19th Annual Thoreau-Wabanaki Trail Festival!
July 23 – 28, 2025
Features! ~ ~ ~
Birch Bark Canoe Flotilla
Thoreau Nature Walks
Wabanaki, Thoreau & the Power of Place
Penobscot Ways in the Woods & Waters
CELEBRATING THE MAINE WOODS!
The annual Thoreau-Wabanaki Trail Festival commemorates the ways the Wabanaki people and naturalist philosopher Henry David Thoreau’s three trips into the Maine Woods, two of which were launched with Penobscot guides here on Moosehead Lake. The trail consists of traditional Wabanaki canoe routes and portages over the great Maine rivers of the Kennebec, Penobscot, and Allagash drainages, which Thoreau made universally famous in his book “The Maine Woods.”
Please Note
~ Schedule may be subject to some adjustment. Check here for possible updates.
~ Advanced registration is required to attend the Penobscot Ways in Woods & Waters cultural immersion weekend. Contact: info@thoreauwabanaki.org to register or for more information.
~ All other programs will be held in or around Greenville in the Moosehead Lake Region.
~ All Rights Reserved. Images/content on this site may not be used without permission.
~ For further Festival details, please contact: info@thoreauwabanaki.org
WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 2025
1 – 4 pm Birch Bark Canoe Gathering & Exhibition
led by Master Birch Bark Canoe Builder Steve Cayard
Location: Greenville Junction Wharf on Moosehead Lake, Greenville Junction, Maine
Steve Cayard builds traditional Wabanaki birchbark canoes, typical of the styles built by the Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, and Maliseet in the 1800s. Today, he is one of only a few people who knows how, and he is passing on that knowledge to present-day builders. He says building native birchbark canoes has been a way of developing a better understanding of Maine’s forests, and that the birchbark is a direct outgrowth of that forest, perfectly suited to, and a reflection of, this land and people.
Join Steve as he leads a two-day birchbark canoe gathering of paddlers from around Maine and Canada. Wednesday is the day of the gathering, where paddlers prepare their canoes to launch on Moosehead Lake. Fest goers can see the construction design of these canoes up close, while they are on exhibition throughout the afternoon. On Thursday, catch the feather-light glide of the canoes on the water, in a flotilla of the birchbarks!
7 pm The Art of River Traveling
with Penobscot Nation Guides Jason Pardilla and Ryan Ranco Kelley
Location: The Depot Historic Train Station, Greenville Junction, Maine
Both Jason Pardilla and Ryan Ranco Kelley have lived their lives close to the rivers, guided and paddled many different river systems. Tonight, they will talk about those adventures, some of the technical and heart skills required, and why being on the rivers is important to them. Jason Pardilla has guided on many rivers in Maine and out West. Ryan Ranco Kelley completed an 1800-mile canoe journey that took him from Maine to New York, up the Hudson River to Quebec, and back.
THURSDAY, JULY 24, 2025
9:30 am Thoreau Nature Walks
with Evolutionary Ecologist Amity Wilczek & Master Maine Wilderness Guide Alexandra Conover Bennett
Location: Meet at The Depot Historic Train Station, Greenville Junction, at 9:30 am, for a short ride to a nearby trailhead. Note ~ Bring water and a snack to enjoy at the overlook. Binoculars, a hand lens, and cameras if desired.
Little Moose Mountain Trail wanders gently but steadily upward through a mixed forest to a fine overlook of Moosehead Lake. We will poke along lingering here and there as we seek scarlet tanagers, blackburnian warblers, thrushes, mushrooms, sweet scented wood ferns, and wild edible and medicinal plants. Bring water and a snack to enjoy at the overlook. Binoculars, a hand lens, and cameras if desired.
Explore this nearby trail with guides especially tuned to whatever is found in the woods that morning. Expert Guides Amity and Alexandra will be responsive to whatever 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?
11 am The Tonic of Wildness: Henry David Thoreau’s Excursions to the Maine Woods
with Thoreau Society Historian Richard Smith
Location: The Depot Historic Train Station, Greenville Junction, Maine
Henry David Thoreau took three extended visits to Maine in 1849, 1853, and 1857. It was here that Thoreau experienced the true wildness of the North Woods: the moose, the rivers, the mountains, and – most importantly to him – the Penobscot people.
Join us as Public Historian Richard Smith presents the fascinating story of Thoreau in the Maine Woods. Why did Thoreau come here? What was he hoping to find? And how did Maine affect his life and writings?
1 – 4 pm Birch Bark Canoe Flotilla! Penobscot Nation Drummers
with Master Birch Bark Canoe Builder Steve Cayard & Paddlers
Location: Greenville Junction Wharf on Moosehead Lake, Greenville, Maine
Hear the power of traditional group drumming,
Penobscot Nation Flotilla Opening Ceremony
1 pm, Greenville Junction Wharf
Experience the feather-light maneuvering of an expected 30 birch bark canoes gathering in West Cove and on the Wharf throughout the afternoon! Visit with paddlers from across Maine and some from Canada.
7 pm Dark Skies ~ Aurora Borealis Photography
with Moosehead Lake Region Photographer Isaac Crabtree
Location: The Depot Historic Train Station, Greenville Junction, Maine
Learn to capture the millions of stars that span the dark skies of the Moosehead Lake Region with renowned night sky and aurora borealis photographer Isaac Crabtree. Isaac will share a beginner’s guide to taking photographs at night and tips on astrophotography, with a special focus on the Milky Way, Northern Lights, and other celestial events, like comets.
Isaac’s expertise is in aerial photography, while his access to the dark skies in the Moosehead Lake Region has given him ample opportunity to hone his skills in astrophotography. He has been teaching high school science at Greenville High School since 2007 and photographing the sky and landscape of the Moosehead Lake Region for much of that time. Photographers of all levels are welcomed!
Catch the wonder of the night sky around Moosehead Lake, one of only two locations in Maine with a high Dark Sky rating (the other at Katahdin Woods & Waters), and one of the rare places east of the Mississippi still brilliant with stars that can be seen by the naked eye. Watching the Aurora Borealis shimmer across Moosehead Lake is an oft-regaled occurrence. How does Isaac Crabtree work his magic to tell the story of this Dark Sky?
FRIDAY, JULY 25, 2025
9:30 am Thoreau Nature Walks
with Evolutionary Ecologist Amity Wilczek & Master Maine Wilderness Guide Alexandra Conover Bennett
Location: Meet at The Depot Historic Train Station, Greenville Junction, at 9:30 am, for a short ride to a nearby trail. Note ~ Bring water and a snack to enjoy. Binoculars, a hand lens, and cameras if desired.
This July she is joined by Nature Ecologist Amity Wilzcek of the Thoreau Society.
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?
11 am The Tonic of Wildness: Henry David Thoreau’s Excursions to the Maine Woods
with Thoreau Society Historian Richard Smith
Location: Shaw Public Library, Greenville, Maine
Henry David Thoreau took three extended visits to Maine in 1849, 1853, and 1857. It was here that Thoreau experienced the true wildness of the North Woods: the moose, the rivers, the mountains, and – most importantly to him – the Penobscot people.
If you missed 19th-century American literature speaker Richard Smith on Thursday morning, join us at Shaw Public Library for the fascinating story of Thoreau’s journey through these North Woods. Why did Thoreau come here? What was he hoping to find? And how did Maine affect his life and writings?
1 pm Moosehead’s Henry Red Eagle
with Moosehead Lake Region Historian Suzanne M. AuClair
Location: The Depot Historic Train Station, Greenville Junction, Maine
Who was Chief Henry Red Eagle? In part, Henry Perley, also known as Chief Henry Red Eagle, was valedictorian and class president of Greenville High School, Class of 1902, at a time when it was unusual for a Native person to lead in class. What did he do that made him so popular? What legacy did he leave behind here for his home town, and for the Moosehead Lake Region?
Join Historian Suzanne AuClair as she traces some of the traditions and early economic influences that were left behind by three well-known local Wabanaki residents – Henry “Red Eagle” Perley, Roland “Needabeh” Nelson, and Albert P. Faye, the long-time owner of the iconic tourist shop, The Indian Store, of downtown Greenville.
4 pm Moosehead’s Moose Population!
with Maine Moose Expert Lee Kantar, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife
7 pm Wabanaki, Thoreau & The Power of Place
with Professors Darren J. Ranco and John Kucich. Dr. Ranco is Chair of Native American Studies at the University of Maine. Dr. Kucich is a professor of English at Bridgewater State University and president of the Thoreau Society.
Location: The Depot Historic Train Station, Greenville Junction, Maine.
Thoreau had a life-long fascination with Native people, but it was his engagement with Wabanaki people in Maine that transformed his understanding of the power of place. Join Dr. Kucich, author of “Unsettling Thoreau” (University of Massachusetts Press, 2024) and Dr. Ranco, a citizen of the Penobscot Nation, as they discuss Thoreau’s evolving relationship with Native America, how his time in the Wabanaki homeland shaped his work on environmental and social justice, and how Thoreau’s time in Maine offers a new perspective on the Wabanaki revival today.
SATURDAY – MONDAY, JULY 26-28, 2025
Penobscot Ways in the Woods & Waters
with the Penobscot Nation Cultural & Historic Preservation Department
Like Thoreau, participants learn under the wing of Penobscot guides about Wabanaki ways, past and present, and the Penobscot life connection to Maine woods and waters. This trip follows the last leg of Thoreau’s 1857 trip on the Penobscot River, ending at Indian Island in Old Town. Trip features easy canoeing/camping. Days feature guided activities, and may include learning plant identification & traditional medicinal uses; history, archeology, flintknapping, Native ways of being in the natural world, the importance of the ash tree to Wabanaki culture, and sweetgrass weaving; visit to a wigwam, exploratory walks. Cultural immersion includes traditional drumming & singing demonstrations; campfire circle talk; learning about birch bark canoes, even trying one out.
Monday after breakfast, paddlers move downstream to Indian Island in Old Town, load out, have lunch, and gather into a closing circle before saying goodbyes. Advance registration is required. First come, first served. $725 per person, includes all but personal items. For further details or to register, contact: info@thoreauwabanaki.org.
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CELEBRATING THE MAINE WOODS!
The annual Thoreau-Wabanaki Trail Festival commemorates the ways the Wabanaki people and naturalist philosopher Henry David Thoreau’s three trips into the Maine Woods, two of which were launched with Penobscot guides here on Moosehead Lake. The trail consists of traditional Wabanaki canoe routes and portages over the great Maine rivers of the Kennebec, Penobscot, and Allagash drainages, which Thoreau made universally famous in his book “The Maine Woods.”
The 19th Annual Thoreau-Wabanaki Trail Festival
Mission
To encourage the understanding, appreciation, and stewardship
of Maine’s unique cultural and natural heritage; and to
Provide spiritual renewal in the North Woods for all Maine residents and visitors.
Sponsored by
~ Maine Woods Forever
~ The Northern Forest Center
~ The Maine Office of Tourism
Recommended organizations to visit:
The Abbe Museum
The Thoreau Society
The Penobscot Nation Museum
Recommended books to read:
The Penobscot Man by Fannie Hardy Eckstorm
The Maine Woods by Henry David Thoreau, and his other essays
Above the Gravel Bar: The Native Canoe Routes of Maine by David S. Cook
Dancing with a Ghost, Exploring Aboriginal Reality by Rupert Ross
2026 Thoreau-Wabanaki Trail Festival 