This popular weekend is full.

Follow Ron Joseph and Greg Drummond through the woods looking for signs of local wildlife while discussing the winter and spring habits of flora and fauna. 60+ years of education and experience will bring some most amazing facts to your attention as well as the fun always had enjoying the great outdoors.

Tentatively scheduled: the Audubon Spring Birding in May and Moose Rut Weekend, which is held in September. We will have more information later on these two popular trips.(Reservations for Audubon scheduled trips are made through Maine Audubon. Telephone: (207) 781-2330 x209)

During this time we will be tapping trees, hauling sap, and boiling it down in our wood fired evaporator. Come help us and enjoy the work as well as some outdoor exercise. At this time of year there may still be skiing and snowshoeing, but if mud season comes early bring a good read and curl up by the fire. We’ll send you home with some of your own Claybrook Mountain Lodge made syrup. Price per person is $170 plus tax.

Join us for a very exciting time going out in the evenings to spy on all the life stirring in vernal pools. Bring rubber boots, raincoats, and let’s try to catch the great salamander congress that happens in a big way when the conditions are right. We’ll see peepers, wood frogs, gray tree frogs, salamanders, fairy shrimp, and the wildlife that feeds on this springtime feast. Price per person is $195 plus tax.

On June 10th we start out every morning to see the painted, wood, and snapping turtles come out to lay their eggs! We’ve never invited you to join us as it doesn’t sound like much fun….but it’s terrific. We will travel by van to different points to see several species and the nests as well as observing the beauty and wildlife of early summer in the mountains. Price per person is$195 plus tax.

Ron Joseph, a wildlife biologist who leads birding trips for Maine Audubon and other organizations, will be leading us for this birding adventure. This trip will involve hiking in the mountains, probably in the dark…so participants need to be fit and ready to climb. This thrush nests at the tree line and is particular about it’s site. The song will occur early in the morning and hopefully we’ll be there to hear and see the elusive Bicknell’s Thrush. Price per person is $200 plus tax.

Back by popular demand, whether you want to learn or brush up on your skills, Greg is the one to help. Casting will be taught and practiced at the lodge, along with some entomology and fly tying. An evening on a lake for some real fishing to use new found skills will hopefully challenge the class to catch something. Price per person is $225 plus tax.

We’ll provide the canoes, the picnic, the transport, and the guide to give you leisurely days on Sandy Stream and Gilman Pond. This is a beautiful paddle for the unskilled and so much to see. Moose, deer, otters, beaver, waterfowl, and eagles are all possibilities. Price per person is $250 plus tax.

Weather permitting we will launch the canoes in Stratton and paddle 10-13 miles on Saturday while enjoying the beauty of Flagstaff Lake and the Bigelow Range. Your guide will impart the history of the area, as well as the natural history surrounding you. Expect to see loons, eagles, moose, and more. You will be picked up at a point on the lake and driven to the lodge for dinner and the evening returning the next morning to paddle to the take out point. Greg will bring his boat and motor to tow the flotilla should the need arise. Price per person is $250 plus tax.

If you have attended in the past, you know what’s in store…we decide on the trip when you arrive. The group is divided according to hikers, bikers, and level of fitness. It’s more informal than other trips so the length varies as do the leaders. Past trips have included cycling around the Pierce Pond road system, hiking Peaked Hill, a hike to the Dead River crossing at The Forks, and biking in Carrabassett Valley. Price is $255 per person plus tax.

Arrive Friday night and hike to High and Helen Ponds on Saturday. It will be a day of beautiful views and a great hike. On Sunday, it will be a hike through the woods from the lodge to Butler Pond. On Monday, a hike up Bald Mountain which is the rounded mountain that dominates our view here at the lodge. Come enjoy a lovely fall weekend with us. Price is $275 per person plus tax.

A deposit of $100 per person will secure you a place on the trip. If you cancel we will not return the deposit but will be happy to apply it to another stay at the lodge. If Claybrook Mountain Lodge cancels the trip, your deposit will be returned. Reserve early!