This little gem just catapulted to the top of our list of unexpected spring delights. Don’t let the name fool you – Kingdom Bog is not a bog. An outlet dam, built years ago, turned the bog into a wilderness pond offering solitude and unsurpassed beauty. Remnants of bog flora grow along the shoreline. We sampled many juicy cranberries left over from the previous autumn, and enjoyed savoring the zesty flavor of wintergreen berries along the shoreline. We always refer to them as “nature’s mouthwash.”

Although narrow, and little more than a mile in length, there are many enticing stops within a three-mile circuit of the pond. We recently enjoyed a two-hour early-afternoon exploration. The launch site is a great spot to enjoy the view north to a large wooded hill beyond the pond. A log home sits at the top with what must be a marvelous view.

The name is Kingdom Bog and it’s simply heavenly, particularly as summer continues to approach after a harsh winter. The view is from the boat launch at the outlet dam. Photos by Christine Wolfe

One of the three islands clustered together in the northern portion of Kingdom Bog makes for part of the appeal of a perfect canoe trip.

The sound of water gently falling over the dam mixing with the wind whispering in the pines provided a soothing start to our journey onto the water. Open ledges line the eastern shoreline offer the perfect angle to easily land your canoe and snooze in the afternoon sun. We even coaxed up enough verve to take our first swim of the season. Invigorating but not heart-stopping!

A quarter-mile up the pond sits a solitary island – a nice spot to land on its northern end. There is room to sit and relax under the scattered pines, and enjoy a sweeping southwest view of Haystack Mountain. High on its flanks sit a verdant meadow on the left and a boulder-strewn blueberry barren on the right.

The northern end of the pond widens into a circular bay. On the right, note the undercut scallop-edged ledge as you enter the bay.

In the middle of the bay sits a large pine forested island with two small islets yards away. We landed on the large island and walked through the pines to the southern side of the island. Along the way we discovered patches of trailing arbutus and got on our knees to smell the sweet scent of these spring flowers. Whoever came up with the idea of creating perfume must have been inspired by the aroma of the trailing arbutus. This is the state flower of Massachusetts and the provincial flower of Nova Scotia, and is found from Labrador to Alabama. They are also referred to as Mayflowers. A story circulates that they were called this because they were the first flowers the Pilgrims saw in the spring after their arrival.

The western side of the pond is ledge free, with hemlocks, pines and cedars vying for space along the shoreline. We came across a large beaver lodge with plenty of freshly cut branches woven into a roof that stretched up into a hemlock leaning out over the water. Plenty of fresh cuts had washed up in rows along the shoreline.

We wondered if they had cut too many to use, or had simply discarded those that failed their rigid quality-control standards.

As we drifted into the boat launch site, a solitary sandpiper flitted away from the shore and headed over toward the dam. It was hard to leave the peace and quiet behind so we dallied about the grassy shoreline gazing out over where we had just explored, making plans to come back sometime after work and paddling into the twilight magic of summer.

But for now all thoughts turned to the important stuff – driving west on Route 3 a few miles and making the requisite stop for large chocolate milkshakes, and watching the linear world of Route 3 hurtle by toward Augusta or Belfast with us holding secret our little patch of heaven just experienced at Kingdom Bog.

Consult the DeLorme Maine Atlas and Gazetteer (map No. 14) for help in getting to the boat launch site adjacent to the Kingdom Bog outlet dam.

From Route 3 in Montville follow the gravel Kingdom Bog Road north 0.3 miles and then turn right onto a narrow woods road that leads in 0.2 miles to the launch site.

Go slow. We found out that it is easy to pass right by the spur road leading to the dam. There are no signs to help guide the way.

Michael Perry is the former director of the L.L. Bean Outdoor Discovery Schools and founder of Dreams Unlimited, specializing in inspiring outdoor slide programs for civic groups, businesses and schools. He can be contacted at:

michaelj_perry@comcast.net

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