Envision a handsome yet rustic (in the L. L. Bean style) sporting lodge crafted with timbers and stone. Step inside to the baronial Great Room, bookended by fieldstone fireplaces and rising to a cathedral ceiling. Two gently curving stairways ascend from one end to a second-floor balcony wrapping around the Great Room. Welcome to Sky Lodge, in Moose River, Maine.
Now, put this 7,500-square-foot lodge, along with a newer annex with motel-style rooms, cabins, and a few larger houses, on 150 acres of land roughly 15 mile south of the Canadian border. Add outbuildings housing a fitness center and two small museums: one filled with antique vehicles and the other with model railroads. Lace the property with hiking, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling trails. Did I mention the outdoor pool? Or the restaurant?
Sounds awesome, doesn’t it? So much so that I’ve stayed twice since Unity College received the Sky Lodge property as a gift from the Couri Foundation in March 2018. Last summer I stayed in one of the lodge guestrooms. And, earlier this winter, I celebrated the New Year with friends in a cabin.
But those weren’t my first visits. Back in the early days of Maine’s Kennebec whitewater rafting biz, guides and guests would don dressier duds, apply make-up, shave, and splurge on a fancy meal in the lodge’s restaurant.
History of Sky Lodge
Built as a private, luxury hunting and fishing retreat by a New York businessman, it debuted in 1929 as the Maw Paw Lodge. In the 1940s, two former World War II pilots purchased it, added a runway, and renamed it Sky Lodge.
Over the next decades, the property passed through a few hands. And, in the late 1980s, it went up for auction, but didn’t sell. Enter John and Elaine Couri, who purchased the Sky Lodge property in 1988 and launched the nonprofit Couri Foundation to operate it.
Sky Lodge today
Prior to donating the property to Unity College, the Couris restored the main lodge. Although many of the nine guestrooms (each with private bath) as well as the games room have fireplaces, only one is in working order. That’s one of the two in the Great Room, making it an especially inviting place to relax. UPDATE: Lodge rooms are no longer available for private booking. The lodge only rents as a whole.
The games room, which opens off the lobby, has pool, shuffleboard, and foosball tables. Also opening off the lobby are the restaurant, a TV/library lounge with full bar opening to a summer deck, and an office, as well as two guestrooms. Upstairs are seven additional bedrooms. These include the two-bedroom Sutro Suite, accented with two fireplaces, one in living room and the other in the bathroom.
Although attached to the main lodge, guests staying in the Annex do not have direct entry to it. Each of these pine-walled, motel-style guestrooms has two double beds; one has a small kitchen.
Also on the property, but across Route 201, are three newer cabins. Each has a living area with woodstove and kitchenette, bathroom with shower, and one bedroom downstairs. Upstairs are two loft bedrooms connected via a walkway.
Three multi-bedroom rental houses round out the lodging options.
Pets are welcome in many of the accommodations, but not in the main lodge.
A light continental breakfast is included for guests, although other heftier options are available for a fee.
Room to spread out
I adore the main lodge, especially that Great Room. Rugs define two distinct seating areas, each with mismatched couches, chair, and tables. If staying in winter, aim for first dibs on the one by the working fireplace. Even if you miss out on that, you can enjoy the blaze from afar from the other seating area.
Because it’s surrounded by rooms on three sides and with a porch on the front side, the Great Room doesn’t get direct sunlight. But, some light filters in through the front side windows on the upper floor and lamps keep it bright.
Trophy animals, including a wolf and a black bear, old tools, wildlife art works, and intriguing bric-a-brac make it fun to explore the public areas. Be sure to page through the old albums shelved by the check-in desk. They’re filled with vintage photos depicting the construction and history of the lodge.
If doors are open, you can peek into unoccupied guestrooms, but you might want to slip off your shoes before doing so to avoid making more work for the housekeepers.
Staying at Sky Lodge
As noted above, Sky Lodge offers a variety of lodging options. I experienced two: a guestroom in the main lodge and a cabin.
The main lodge
On my first visit, I stayed with a friend in Sally Mountain, which opens off lodge’s Great Room. This spacious yet cozy corner room overlooks the back lawn and woods through two big windows.
The room features two full beds, an easy chair with ottoman, a large oblong covered basket at the end of each bed, and a window bench pocketed between two built-in bookcases. As with all lodge rooms, it has a private bathroom. In this case, it was a tiny shower bath.
Log walls, a hardwood floor with area rugs, a huge stone fireplace, floral bedding, and a painting of running deer give it a country feel. The provided bathrobes are a nice touch. We didn’t find a noise a problem, but then we were the only guests that night.
A cabin
Three of us stayed in Cedar, one of three cabins grouped on the west side of Route 201. At first sight, I was concerned about noise from the road as well as from the neighboring cabin, but neither was an issue.
A kitchenette, with small fridge, microwave, stovetop, and way too little counter space occupied one corner of the main room.We later found a countertop convection oven in a cabinet. We were thankful it was winter, as we could keep some perishables (as well as wine) in coolers outside.
Sure, it was cozy, but we loved it. It’s an easy day trip to Quebec City, if you’re so inclined. We went as far as St. Georges-de-Beauce, about a 45-minute drive each way, to Les Peres Nature. I love this combo grocery/restaurant/butcher/bakery filled with delicious foods. We stocked up on Quebec cheeses and other goodies. In summer, you can make a picnic off breads, cheeses, charcuterie, and fruit and enjoy it at picnic tables edging the Chaudiere River, across from the market.
What to do when staying at Sky Lodge
Depending upon the season, you can snowshoe, ski, and snowmobile from the front door; workout in the fitness room; swim in the pool and play shuffleboard outside; and make s’mores in the firepit.
Year round, you can visit the two museums, and I highly recommend making time to do so. View antique vehicles, sleighs, snowmobiles, model airplanes, and even a full-size taxidermied moose in the car museum. The collection includes a 1931 Model A Ford woody, a 1982 gull-wing DeLorean coupe, a six-cylinder 1948 Plymouth coupe, a 1965 Ford Mustang convertible, a 1921 Packard Holdbrook town car, and a 1931 Ford Model A pick-up.
Railway artifacts and ephemera as well as models fill the Station House, but the big attraction is the working model railway. The multi-level scene stretches from New York to Maine and multiple trains to-and-fro through it. It’s not just the trains, though, it’s the detail that fascinates. Check out the drive-in theater, the amusement park, a man fishing, another mowing the lawn, yet another painting a house. Animation brings it all to life, as well as a construction site. Daylight cedes to nightfall and signage illuminates.
Lakes and waterways, forests, and mountain attract outdoor enthusiasts for hiking, mountain biking, water sports, and fishing. It’s especially popular with snowmobilers in winter. Scenic flights and golf are minutes away. And of course, Quebec beckons, too.
If you go: Sky Lodge.
