Attean Pond and Holeb Pond (Moose River Bow Trip)

We cover Attean and Holeb ponds together because they form part of the popular Moose River Bow trip. Holeb Pond and the neighboring part of the Moose River are protected by the Maine Public Land Reserve system. Bogs, fens, and marshes cover the landscape, supporting a large moose population. We saw two moose on our trip, and friends who made the same trip a year earlier saw five. In the evening, beaver swam before us, eventually slapping the water with their tails before diving out of sight as we ventured too near. The Moose River Bow loop totally encloses Number 5 Bog, a National Natural Landmark. Inaccessible except by foot down an old logging road taking off north from Spencer Rips, this unique, pristine fen of more than 1,500 acres may be the most remote of the Northeast’s large peatlands. Prominent fish species: salmon and brook trout. Fishing is said to be excellent.