Caribou-Speckled Mountain Wilderness

New Hampshire is home to most of the White Mountain National Forest, but many of its acres cross into Maine, and within that expanse lies the Caribou-Speckled Mountain Wilderness — the state's largest. Encompassing both Caribou Mountain and Speckled Mountain, it is rugged country of deep notches, open ledges and numerous ridges covered by northern hardwoods. White pine, the official state tree of Maine, grows lower down the slopes while spruce and fir dominate higher up. Dots or "specks" of hardwoods that color brilliantly in fall cover the flanks of Speckled Mountain (2,906 feet), giving the mountain its name; it is often confused with other Maine mountains of similar name, such as Old Speck (4,170 feet) only twenty miles distant. Caribou Mountain, slightly lower at 2,840 feet, lies four miles north, its name a reminder of the giant relative of the reindeer that existed in the state until the first part of the twentieth century. Many cold mountain streams run out of this area toward the Androscoggin River to the north and the Saco River to the south. The Bickford Brook Trail climbs from the west to the open summit of Speckled Mountain, beginning outside the Wilderness boundary at the Brickett Place Wilderness Information Center, which is staffed seasonally and can provide information about trails and local history. Farther north, Caribou Mountain offers some of the most attractive ledges in the Wilderness on its open summit. Moose, bear, coyote and other animals inhabit the forest, and trout can be found in the many streams. Trails avoiding the summits, and the areas off trail, are the best bets if viewing wildlife is a priority; bushwhacking is difficult due to thick understory but opens up the wild trailless portions of the Wilderness. Winter access is much reduced by the seasonal closing of Rt 113, the main route to trailheads from the west, usually closed from mid-November through mid-May though exact dates depend on local conditions.