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CANAAN – As Central Maine residents look into their wallets for summer gas money, they may begin looking closer to home for recreation destinations.
A hidden gem on U.S. Route 2, straddling the line between Canaan and Skowhegan, Lake George Regional Park is already a popular swimming, hiking and boating destination, and Director Jeff McCabe expects even more visitors this summer.
He said the park gets about 20,000 visitors a year. But combine high gas prices with the park’s increased programming and infrastructure improvements, as well as the park’s listing as one of the top 10 swimming areas in Maine in a recent Down East magazine issue, and McCabe expects those numbers to swell.
“We are seeing our users come from farther and farther away,” McCabe said. “The word is getting out about Lake George.” Recently, people from Windham, Greene, Sydney, St. Albans, Pittsfield and Clinton bought season’s passes.
“The big draw is swimming,” McCabe said, “especially when it is 85 degrees outside. But more and more people are finding out that they can hike, kayak, canoe, mountain bike, or in winter, cross-country ski, here at the park.”
In addition, the park hosts numerous other events such as a fiddle contest, astronomy nights, mushroom walks and guided park walks.
Two popular treasure-hunting games, known as geocaching and letterboxing, are also drawing interest in the park. Geocaching involves use of a GPS device to play a form of hide-and-seek, while letterboxing combines orienteering and puzzles.
The park is a campus of recreation areas and vignettes, from an island that can be a secluded hideaway or the setting for a wedding to a long sandy beach and grassy picnic areas.
The park has east and west sides, each with its own personality and amenities, including vernal pools, forest and wildlife habitats. The lake was formed by glacial movement and is 335 acres, just larger than the park itself.
In the late 1800s, a local man, George Washburne, built a resort – the Mohican House – on the east side of the lake. From 1922 to 1992, the park was the site of Camp Modin, a Jewish camp for children from New York City and other New England cities.
Lake George Regional Park was purchased by the state in 1992 with funding from Land for Maine’s Future.
Canaan and Skowhegan lease the park from the state and the park is managed by the Lake George Park Corp. and a board of directors appointed by the selectmen in the two towns.
McCabe, who became director in December 2006, said the park needs to do a better job of marketing itself. A Web site is under construction, complete with maps to the park. “We need to get people to realize just how close we are to them,” he said.
McCabe said the park is also looking to expand its season. “Last year we had a warm spell in October and there were families swimming here,” he said.
Lake George Regional Park is on Route 2, at the border of Canaan and Skowhegan. Adult admission is $3 a day; children 5-11, $1; and children under 5, people over 65 and disabled veterans, free. For more information about scheduled activities, season passes, or to become a park volunteer, call 474-1292.
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