Percival P. Baxter made it his life’s “magnificent obsession” to create, protect, and provide to the people of Maine a wilderness haven encompassing some of the most rugged terrain in the Northeast. Learn why this landscape deserves such lifelong devotion. We here at Baxter State Park are charged with upholding Baxter’s wishes.
“Man is born to die, his works are short-lived.
Buildings crumble, monuments decay, wealth vanishes.
But Katahdin, in all its glory, forever shall remain the mountain of the people of Maine.”
-Percival Proctor Baxter
The Park Authority is responsible for upholding the conditions set forth in Governor Baxter’s Deeds of Trust.
The Park is funded through an endowment left by the donor, user fees, donations, and revenue from the Scientific Forest Management Area.
Governor Baxter’s first priority was to protect the wildness of the Park.