Gero Island

🏆🏆🏆🏆 Chesuncook Island — 3,200-acre island in Chesuncook Lake — one of the largest lake islands in the eastern US

Gero Island is a 3,200-acre island in Chesuncook Lake — one of the largest lake islands in the eastern United States. The island sits in the heart of Maine’s North Woods, accessible only by boat. Chesuncook Lake was the setting for Henry David Thoreau’s 1853 canoe expedition, described in “The Maine Woods.” Thoreau wrote that Chesuncook was “more grim and wild than you had anticipated — a damp and intricate wilderness.” The island remains virtually unchanged since Thoreau’s visit — boreal forest, moose, and absolute solitude.

Visitor Information

About Gero Island

Gero Island is a public reserved land on Chesuncook Lake — one of the largest and wildest lakes in Maine’s North Woods. The island is part of the vast Thoreau Country — Henry David Thoreau canoed Chesuncook Lake during his famous 1853 Maine Woods journey. The surrounding landscape has changed little since Thoreau’s visit.

Things to Do

Primitive camping on the island, canoeing Chesuncook Lake (following Thoreau’s route), fishing for lake trout and brook trout, moose watching (the lake shore is prime moose habitat), and stargazing in total wilderness darkness.

Insider Tips

Chesuncook Lake: Gero Island sits in Chesuncook Lake — one of Maine’s most remote wilderness lakes. Pro tip: Henry David Thoreau explored Chesuncook Lake in 1853 — his account in “The Maine Woods” describes a landscape largely unchanged today. Floatplane access: Many of Maine’s remote lakes are accessible only by floatplane or long canoe trips — the floatplane culture is unique to northern Maine.

Best Time to Visit

Summer: Canoe camping and fishing. Fall: Remote foliage — solitude guaranteed. Winter: Ice fishing in true wilderness. Spring: Loon calling season.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Thoreau write about Maine?

Thoreau visited Maine three times (1846, 1853, 1857) — his accounts were published posthumously as “The Maine Woods.” Unlike Walden’s domesticated nature, Maine showed Thoreau genuinely wild nature — vast, indifferent, and humbling. His ascent of Katahdin left him shaken by nature’s raw power. “The Maine Woods” influenced the conservation movement and remains one of the best accounts of North American wilderness.