Caribou-Speckled Mountain Wilderness
New Hampshire is home to most of the White Mountain National Forest but many of its acres cross into Maine. Within this expanse lies the Caribou-Speckled Mountain Wilderness. Encompassing both Caribou Mountain and Speckled Mountain, it is the state's largest Wilderness. It is an area of rugged terrain with deep notches, open ledges and numerous ridges covered by northern hardwoods. White pine, the official state tree of Maine, grows lower down on the slopes while spruce and fir dominate the forest higher up. Dots or "specks" of hardwoods that color brilliantly in fall cover the flanks of Speckled Mountain (2906 feet) giving the mountain its name.
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | U.S. Forest Service |
| State | Maine |
| Size | 11,236 acres |
| Designated | 1990, by Congress |
| Center point | 44.31° N, 70.94° W |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 11) |
Boundary map
Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground
The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.
Weather by month
Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.
Where to camp
None of the 4 federal campgrounds within ten miles sit inside the boundary. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.
Trails
14 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 44 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Red Rock ↗ | 5.6 | |
| Caribou ↗ | 5.5 | |
| Miles Notch Trail ↗ | 4.8 | |
| Cold Brook Trail ↗ | 4.7 | |
| Haystack Notch | 4.4 | |
| Bickford Brook Trail | 4.3 | |
| Mud Brook | 3.9 | |
| Great Brook Trail | 3.7 | |
| Blueberry Ridge Trail | 3.1 | |
| Spruce Hill | 1.7 |
Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas. This trail list was copied from Trailhead Atlas on November 1, 2026 and is copied again on each weekly run. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.
Fire nearby
- WildfireCoffee Pond Fire
32 mi from the center point · 10 acres
Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge, and is measured from the center of a boundary that may be many miles across. Check the agency page for closures.
Explore
Nearby on the other atlases
- 0.3 miBrickett Place ↗Stow, ME
- 2.2 miPeabody Tavern ↗Gilead, ME
- 2.4 miGilead Railroad Station ↗Gilead, ME
- 5 miFives Court ↗Lovell, ME
- 5.6 miNorth Waterford Congregational Church ↗North Waterford, ME
- 5.6 miPhilbrook Farm Inn ↗Shelburne, NH
- 5.7 miAlbany Town House ↗Albany Township, ME
- 6 miMeadow Bridge ↗Shelburne, NH
Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.
Guidebooks for Maine
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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Caribou-Speckled Mountain Wilderness?
11,236 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Caribou-Speckled Mountain Wilderness?
The U.S. Forest Service.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is Caribou-Speckled Mountain Wilderness in?
Maine.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Caribou-Speckled Mountain Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1990.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Can I camp at Caribou-Speckled Mountain Wilderness?
Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from roads, with no facilities, and the managing agency page has the permit rules. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.
Source: Where to camp
How do I get to Caribou-Speckled Mountain Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 44.308° N, 70.944° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Is there a fire near Caribou-Speckled Mountain Wilderness right now?
1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Coffee Pond Fire at 32 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.
Source: Fire nearby
Are there historic places near Caribou-Speckled Mountain Wilderness?
The National Register has 36 listings within 15 miles, including Brickett Place and Peabody Tavern.
Source: Register Atlas
Sources
- Boundary, name, acreage, designation year, states and description: Wilderness Connect.
- Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
- Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, points inside the boundary.
- Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched on the wilderness each trail enters.
- Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
- Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.