Hoping to see a moose or two (which would make them…meese? Moosi? Moosies?) is a common wish list item for people visiting Moosehead Lake in northern Maine. After all, the region is literally named after the animal.

However, just because there’s a large population of moose in the area doesn’t mean you’re going to see one standing on the side of the road or outside your hotel window. Like most animals, moose are elusive, skeptical of humans, and try to stay out of the limelight.

BUT if seeing a Maine moose is on your bucket list, don’t be discouraged. There’s still a chance you’ll spot the largest species of the deer family — as long as you know where and when to look.

Maine moosing tips

To help guide your Maine moosing adventures, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

• Wake up early: Moose are most active at dawn and dusk, but I tend to see more wildlife in the early morning hours compared to evenings. In Moosehead Lake, there are plenty of remote places, but there are also a lot of campgrounds, and voices carry far near water. Hearing human voices can make moose skittish, making a sighting harder.
• Look near water: During warm months, moose are most commonly spotted near water. The large animals are herbivores, and their cuisine of choice is water plants. So if you want to spot a moose, look near ponds, bogs, and lakes.
• Pay attention to everything: Moose are very good at blending in with their surroundings, making it easy to drive past one without even realizing it. Keep your eyes peeled for any signs of movement — that might help you spot a moose.
• Be alert: When driving in areas known for moose sights — like Lily Bay Road — be cautious. Yes, you want to see a moose, but you don’t want to hit one with your car. Moose collisions are extremely dangerous and can be fatal. So when driving in moose territory, be cautious and obey the speed limit.
• Give them space:  If you see a moose (yay!) give it plenty of space. Moose will attack humans if they feel threatened — especially females with calves. Stay in your car if possible, and keep your voice down to not disturb the moose. If you’re hiking or outside, slowly back away from the moose to ensure it has plenty of space. It’s advised not to go searching for moose with dogs, as it’s not uncommon for a moose to attack — and even kill — dogs.

Our experience looking for moose in Maine

Like most tourists who head to the Moosehead region of Maine, my partner and I desperately wanted to see a moose. Upon arriving, I did some digging on Google and spoke to locals to figure out where we could see one. By the end of our trip, we were half successful.

No moose sightings: Lily Bay State Park

At dusk, we headed to Lily Bay State Park with our paddleboards. Not only were we curious if there would be any moose hanging around the water, but we also wanted to get our boards on the beautiful lake. It was a gorgeous evening in May, and the water was calm. We didn’t come across any moose, but we did see a mother duck with about eight ducklings and a few loons on the water. And we got a gorgeous view of the sunset from the lake, which is never a bad thing.

Note: If you head to Lily Bay State Park, there is a fee to enter, so I recommend having cash on-hand.

Spotted: Moose calf on Lily Bay Road

Most online moosing blogs recommended driving on Lily Bay Road, where moose are frequently spotted. Because of this, there are plenty of signs with moose alerting drivers of the massive animals:

The best times to drive the road looking for moose are dawn and dusk — when moose are most active. We drove the road a bit in the evening without any luck. The next morning, we woke up super early — like 4 am early. It wasn’t ideal, but if you’re serious about seeing a moose, that’s when you need to get yourself out of bed. Because by 7 am, the sun is high in the sky, and moose have likely retreated to the woods.

So by 5 am I was driving down Lily Bay Road toward Kokadjo with my partner snoozing in the passenger seat. As I rounded a corner — the road is very windy FYI — I spotted the backside of a small moose calf. I screamed, waking my partner just in time for him to see a quick flash of the calf before it darted into the thick woods surrounding the road.

We pulled over and waited on the side of the road, straining our eyes to catch a glimpse of the young moose or its mother (who we presumed was nearby) but no such luck. Our theory is that we just missed the mama moose, but were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the calf as it followed its mother into the woods. They were headed in the direction of the lake, likely to feed on water plants as moose typically do in the early hours of the morning. We continued driving down Lily Bay Road, but that was our only moose sighting.

No moose sightings: First Roach Pond

We made our way to Kokadjo — a tiny village about 20 minutes up Lily Bay Road from Greenville — in search of moose after I read that Kokadjo is known as an area that has more moose than people. We took our paddleboards to First Roach Pond — which is on Lily Bay Road and has a small, free parking lot.

Don’t be fooled by the name: Despite being considered a pond, First Roach Pond is massive. The water was calm, and the surroundings are beautiful — located near Baxter State Park, the area is quiet and serene with gorgeous mountain views. Sadly, there were no moose sightings for us there, but we did enjoy a paddle around the pond before heading to Kokadjo Camps & Trading Post for breakfast.

While we didn’t see moose, I would still consider it a good area for moosing. There aren’t many people in the Kokadjo area (per the town’s sign, the population is “not many”), and the pond has plenty of water plants for them to chomp on. If you’re in the area looking for moose, I would recommend stopping by Kokadjo in the early morning hours and seeing if you have more luck than we did.

No moose sightings: Lazy Tom Reservoir

After some deeeeeep digging through Reddit and other random online forums, I concluded that a place called “Lazy Tom Reservoir” was a good place to search for moose in the Moosehead Lake region. However, the reservoir is a bit off the beaten path and there’s not a super easy way to get there. Here’s how we managed to drive there:

• From Greenville, drive north up Lily Bay Road toward Kokadjo
• You’ll see First Roach Pond on the right and Kokadjo Camps & Trading Post on the left. Continue driving.
• Turn left onto Sias Hill Road
• Continue down Sias Hill Road until it forks. Take the road to the left — this should be Spencer Bay Road
• Follow Spencer Bay Road for about a mile. The road will curve to the left and you’ll cross over a body of water on a narrow bridge.
• After the bridge, there will be a small parking lot on the right side of the road. This is where I pulled in.

I believe this is the mouth of the reservoir, and I don’t know what happens if you continue down Spencer Bay Road. I also don’t know if the reservoir can be easily accessed at any other point. This is where I went, and the parking lot was big enough for a few cars (though we were the only ones there). The water is shallow, but you could probably load a kayak and paddle upstream away from the road — which is where I think your best chance of seeing a moose will be. We decided not to venture onto the water, but we hung around the area for a bit to see if any wildlife showed up. I was lucky enough to watch three river otters scamper in and out of the water as they did their morning fishing. So no moose, but still got to see some wildlife and enjoy a morning in a remote, peaceful place.

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While we were disappointed to not see a full-grown moose in Moosehead Lake, we had a wonderful weekend in the area. If you enjoy hiking, paddling, and breathtaking sunsets, Moosehead Lake is the perfect area to venture to in the spring or summer.