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All the United States Maine Freeport The Desert of Maine
AO Edited

The Desert of Maine

This tiny patch of arid sand sits in one of the greenest states in the United States.

Freeport, Maine

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aloria
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Desert of Maine   Greg on Flickr
Desert of Maine   Ben R on Flickr
Desert of Maine   Daderot on Wikipedia
  jooltman / Atlas Obscura User
Gift shop with unique Maine products  
Please, Keep off the Dunes.   Willymjr / Atlas Obscura User
In the Desert Woods   Willymjr / Atlas Obscura User
Desert Morning   Willymjr / Atlas Obscura User
Desert Night.   Willymjr / Atlas Obscura User
Hobbits of the Maine Desert Forest   Willymjr / Atlas Obscura User
Welcome to the DESERT of MAINE   Willymjr / Atlas Obscura User
  ladyredtravel / Atlas Obscura User
The famous camel got a makeover by a local artist. June 2019.   ickaimp / Atlas Obscura User
  ladyredtravel / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Despite slowly encroaching vegetation and a great deal of yearly rainfall, the so-called Desert of Maine remains a strange reverse-oasis among the verdant Maine pines.

The small, 40-acre plot of land now known as the Desert of Maine actually began as a successful farming plot. As early as the late 1700s, the land was being farmed by the Tuttle family, who used the acreage to grow potatoes.

Unfortunately, by the late 1800s, the family had neglected to rotate their crops. That, combined with overgrazing by their flock of sheep, turned the land into a useless sandy silt. The family abandoned the unfarmable plot in 1919.

The "desert" isn't a true desert, as it still receives a fair amount of precipitation every year. In truth, the poor land use had exposed glacial silt that had been laying in wait under the topsoil for thousands of years. 

Because of the land's desert-like appearance, it was turned into a tourist oddity in 1925. The Desert of Maine has been attracting curious visitors ever since. The dunes are now adorned with desert-worn debris and even a fiberglass camel. A gift shop and "sand museum" have also been erected, where visitors can bottle and take home some sand from one of the most unlikely deserts in the world. Kids can hunt for gemstones in the dunes and climb around on the natural playground. You can even camp right next door at the Desert of Maine Campground. 

Related Tags

Deserts Roadside Attractions Geological Oddities Geology

Know Before You Go

The Desert of Maine is two miles off I-295. Take Exit 20, Desert Road, and drive West on Desert Rd until the dead end. As of June 2019, the Desert of Maine is under new ownership, and the current admission prices are $16 for adults, $12 for kids aged 4-12. 

Community Contributors

Added By

aloria

Edited By

rachelyounghans, dahvah, ickaimp, East Into the Haze...

  • rachelyounghans
  • dahvah
  • ickaimp
  • East Into the Haze
  • eoyount
  • nathanlouis1
  • saltmasterflex
  • sjb0926
  • EricGrundhauser
  • jooltman
  • ladyredtravel
  • Willymjr

Published

May 22, 2014

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Sources
  • http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/22/travel/escapes/22down.html?_r=0
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desert_of_Maine
  • http://www.desertofmaine.com/desert.html
The Desert of Maine
95 Desert Road
Freeport, Maine, 04032
United States
43.858955, -70.15615
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Freeport McDonald's

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miles away

Eartha

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Photo of Freeport

Freeport

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Places 2
Stories 1

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