Things to Do in Greenville, Maine
The best things to do in Greenville, Maine, are cruising Moosehead Lake on the 1914 steamboat Katahdin, flying over the lake in a vintage floatplane and heading into the woods on a guided moose tour. Greenville is a town of 1,437 people in Piscataquis County, at the southern end of Moosehead Lake, the largest lake in Maine.
Greenville was incorporated in 1836 and named for its green forests. The railroad reached Greenville Junction in 1884. Steamers then carried tourists up the lake to the Mount Kineo House, once the largest inland waterfront hotel in America.
Steamboat Katahdin and the Moosehead Marine Museum
Bath Iron Works built the Katahdin in 1914, and it’s the oldest vessel afloat built at Bath. It carried guests to the Mount Kineo resort, then spent decades towing logs until 1976 before a local nonprofit restored it. Today the 102-foot boat runs narrated cruises up the lake from its dock at 12 Lily Bay Road.
★ Good to know Cruises run roughly June through October, and they go either 12 or 20 miles up the lake, so pick the length before you book.
Seaplane rides with Currier’s Flying Service
Currier’s flies from its seaplane base on Pritham Avenue in Greenville Junction. Its vintage planes offer scenic flights over Big Moose Mountain, Mount Kineo and, on clear days, distant Katahdin. Longer tours head out to Katahdin itself or to Lobster Lake.
★ Good to know The pilots have flown wildlife surveys for the state, and moose, deer and sometimes a black bear show up from the air.
Guided moose tours
Greenville is one of the best bets in Maine for seeing a moose. Northwoods Outfitters, on Lily Bay Road, runs private tours with Registered Maine Guides by van or canoe, heading to backcountry ponds at dawn and dusk. The outfitter reports more than 1,000 moose sightings a year.
★ Good to know Tours run from May through November at early-morning and evening times, when moose are most active.
Lily Bay State Park
This 924-acre park sits on the southeast shore of Moosehead Lake, north of town. It has a campground, a swimming beach, a boat launch and a two-mile trail along the shore. Scott Paper Company donated most of the land in 1959.
★ Good to know In winter the shore trail is used for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.
Mount Kineo
Kineo’s cliffs rise about 700 feet straight out of Moosehead Lake on a peninsula halfway up its length. Native people traveled long distances for its rhyolite, which they shaped into arrowheads and tools found across New England. It’s now an 800-acre state park, reached only by water, with trails to the summit and around the shore.
★ Good to know A seasonal water shuttle runs from the public dock in Rockwood, north of Greenville; the 1893 Mount Kineo Golf Course is next to the landing.
Big Moose Mountain
This 3,150-foot peak west of town is home to what’s thought to be the nation’s first fire tower, built in 1905. The trail is 4.2 miles round trip, easy at first and then steep over rock and ledge past an old fire warden’s cabin. From the top you can see Kineo, Moosehead Lake and Katahdin.
★ Good to know The trail is free, and the access is on gravel; watch for logging trucks.
Moosehead Historical Society museums
The society, founded in 1962, runs three museums. At 444 Pritham Avenue you can tour the Eveleth-Crafts-Sheridan Historical House and the Lumbermen’s Museum. The Victorian house was a lumber baron’s wedding gift to his daughter. The Center for Moosehead History is downtown.
★ Good to know Forest Heritage Days and a summer speaker series are the society’s big programs; check its events page for dates.
Also in town
The Moosehead Junction mountain bike trails start right from downtown, Little Moose Mountain has longer hikes and remote ponds west of town, and Big Moose Mountain’s base has about 5 miles of groomed Nordic ski trails in winter.
How big is Moosehead Lake?
It’s the largest body of fresh water in Maine, and Wikipedia calls it the largest lake in New England. Currier’s describes a 40-mile stretch of open water, with Greenville at the southern end.
Where can you see moose near Greenville, Maine?
In the bogs and backcountry ponds around Moosehead Lake, mostly at dawn and dusk. A guided tour with a Registered Maine Guide gives you the best odds, and seaplane tours often spot moose from the air.
How do you get to Mount Kineo?
Only by water. A seasonal shuttle runs from the public dock in Rockwood, north of Greenville, and the steamboat Katahdin’s longer cruises head up the lake toward it.
Is Gulf Hagas near Greenville, Maine?
It’s east of town on private logging roads, with a day-use fee at the checkpoint, so allow a full day. The rim trail follows a gorge where the Pleasant River drops 400 feet in 4 miles. For more trip ideas, see our small towns in Maine or Bethel in the western mountains.
Where to find them
- Steamboat Katahdin and the Moosehead Marine Museum 12 Lily Bay Road, Greenville, ME 04441 Website Directions
- Currier's Flying Service 447 Pritham Ave., Greenville Junction, ME 04442 Website Directions
- Northwoods Outfitters moose tours Lily Bay Road, Greenville, ME 04441 Website Directions
- Lily Bay State Park Lily Bay Road, Greenville, ME 04441 Website Directions
- Mount Kineo State Park Rockwood public dock (shuttle), Rockwood, ME Website Directions
- Big Moose Mountain Big Moose Twp., ME Website Directions
- Moosehead Historical Society museums 444 Pritham Ave., Greenville, ME 04441 Website Directions
Plan your trip: for events and current visitor info in Greenville, see Destination Moosehead Lake (Moosehead Lake Region Chamber of Commerce) →
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Where to stay in Greenville
Keep exploring
Camden, MEAbout 87 miles as the crow fliesWindjammer harbor town under the Camden Hills.Things to do in Camden →
Bethel, MEAbout 93 miles as the crow fliesSunday River's village, with moon rocks on Main Street.Things to do in Bethel →
Rockland, MEAbout 95 miles as the crow fliesPenobscot Bay art town with Wyeths, a breakwater and lobster.Things to do in Rockland →Also nearby: Bar Harbor · Bath · Boothbay Harbor