The Moosehead Lake area, in west-central Maine, offers a chance to experience the state's incredible natural beauty and wilderness with far fewer people than you'll run into along the coast. The lake itself is huge—more than 40 mi/65 km long, with lots of shoreline, and begins 125 mi/200 km northeast of Portland. Outdoors enthusiasts especially love the area, which has all sorts of recreation options.
It's a particularly good area to visit if you want to see a moose. Each May, the animals emerge from the deep woods in search of food, and you can often spot them near the roads. The MooseMainea celebration (http://www.mooseheadlake.org) honors their annual return, with many activities taking place in Greenville, at the southern tip of the lake. (Don't honk at or otherwise annoy a moose: They may seem placid, but they're powerful and unpredictable.)
Don't miss a chance to cruise with Kate while at Moosehead Lake. Kate, short for Katahdin, is a restored 1914 lake steamer (http://www.katahdincruises.com/museum.html) that contains the floating Moosehead Marine Museum. The vessel sails from Greenville during the summer.
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