This luxurious backwoods inn is small but mighty. It has just nine rooms, but each is adorned with its own unique New England flair, like the Allagash Suite in tribute to the 92-mile-long Allagash Wilderness Waterway (connected to Moosehead Lake by way of the even longer 740-mile Northern Forest Canoe Trail). The warm, earthy room has vintage paddles and antique oars on the walls and the bed is suspended from the ceiling by boom chains used for logging in the 1800s. The Moose Room unsurprisingly has a huge hand-carved wooden moose headboard and even bigger views of Big Moose Mountain and mighty Moosehead Lake. And the magnificent Katahdin Suite is so luxurious it even has a fireplace in the bathroom.

The lodge is a stately colonial, constructed in 1917, with sweeping views of the placid lake from its perch atop Blair Hill. Its sprawling grounds stretch down to the water, where loon calls fill the air and statuesque moose nibble on underwater vegetation. Moosehead Lake is

This luxurious backwoods inn is small but mighty. It has just nine rooms, but each is adorned with its own unique New England flair, like the Allagash Suite in tribute to the 92-mile-long Allagash Wilderness Waterway (connected to Moosehead Lake by way of the even longer 740-mile Northern Forest Canoe Trail). The warm, earthy room has vintage paddles and antique oars on the walls and the bed is suspended from the ceiling by boom chains used for logging in the 1800s. The Moose Room unsurprisingly has a huge hand-carved wooden moose headboard and even bigger views of Big Moose Mountain and mighty Moosehead Lake. And the magnificent Katahdin Suite is so luxurious it even has a fireplace in the bathroom.

The lodge is a stately colonial, constructed in 1917, with sweeping views of the placid lake from its perch atop Blair Hill. Its sprawling grounds stretch down to the water, where loon calls fill the air and statuesque moose nibble on underwater vegetation. Moosehead Lake is gigantic—nearly 40 miles long and 22 miles wide—so it's no wonder that a lot of what there is to do in this secluded section of Maine revolves around it. And when it comes to adventure here, there's not much that can't be done. In summer, birders flock to the lodge to spot over 400 species of our feathered friends. Canoers and kayakers can go for a low-intensity paddle on Class I rapids on the West Outlet River, where they might spot industrious beavers and otters. Rafters can arrange guided trips along the Dead, Kennebec, and Penobscot rivers that have runs for whitewater lovers of all abilities. Fishermen can troll, fly-fish, and even drop a line into the frozen lake in wintertime with a lodge guide who has nearly 30 years of experience in these waters. The Moosehead Lake area is also a hiker's paradise, with over 40 local trails including some incredible walks within Maine's famed 100-Mile Wilderness area and along the Appalachian Trail. The six-mile Big Moose Mountain trek climbs over 3,000 feet and passes through dense woods roamed by bear, deer, and moose. From the summit of Big Moose, you can view the regal hump of Mount Katahdin, Maine's highest peak at 5,267 feet.

In wintertime, activities really heat up at the lodge. Cross-country skiers can traverse over 100 miles of groomed trails, through pine and spruce forest, and past frozen ponds and waterfalls. Snowshoers can delve through a sublimely quiet winterscape while tracking winter's experts, the bobcat and lynx. The lodge will also pack guests a big thermos of hot chocolate and arrange a dogsledding lesson (for first-timers or better) during which mushers learn to harness their team and steer a sled before embarking on a two-hour moonlit ride through this still and stunning winter wonderland.

Heather Hansen is co-author of Disappearing Destinations: 37 Places in Peril and What Can Be Done to Help Save Them and has written for publications including Men's Journal, Outside, and Mother Jones.