Attean Lake Lodge & 5 More Outdoor Lodges in New England

Karl Thomsen has some stories about the power of Attean Lake Lodge. For nearly two decades, the Maine native and Registered Maine Guide has worked for this family-oriented wilderness retreat in Jackman, just north of Moosehead Lake. Specifically, it’s located on a 24-acre rocky outpost in Attean Pond called Birch Island—and it’s not a place you just stumble across. Up and up you go, three hours north of Portland, before you even find the township. There are dirt roads to navigate, followed by a boat ride to the lodge. It takes some effort to get here, says Thomsen, and then a change of mindset to really experience the place.

“People coming here for the first time aren’t sure what to expect,” he says. “All they know is that it’s remote, there’s no cell service, and the cabins don’t have electricity. So they get out of the car and they look stiff; they look anxious about what they’re about to experience.

“Then you see them a week later and they’re like completely different people. The tenseness is gone. Their socks don’t match. Their hair is messed up. They’re smiling.”

And more often than not, they come back. “They invite their friends or bring other family,” he says. 

It’s been like that almost from the beginning. The story of Attean Lake Lodge starts in the late 1800s, when Birch Island was opened to city-dwelling sportsmen seeking space and peace amid the Maine wilderness. In 1904, the sometimes faltering enterprise was rescued by the Holden family, whose roots trace back to Jackman’s earliest European settlers. The resort has remained in the family ever since, and today guests are greeted by fourth-generation owners Barrett Holden and his wife, Josie. 

As with the Holdens before him, Barrett’s life has been defined by the business. By the age of 10 he was working alongside his parents, running boats and delivering firewood to the guests. He was on site to watch his father erect a new lodge in the 1990s, a mammoth undertaking that required the elder Holden to truck 74 loads of lumber across the winter ice. It’s here where Barrett first met Josie, who’d come to work for the summer, and today the couple has integrated the flow of Attean life into the lives of their three young children.

“It was fun growing up here,” says Barrett. “It wasn’t all that unlike it is now. A lot of the same people would come back year after year. As a kid I’d look at the guest list before each season and get excited about who I’d see again.”

Attean’s strength comes from what it’s not. It’s not big—there are just 14 guest cabins. It’s not easy to get to. And outside the lodge, it’s not a place with Internet access. What it is, instead, is a direct connection to Maine’s woods and waters. There are boats and kayaks to use, and hiking trails that crisscross the nearby mainland. Guests can fish or lounge on the sandy beach. The days are bookended by big breakfasts and dinners in the lodge; in between, there are opportunities for serious porch-sitting.

The allegiance that many feel with this place is evident. Bookings can go two years out, and many returning families have been making Attean a summer destination for generations.

“We have a woman who’s been coming here for 80 years,” says Barrett, a fact that still manages to surprise even him. “But people find the flow of the place and they get into it. We’ll get calls from people asking if they’ll get bored here. Can you give me some ideas on what we can do to pass the time? But they don’t need much help. They quickly discover what this place is all about, and that’s pretty cool to see.” 

The Sporting Life | More Woodsy New England Lodges and Resorts

Stay and play in the great outdoors at these woodsy New England lodges and resorts.

Quimby Country | Averill, VT

One of the Northeast’s original family resorts, Quimby sprawls across more than 1,000 acres and includes two lakes. Private cabins, a big lodge, and a varied lineup of family programming add to the allure of this remote retreat. quimbycountry.com

Rockywold Deephaven Camps | Holderness, NH

There’s never a dull moment at this more-than-a-century-old Squam Lake destination, where the days brim with hiking, yoga, kayaking, nature walks, and other screen-free diversions. Participate as a family, or savor a little adult R&R by signing your kids up for things like play groups, island picnics, and scavenger hunts. rdcsquam.com

Quisisana Resort | Lovell, ME

At this all-inclusive, cottage-style family resort edging nine-mile-long Kezar Lake, diversions like swimming, sailing, kayaking, and hiking share the spotlight with the talented young staff, who stage nine live performances each week. So who knows? Your waiter might just be a future Broadway star. quisisanaresort.com

Deer Mountain Lodge & Wilderness Resort | Dummer, NH

On the doorstep of this refreshed 1920s-built sporting lodge is the 1,000-mile-plus Ride the Wilds trail network, ready to be explored by ATV or snowmobile; equally accessible are fishing spots on the Androscoggin. The resort’s rustic tavern is your place to swap North Country stories. deermountainlodge.com

Medawisla Lodge & Cabins | Greenville, ME

Rebuilt and reopened in 2017 with features that make a remote getaway handicapped-accessible, Medawisla (“loon” in Abenaki) carries on Maine sporting camp traditions deep in the heart of the state’s 100-Mile Wilderness. outdoors.org/destinations/maine/medawisla-lodge