The Moosehorn (Baring Unit) Wilderness now contains a total of 4,680 acres and is managed by the Fish & Wildlife Service's Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge. All of the Wilderness is in the state of Maine. In 1975 the Moosehorn (Baring Unit) Wilderness became part of the now over 110 million acre National Wilderness Preservation System.
Every year thousands of migratory birds hitch a ride on the Eastern (Atlantic) Flyway, which spans the skies from Maine to Florida. At the northernmost end of the route, many disembark at 23,000-acre Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge. Although trees in this region have been significantly logged in the past, today a diverse forest stands here, a woodland of aspen, maple, birch, spruce, and fir with scattered stands of white pine. Once scoured heavily by glaciers, the land of the refuge is primarily low, rolling hills dotted with many lakes, bogs, marshes, streams, and rocky outcroppings.
The Moosehorn (Baring Unit) Wilderness is west of its smaller neighbor, the Moosehorn Wilderness. It contains Bearce Lake but is missing the rocky coastline.
Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge is located off Route 1 southwest of Calais, ME. It can be reached by taking Route 1 North from coastal Maine, Route 1 South from northern Maine, or Route 9 east from the Bangor area. Watch for the Refuge Office sign along Route 1.