Scraggly Lake Road

Scraggly Lake Road punches 8 miles into the unorganized territory of T8 R14, following an old Great Northern Paper Company tote road that dead-ends at the shore of 473-acre Scraggly Lake. The route starts at the Shin Pond checkpoint and winds through classic Maine boreal forest, crossing numerous beaver flowages and skirting the edge of Scraggly Lake Stream. The final mile drops through a series of steep pitches and mud holes before opening onto the lake’s pristine shoreline, where loons still outnumber anglers.

This is solid high-clearance country that stock 4WDs handle without drama, though spring conditions can get sloppy around the stream crossings. Late summer through early fall offers prime travel conditions when the leaves turn and the brookies are feeding. No permits required, but checkpoint fees apply for the private timber road access. Bring all your water and fuel — the nearest services are 25 miles back in Patten. Dispersed camping is allowed, and what you get is some of Maine’s finest backcountry brook trout fishing with shoreline sites that haven’t changed since the timber crews pulled out.