Join us at Moosehead Lake for the week of July 22-27!
Three days in Greenville, Maine; Three days with the Penobscot Nation Cultural Journey, Sugar Island, the Penobscot River

PLEASE NOTE ~ Dates, times and locations may be subject to change.
Check back here for updates through the spring ~

WEDNESDAY, JULY 22
12:30-3:30 pm, Location: Katahdin Cruises, Greenville, Maine
Note ~ This special opening day for the Festival is made in collaboration between the Thoreau-Wabanaki Trail Festival and Katahdin Cruises/Moosehead Marine Museum. A portion of the $60 cruise ticket will go directly toward supporting Thoreau-Wabanaki programming, if it is purchased directly through the Festival. For this limited special offer, contact: info@thoreauwabanaki.org or call 207-534-7715.
PENOBSCOT SENSE OF PLACE & BIRCH BARK CANOES            
with Penobscot Nation Cultural & Historic Preservation Director James E. Francis, Sr. and Penobscot Guide Jason Pardilla

PENOBSCOT SENSE OF PLACE, with James E. Francis, Sr. ~ Learn first-hand the Penobscot legend of Mt. Kineo and how moose are part of the creation story. At once informative and humorous, Mr. Francis traces the Wabanaki origins and meanings of current Maine geographic names that many people will recognize today.  

Explore the Penobscot interrelationship to the landscape and their home ties to these woods and waters. He also sheds light on how naturalist writer Thoreau’s experiences with Penobscot guides through the Moosehead Lake Region influenced his American classic “The Maine Woods.”

BIRCH BARK CANOES with Jason Pardilla ~ Jason will bring a traditional birch bark canoe aboard the Kate. He will share insights about its construction, historical significance, and differences compared to modern canoes. In 1853, Penobscot Guide Joseph Attien led Thoreau on a birch bark canoe journey along traditional Wabanaki water routes, first steaming up Moosehead Lake in a boat much like the Katahdin. 

To Order Your Specially Reserved Ticket, a portion of which directly supports this Wabanaki program, please contact: info@thoreauwabanaki.org or call 207-534-7715.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 22
7:30 am – 11:30 am
THE SPIRITUAL ESSENCE OF THE NORTH WOODS
with Maine Guide Wendy Weiger of Moosehead and Charles M. Stang of Harvard Divinity School
Features “A Mindful Walk in the Maine Woods”
and “Thoreau & Transcendentalism Today”
Location: Outdoor, Lily Bay State Park, Indoor program: in The Depot, 10 am.

Outdoors ~ A Mindful Walk in the Woods, with Maine Guide Wendy Weiger 7:30 am meet at The Depot, Greenville, Maine
Thoreau’s life embodied a mindful approach to nature. Join Maine Guide and Moosehead Naturalist Wendy Weiger in a slow-paced, mindful walk through the woods in Lily Bay State Park. Explore the spiritual essence of the woods as Wendy introduces practicing a quiet immersion into the sights, sounds, smells, and feeling of being enveloped in nature. Her walk is to experience nature fully present, only in the here and now, savoring the summer woods and waters. Along the way, participants will consider the natural miracles that are always around us, if we open our eyes and hearts to see them. Her walk includes pauses along the way for a “mindful minute” — a brief meditation that deepens the sensory experience of nature’s gifts.

Indoor ~ Thoreau and Transcendentalism Today, with Dr. Charles M. Stang
10 – 11:30 am, at The Depot, Greenville Junction, Maine
Thoreau was part of a wider movement of Transcendentalism, centered in Concord, MA. In keeping with this year’s theme of “Living in the Landscape,” we will discuss Thoreau’s lifelong practice of contemplating landscape: especially the woods and waters near his home, but also his excursions to Mt. Greylock and to the Maine woods. We will spend timing thinking about how Thoreau’s practice and Transcendentalism more broadly can be translated for today: how can we live more mindfully in our own landscapes? What do we need to transcend in order to contemplate and commune more deeply with our own spirit and the spirit of the land?

WEDNESDAY, JULY 22
7 pm, Location: The Depot Historic Train Station, Greenville Junction, Maine
KEN BURNS FILM ‘HENRY DAVID THOREAU’
with Director Erik Ewers, Penobscot Nation Cultural Director James E. Francis, Sr., and Thoreau Society President John Kucich
Join Director Erik Ewers for a special evening screening of his newly released Ken Burns film “Henry David Thoreau,” a documentary that explores the life and national legacy of American 19th-century naturalist philosopher Henry David Thoreau. Mr. Ewers will introduce the showing of select segments of the documentary. After the screening, the Emmy-winning director will talk about the making of the film, the decisions that influenced the final cut. He will be joined by James Francis and John Kucich to explore some of Thoreau’s most important contributions to American society, including the human connection to Nature, the individual’s relationship to freedom, and the impact of racism on American life. Discover what made Thoreau an original, often considered radical, thinker of his time.

Thoreau’s canoe journeys with Penobscot guides, launched from Greenville through the Moosehead Lake region, helped shape his American classic “The Maine Woods” and forever informed his essays, making this documentary an especially inspiring lakeside presentation on the eve of the 170th anniversary of Thoreau’s final trip into the North Woods, and in commemoration of the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence.

THURSDAY, JULY 23
MOOSEHEAD FORAGING WALK
with Maine Master Wilderness Guide and Naturalist Alexandra Conover Bennett
8:30-10 am, Location: Greenville, Maine

Explore the remarkable natural wonders of the Maine Woods, what may be easily found when you are looking for it, and when you know what to look for. Morning foraging identification is led by field expert Alexandra Conover Bennett, who has lived her adult life off-grid and sustained by this northern land and water.

THURSDAY, JULY 23
The STORY OF MT. KINEO
with Penobscot Nation Tribal Historian and Archeologist Chris Sockalexis
Location: The Depot, 11 am**
Please note, time & location may change.

Join Archeologist, Penobscot Tribal Preservation Historian, and Flint-knapper Chris Sockalexis for an enlightening presentation about the importance of Mt. Kineo’s rare rhyolite to Indigenous tool-making. This engaging session will delve into the history of his ancestral home, focusing on Kineo’s significance to the Wabanaki people. Participants will have the opportunity to witness a live demonstration of flint-knapping, a skill that reflects both cultural heritage and the ingenuity of Indigenous craftsmanship.

THURSDAY, JULY 23
LIVING IN THE LANDSCAPE EXHIBITION
Location: The Depot, Greenville Junction, Maine, 1 – 5 pm

During this event, attendees will have the opportunity to visit a diorama exhibition showcasing two traditional Maine outdoor living quarters. One quarter exemplifies an environment arranged for the comfort of the summer season, highlighting how Indigenous peoples adapted their living spaces to suit seasonal changes. The other quarter is designed for survival in the harsh winter months, illustrating the resourcefulness and resilience of the Wabanaki.

An ongoing presentation throughout the afternoon will showcase the deep connection between living within nature and the well-being it offers. This insightful exploration emphasizes how engagement with the woods and waters acts as a sensory balm for the human spirit, using natural materials effectively and sustainably. Participants are encouraged to reflect on their own relationship with nature and consider the lessons learned from Indigenous practices that promote harmony with the environment.

Moosehead Lake Canoe Trip to Mt. Kineo PLEASE NOTE!
THIS TRIP HAS BEEN RE-SCHEDULED TO NEXT YEAR, 2027!!! IT WILL MARK THE 170TH ANNIVERSARY OF THOREAU’S FINAL TRIP INTO THE MAINE WOODS WITH PENOBSCOT GUIDE JOE POLIS. For more information about this special anniversary trip, contact: info@thoreauwabanaki.org or call: 207-534-7715.

Mt Kineo has been a very important place for the Wabanaki people since time immemorial. We will begin the canoe trip early Thursday morning and paddle to Hardscrabble campsite near the base of Kineo. Chris Sockalexis, the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Penobscot Nation, will be joining us on the canoe trip up Moosehead Lake. On Kineo, he will give a talk about the importance of Kineo to his ancestors. We will do a short hike to the base of the Kineo Cliffs where flint was quarried to make arrowheads. Chris will demonstrate flint knapping and explain why kineo flint is ideally suited for percussion flaking arrowheads. After lunch on Friday we’ll paddle back across to our takeout in Rockwood mid afternoon.

THURSDAY, JULY 23
ALL ABOUT BEARS
with Maine Bear Expert Caitlin Drasher, Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife
7-9 pm, Location: The Depot, Greenville, Maine

Black bears are a defining part of Maine’s landscape – come spend some time learning about these fascinating animals. Caitlin Drasher, State Black Bear Biologist with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, will share firsthand stories and insights drawn from years of field research across the state.

Learn about black bear ecology and behavior, how biologists track and study bear populations, and how decades of research have informed bear management in Maine. Caitlin will also discuss practical ways to avoid conflicts with bears and live safely alongside them.

FRIDAY, JULY 24
LIVING IN THE LANDSCAPE
‘We can never have enough of Nature,’ H.D. Thoreau
THE ECOLOGY of the MOOSEHEAD LAKE REGION
with Master Maine Guide and Naturalist Alexandra Bennett & Ecologist Amy Wilczek
9 – 10:30 am: meet at The Depot for an outdoor ecological walk
3:30 – 5 pm: meet in The Depot for an indoor ecological talk and exhibition

Morning Ecological Walk ~ Explore a nearby trail with guides especially tuned to whatever is found in the woods that morning. Guides for the walk will be responsive to what we see and to the interests of the group, with an emphasis on plants, birds, and trees. What was it that Thoreau remarked on from his trips into the Maine woods — what was he looking forward to seeing? What did he write about what he saw? What differences did he notice between Concord and Maine? As he moved from a landscape that he knew intimately and had walked daily over decades, how did he react to a new environment and try to understand it? What will we see today?

Afternoon ~ Living in the Landscape Interactive Workshop & Exhibition
In this interactive workshop, we’ll have the opportunity to explore ecological stories of the Moosehead region through natural, physical objects including the beautiful living and traveling accoutrements that people use to explore the region. What do these objects tell us about the growing conditions and what it takes to move through the landscape? And how do ecologists and naturalists learn to recognize and appreciate natural communities?


FRIDAY, JULY 24
BUSY DEMONS, SWAMPERS, AND INSOLENT MEN;
HENRY THOREAU AND THE PEOPLE OF MAINE
with Thoreau Historian Richard Smith
11:30 am – 1 pm, Location: Shaw Public Library, Greenville, Maine

 While Henry David Thoreau is best remembered for his keen study of the natural world, he was no less observant when recording his impressions of the people he met on his excursions. On each of his trips to Maine Thoreau left detailed accounts of the people he met in the North Woods. 

In this presentation Concord Historian Richard Smith will talk about Thoreau’s visits to Maine and the people he met along the way. What did he think of Mainers? How did he get along with them — and did they get along with him?

FRIDAY, JULY 24
THOREAU UNSETTLED:
Native Americans, Settler Colonialism, and The Power of Place  
with Dr. John Kucich, President Thoreau Society
7 – 9 pm, Location: The Depot Historic Train Station, Greenville, Maine

How did, or didn’t, Indigenous ways inform Thoreau’s own relationship to the landscape, peoples, and place? Was he a man of his times? How did his journeys into the Maine Woods and experiences with the Wabanaki shape his own life and writings? Join Dr. John Kucich, president of the Thoreau Society, author of “Thoreau Unsettled,” in a conversation about the influences that shaped the philosophies of one of North America’s best known essayists, Henry David Thoreau.

SATURDAY – MONDAY, JULY 25-27, Location: Penobscot Nation’s Sugar Island
PENOBSCOT WAYS IN THE WOODS AND WATERS
with Penobscot Cultural Director James E. Francis, Guides and Cultural Keepers

Location: The Penobscot Nation’s Sugar Island
Advance registration is required. There is a limited number of places for this intimate, popular weekend. Cost is $550.00 per person, includes all except personal items. A recommended personal list will be sent upon registering. For details or a registration form, contact: info@thoreauwabanaki.org.

Like Thoreau, participants learn under the wing of Penobscot guides about Wabanaki ways and the Penobscot life connection to the Maine woods and waters. Trip features easy canoe/camping. Days feature guided activities and may include learning plant identification and traditional medicinal uses; history, archeology, flintknapping, Indigenous ways of being a part of the natural world; the importance of the ash tree to Wabanaki culture; sweetgrass weaving; exploratory walks; learning about birch bark canoes. Cultural immersion includes demonstrations of traditional drumming and singing; campfire circle talk, including open conversations on any topic or question about Penobscot ways of life. Monday after breakfast, paddlers move downstream to Indian Island, load out, have lunch, and gather into a closing circle before saying goodbyes. 

For all program details, contact: info@thoreauwabanaki.org

The 2026 Thoreau-Wabanaki Trail Festival programs are made in collaboration with Penobscot Nation Cultural and Historic Preservation, The Thoreau Society, Katahdin Cruises & Moosehead Marine Museum, Monson Arts, Shaw Public Library, Destination Moosehead Lake, Maine Public, and the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife. It is generously supported by Maine Woods Forever, the Maine Community Foundation, the Maine Office of Tourism, individual contributors, and many volunteers.