Welcome to Chandler Lake Camps and Lodge
T9 R8, Aroostook County, North Maine Woods
Chandler Lake Camps is one of the oldest traditional Sporting Camps in Maine. Located in the heart of the Aroostook, Penobscot, and Allagash watersheds.
Our heritage stems from the nineteenth century and has become a tradition for many sportsmen looking for a quality fishing and hunting experience in Northern Maine.
Our staff is committed to providing you with fine home cooking, exceptional service, and quality, comfortable accommodations that will make your experience not just a trip but a memory that you will pass along for generations. Chandler Lake Camps and Lodge is not a destination you will be able to soon forget. In fact most of our guests become like family and return year after year to enjoy all that we have to offer.
We are a traditional Maine sporting camp, updated with a few modern conveniences. Our fishing and hunting resources are first class. Come step back in time and explore the beauty of the North Maine woods where Native brook trout, Landlocked salmon, arctic char, trophy moose and whitetail deer, ruffed grouse, and woodcock abound!
We are the only camps on the 418-acre Chandler Lake. Landscaped with old-growth pine and spruce forest overlooking Chandler Mountain. The rocky shores of the lake harbor our resident bald eagles and numerous pairs of loons. Your stay here will be a step back in time in North Maine Woods tradition.
History of Chandler Lake Camps and Lodge
Located in the shadow of Chandler Mountain, in Township 9 Range 8 of Aroostook County, a vast landscape of more than 4 million acres of working forestland is known as The North Maine Woods. Chandler Lake Camps and Lodge was founded in 1902 by a legendary hunter and trapper Almond Currier and Roach Adams in the heart of a favorite hunting and fishing ground for sportsmen. Chandler Lake empties into the Aroostook River through Mooseleuk Stream and is but 4 miles from the South Branch of the Machias River. As the valley afforded some of the finest moose and deer hunting to be found in the North Maine Woods and was within a short canoe and buckboard ride to the Railroad Station in the town of Marsardis.
For over one hundred years now the camps on Chandler Lake have been providing a quality traditional Maine Sporting Camp experience to many adventurous sportsmen and their families. The cabins are nestled among a rugged rocky shoreline in a forest of pine and spruce from a by-gone era.
While maintaining its claim of an area of great hunting and fishing, the experienced guides had successful seasons that followed. In 1904, Roach Adams, now being of Ashland, Maine had become the sole proprietor, buying out his partner’s interest. He continued running the camps, adding more cabins, a root cellar, an ice house, and a horse hovel. Records show his involvement with the camps ended in 1908 followed by Mr. Adams’s involvement in World War I. Records show ownership changed to F.Carlton and Alice Dole until 1924 and then to Judge William Prest of Boston.
In the spring of 1947, the family of Franklin Palmer Hart of Redhook, New York purchased the 9 cabins and 1.17 percent of the common undivided interest in Township 9, Range 8, Aroostook County from the estate of Judge William Prest of Boston. Mr. Hart, a prominent businessman, and outdoorsman purchased the camps to be used as a private family estate. The family enjoyed many years in Northern Maine, building new cabins, and employing local guides, caretakers, and pilots to care for the property. No road access was available at the time so travel was by river or floatplane from the villages of Oxbow and Portage Lake. With the family spending months each year at Chandler Lake, the Hart ownership spanned more than 50 years. In 1997, Jason Bouchard, a Northern Maine native and Master Maine Guide was searching the North Maine Woods for a remote cabin. Upon traveling the area by float plane he noticed cabins on the shore of Chandler Lake. After contacting the widow of Mr. Hart, the camps and property were purchased.
After 21 years of laborious work and meticulous attention to detail, a road has been built and a few modern conveniences added. The long history and charm of a traditional Maine Sporting Camp still exist on Chandler Lake.
Chandler Lake Camps has been operated since 1997 as an American Plan Sporting Camp by the Bouchard family offering delicious home-cooked meals and private cabins of the finest kind.
Our passion is Fly Fishing for Native Brook Trout and upland hunting for Ruffed Grouse and Woodcock while walking and paddling the same rivers and trails Roach Adams and Almond Currier traveled more than 100 years ago.
For the non sportsman, we offer the finest Northern Maine adventures such as nature tours, canoe, and kayak excursions featuring the Allagash Wilderness Waterway.
Our lodge consists of eleven hand-peeled, spruce log cabins, five available for guest lodging. All are situated on the shore of Chandler Lake. Keeping our strong tradition in mind we have updated our cabins with modern facilities. Full baths, power by generator when needed, and a supplemental inverter with solar panels for the night and quieter times. You will have electricity available in your cabin 24 hours a day.
We take great pride in continuing our Maine tradition. Our dedicated and professional staff are here to ensure quality service and experience for our customers.
After a day of experiencing the North Maine Woods, sit by the fire and absorb the nostalgia of our historic lodge. Read your favorite book or enjoy the peace and quiet from the porch. Here you can relax in comfort while recalling the memories you made in the North Maine Woods that day.
Take a few moments to explore our website. If you have questions please contact us by Clicking Here
Jason and Sheralyn
Chandler Lake Camps
