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The Alpine-like summit of 3,650-foot White Cap in the heart of the 100-Mile Wilderness affords one of the finest mountaintop vistas in all of Maine. To the north across some 30 miles of heavily forested country stands mile-high Katahdin and its neighbors in Baxter State Park. Looking south, the grand view includes the rest of the White Cap Range, the Barren-Chairback Range, Big Moose Mountain and so much more. Extraordinary!

Much of the land around the White Cap Range has been preserved by the Appalachian Mountain Club over the last two decades or so, to the tune of 130,000 acres. AMC now has its sights set on another piece of the area’s conservation puzzle, the Whitecap Highlands Forest. This 29,500-acre tract on the southern slopes of the range is a mix of fragile high-elevation terrain and cold-water stream habitat for Atlantic salmon and native brook trout. 

 “The White Cap project is an incredible opportunity to protect a truly stunning, ecologically critical property,” said Steve Tatko, AMC’s vice president of land and conservation. “It really fills in the ‘hole in the donut’ by furthering the protection of the West Branch of the Pleasant River’s headwaters and buffering a scenic section of the Appalachian Trail over Gulf Hagas Mountain, West Peak, Hay Mountain and, of course, White Cap.” 

Earlier this year, AMC kicked off a campaign aimed at raising $15 million to support the Whitecap Highlands Forest effort, a goal that, when achieved, will “unlock” an additional $22 million land grant from an anonymous conservation-supporting donor. In the meantime, AMC is working with the interim landowner to manage the land on its behalf, has reopened roads to reestablish public access, and has created new fish passages.  

Now in its sesquicentennial year as America’s oldest conservation and recreation organization (1876), AMC established a presence in the 100-Mile Wilderness in 2003 with the purchase of the Katahdin Iron Works Tract. This 37,000-acre parcel includes the eastern four of the Barren-Chairback peaks, Long Pond and the headwaters of the West Branch of the Pleasant River above and along Gulf Hagas, Maine’s “Grand Canyon.” 

AMC added the Roach Ponds Tract (29,500 acres) to the north of White Cap in 2009, purchased 4,300 acres around the summit of Baker Mountain (3,528 feet) six years later, and then acquired the Silver Lake Tract (4,400 acres) southeast of White Cap a year after that. Two more land acquisitions followed: the 27,000-acre Pleasant River Headwaters Forest in 2022 and the 29,000-acre Barnard Forest between 2023 and 2025. 

AMC’s “Maine Woods Initiative” lands serve as an important anchor in a nearly continuous corridor of conservation lands ranging from Moosehead Lake through the 100-Mile Wilderness to Baxter State Park and Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. Including working forest easement lands, the conservation total is in the neighborhood of one million acres, a mind-boggling statistic given that 50 years ago, there was next to none. 

In addition to AMC, key players in this conservation mosaic include The Nature Conservancy, National Park Service, the State of Maine, Forest Society of Maine, Maine Audubon, Elliotsville Foundation and Butler Parklands, among others. Baxter State Park, Debsconeag Lakes Wilderness Area, Nahmakanta Public Lands, the Appalachian Trail and Borestone Mountain Sanctuary are some of the notable jewels.  

“AMC’s MWI property is remarkable. It’s a big place where we’re doing big things. People are really enjoying it,” Tatko said of this landscape scale conservation model that includes sustainable forest management, multi-use recreation opportunities, outdoor education, and ecological enhancement and protection. “Collaboration with our community partners has been critical to our success and that of the local economy.” 

A plan for the Whitecap Highlands Forest hasn’t yet been developed, according to Tatko, but AMC expects to establish new trails connecting the Gulf Hagas area to the White Cap Range ridgeline, good news for hikers looking for new tramping possibilities. This would add nicely to the 200 miles of multiple-use trails on MWI lands currently available.  

There are myriad ways to enjoy AMC’s MWI lands, both summer and winter. There’s hiking, paddling, mountain biking, fishing, wildlife watching, stargazing (it’s an International Dark Sky Park), and cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Along with backcountry and frontcountry camping, AMC also operates three full-service lodges in the Maine sporting camp tradition: Little Lyford near the Little Lyford Ponds, Gorman Chairback on Long Pond and Medawisla on Second Roach Pond. 

Carey Kish of Mount Desert Island is a Triple Crown hiker, freelance writer, and author of three hiking guides. Connect with Carey on Facebook and Instagram and at maineoutdoors@aol.com.