Slide Show

 Driving for Moose, A New England Moose Travelogue       written by Elisa and Jonathan Shaw    photos by Elisa Johnson Shaw

Day 1  Wenlock Area

It is mid-afternoon when we arrive at Brighton State Park in Island Pond, Vermont. We discovered this campground last year, and chose it for its proximity to several wetlands, the Wenlock Wildlife Management Area, and because of its lovely campsites on Spectacle Pond. On this particular visit, with the exception of two other couples and the ranger, we are the only humans around. Having established camp in a slight drizzle, we decide to spend the late afternoon in search of moose in the surrounding area. We explore a network of timber roads near Wenlock just off Vermont Route 105 in the vicinity of Lewis Mountain. After an hour or so driving through the mist and drizzle along the gravel road, through forests of tamarack trees, we see a large bull moose with broad velvety, palmate antlers, about fifty yards ahead of us in a clearing along the road. We watch him for a while, delicately creep the truck past, and then return to camp just before dusk, already feeling the trip to be something of a success.

Day 2  Dixville Notch, Umbagog Lake

Today our wanderings take us out of Vermont by way of Route 102 to Colebrook, New Hampshire, and then along New Hampshire Route 26 from Colebrook to the town of Errol. Here, we find Dixville Notch State Park, a few lovely waterfalls, and our first moose of the day. Heading Southeast about five miles from the park, we notice a young bull lingering a few steps back in the forest, visible, but well camouflaged. We see another a few miles further.