The Working Waterfront

Camping Downeast

Cobscook State Park a hidden gem

Leslie Bowman
Posted 2016-07-19
Last Modified 2016-07-19

LESLIE BOWMAN

Tim Corcoran clamming in Cobscook Bay with equipment provided by the park.

 

 

 

Robin and John Ladd of Brownsville Junction at their campsite.

 

Tim and Shari Corcoran of Casco have been camping at Cobscook Bay State Park for a dozen years.

“Sometimes, it seems we have the park to ourselves,” said Tim Corcoran.

On the first weekend in July, the park’s 115 sites were booked. With half of the campers coming from within the state, many consider this their secret destination, not far from home.

Across the cove, Robin and John Ladd have come from Brownsville Junction for their annual trip. Their daughter and grandchildren from Milo will join them. Part of their vacation will take them into Lubec for a church dinner.

“We like to sit at the table with local residents and be part of the community,” said Robin Ladd, who wanted to move to Lubec the first time she visited.

The area appeals to those “interested in authentic experiences away from crowds,” says Crystal Hitchings, promotions director with the Washington County Council of Governments.

A cultural attraction this summer is the Dennys River Historical Society’s “Audubon Down East” exhibition in the historic Academy Vestry Museum. James Audubon, naturalist and artist spent time in this village and launched an expedition to Labrador from nearby Eastport in 1833. 

 

Visitors entering the Dennys River Historical Museum in Dennysville on Cobscook Bay.

 

The 2016 summer exhibition at the Dennys River Historical Society Museum featurs a detailed overview of John James Audubon’s time in Dennysville and his voyage to Labrador.