SKIER DAN CASSIDY hauls a bucket of snow to melt for drinking water at the Haskell Hut in the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument in northern Maine earlier this month. Overnight lodging in the wood stove-heated cabin is free for backcountry enthusiasts.

TOM MCDONALD OF SOUTH PORTLAND pours hot water into a backpacker’s meal during a lunch break along the east branch of the Penobscot River in the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument in northern Maine earlier this month. The scenic wintertime river views are popular among those willing to put in the effort on skis or snowshoes. There is no fee to access the park’s ski trails.

BACKCOUNTRY SKIER Bill Cunningham of Pittsfield shows off his knitted Viking cap during a snack break in the Haskell Hut in the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument in northern Maine earlier this month. Cunningham and his fellow members of the Penobscot Valley Ski Club were getting in the spirit for an upcoming ski trip to Norway.

WATER FLOWS THROUGH HASKELL PITCH, a series of drops on the east branch of the Penobscot River in the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument in northern Maine earlier this month. The cascades are one of several areas requiring portage for canoeists traveling through the park in warmer months.

BACKCOUNTRY SKIER BILL CUNNINGHAM of Pittsfield pauses to view Grand Pitch, a large waterfall on the east branch of the Penobscot River in the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument in northern Maine earlier this month.