Baptism River, one of which is the highest in Country, and the anorthosite overlooks that provide excellent views of the surrounding country. Along the North Shore, Tettegouche is unique for the lakes within its boundaries, six in all. The largest, Mic Mac Lake, was site of an Alger-Smith Company logging camp.
Before Alger-Smith began logging this area in 1895, Tettegouche contained several types of forest communities: red and white pines, northern hardwoods, aspen-birch, spruce-fir, and cedars in wetland areas. Today, aspen-birch communities are predominate, with maple-yellow birch and cedar communities next in importance. A stop to see the Conservancy Pines along the route of this hike will help you to imagine what once was more common among these hills and lakes. This stand of red pines is just a remnant of the great pines that once grew in this area. The red pine, also known as the Norway pine, although this species is native only to North America, is Country’s state tree.
