Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge, former site of our nation’s largest and first top-secret nuclear weapons storage base and Caribou Air Force Station (1950-1994). July 16, 17, and 19, 2024.
The Strategic Air Command was stationed here during the Cold War. They flew long-range bombers capable of delivering the nuclear weapons that were stored in the bunkers. Buildings were hidden underground or disguised to look like non-military structures. There’s also a “Mine Shop,”where nuclear weapons were assembled and inspected/repaired.
The land and buildings were turned over to the US Fish and Wildlife Service in 1998, which established Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge. I visited on three different days, spending two mornings at the East Loring Unit and one morning at the nearby Greenlaw Brook Unit. I then drove to the Little Madawaska Stream Unit, but at that location there is only one gated dirt road that leads to the water and no hiking trails (and nowhere to park).
The many(!) bunkers and nuclear storage buildings are at the East Loring Unit. Trails at this unit were overgrown and extremely buggy; so much so that to save my sanity I did them in two days instead of one. The extreme heat and humidity didn’t help matters. Views were mainly of fields and woods, though from time to time there was a pond or brook. I did the northernmost trails on one day and the southern bits the next, and each day I got back to my car drenched in sweat after having only hiked about four flat miles.
After finishing my hikes, I drove to the bunker area to see its many buildings. For the most part, one can get out and look around. There are, however, some places with DO NOT ENTER notices along with signs telling you you’re being watched.
Note the sign including mountain lions among Maine mammals. (!)
The heat had broken when I went to the Greenlaw Brook Unit. Also, most of the paths had been freshly mowed. I managed to hike all the trails (just over 5 miles total) without a head net, and my clothes still smelt fresh when I returned to my car. There are much better nature views in this unit – lots of pond/brook/lake scenery.
There’s a military dog cemetery at the entrance to the Greenlaw Brook trails.
A couple photos of the Little Madawaska Stream Unit –
Soon I will head back to “Downeast,” where I will spend my last week in Maine. I’ve enjoyed this state, but I am ready to be finished with it. I have been a little too isolated over the past couple of weeks, and I look forward to getting back into more populated locations.