Blackwoods Byway
Places to Visit
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Black Mountain, locally called Bald Mountain, stands at 1,094 feet. Public reserve land trails stem from Dynamite Brook Road, allowing visitors to hike the mountain. It can also be scaled from the shore at Tunk Lake, provided visitors have a boat.
Distance from byway: 2 mi / 3.2 km Directions: From the byway, go to Dynamite Brook Road and follow public reserve land trails.
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Blackwoods Byway climbs from Fox Pond to the north shoulder of Catherine's Mountain, which stands at 960 feet. Locally, the mountain is known as Catherine's Hill.
Location: Located on State Route 182, bordered by Tunk Lake and Spring River Lake.
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Known as the "Blueberry Capital of the World," approximately 7,000 acres in Cherryfield are used for blueberrying; in 2001, this historical village cultivated approximately 3 million pounds of blueberries.
Location: Located at mile 9.4 along State Route 182.
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Donnell Pond measures approximately 1,000 acres, and is a popular recreation site for locals. Much of the shoreline is public ownership, and campsites have been established in the southern half.
Distance from byway: On the byway Directions: Enter from Route 183 from Route 1 in Sullivan to access the campsites at Donnell Pond.
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Dynamite Brook Road sits on the south side of the byway at mile 4.3. It glimpses into the 1800s when locals searched for gold and silver on Catherine's and Caribou Mountains. You can see old mining pits along the southern side of the road.
Distance from byway: On the byway Directions: Dynamite Brook Road is south of the byway at mile 4.3.
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This 64-acre pond is popular with locals. It features a rope swing for launching into the water. You can hand-launch your canoe, kayak, or rowboat for paddling and fishing. Rocky shores dominate the east end, and a boggy habitat sits to the west.
Location: Located at mile 2.9 on State Route 182.
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Much of Franklin's land is devoted to blueberry and wood production. The village's center is a crossroads for the byway, SR 200, and the Calais Branch Railroad. It has a long shoreline on Hog Bay, which drains through Taunton Bay to the Atlantic Ocean.
Location: Located at the western end of the Blackwoods Byway.
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Schoodic Mountain, a glacial mountain, slopes slowly up from near sea-level from north to south to its peak of nearly 1,080 feet. Then it plunges deeply downward toward the ocean where two-mile deep glaciers retreated approximately 10,000 years ago.
Distance from byway: On the byway Directions: Either take Route 200 in east Franklin to a dirt road called General Cobb Lane or take Route 183 in Sullivan.
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Spring River Lake is two miles in length, and it features a mixture of public areas, private camps, and undeveloped shoreline. Popular activities here included fishing, swimming, and boating.
Location: Located along State Route 182 at mile 6.9.
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Township 10 lies in the center of a thick forest landscape filled with hills, rocks, and bogs. Just before Fox Pond, a dirt road goes north from Township 10, connecting you to over 700 miles of gravel roads for off-road mountain biking and ATVs.
Location: Located on State Route 182, immediately east of Township 9.
