Experience the Untamed Beauty of Maine’s Unique Forest Road

The Golden Road in Maine starts in Millinocket, a modest town of 4,000 people just north of the state’s center. Here you can fill your tank, grab coffee and a donut at the Appalachian Trail Café, and resupply at the local Hannaford market. After that, though, you’re on your own. For 96 miles, the Golden Road takes you through vast stretches of forest, and you won’t find a single town between Millinocket and the Canadian border. The road is unpaved, and most of the passing traffic will consist of logging trucks raising dust. Even your cell phone will likely stop receiving a signal.

This backwoods highway has always been privately owned, ever since the Great Northern Paper Company completed its construction in 1972. The road’s purpose was to provide easy access into the remote timberlands of northwestern Maine, where tree harvesting was — and remains — a major industry. But the Golden Road is now open to the public as well, so everyday visitors can drive for miles into the wooded wilds. With a speed limit of about 45 miles per hour, the full route should take about four hours, although occasional flooding may hamper your progress. Far from any sizable town, the Golden Road is your chance to really get away from it all; it’s also considered one of the most scenic drives in Maine.

The Golden Road really is far out there; the closest major town is Bangor, about 70 miles south, and Bangor is at least three and a half hours from Boston Logan International Airport, the closest airline hub. Once you pass Golden Road Crossing and the cluster of other stores, you won’t find a hotel or motel, and tent- or car-camping by the side of the road can be treacherous, with the logging trucks whooshing by. If you decide to drive the whole thing, remember to carry a spare tire in your trunk and even a container of gas. It’s unlikely you’ll run out of fuel on a route of this length, but remember that your phone may not have enough bars to call AAA. Much of the surrounding landscape is bona fide wilderness, and one mistake can have serious repercussions.

Now you may be wondering: Where does the Golden Road actually take you? Sure, you’ll see lots of trees and animals — and more than a few mosquitoes — but what is the ultimate destination? Once you reach the end of the road, you’ll approach a Canadian border crossing at Sainte Zacharie. You can turn around, of course, and drive the 96 miles back; as an alternative, passport holders can continue into Canada. Most of the people crossing this frontier are truck drivers, but regular U.S. and Canadian citizens can theoretically drive across the international line, where you’re only about 95 minutes from Quebec City. This historic provincial capital is the perfect place for a winter holiday vacation but comes alive in summer as well.