Local students traded screens and hallways for lakes, trails and campfire circles this fall, as three Franklin County school groups stayed overnight at Maine Huts & Trails backcountry lodges, trips made possible by local residents and businesses who sponsored lodging costs.

Maine Huts & Trails operates a network of backcountry lodges along a nonmotorized trail corridor that runs between Carrabassett Valley and West Forks. The system includes Flagstaff Lake Hut, which overlooks the Bigelow Range, and Stratton Brook Hut at nearly 2,000 feet elevation with views across the surrounding forest and peaks.

Stratton middle school students stayed at Flagstaff Lake Hut on Sept. 10-11. There were 42 students and six chaperones. Spruce Mountain High School’s Outdoor Club made its first hut trip Sept. 27-28 to the same location, bringing 14 students and two chaperones. On Oct. 18-19, Mt. Abram High School’s Outing Club hiked to Stratton Brook Hut with 26 students and four chaperones.

A local resident sponsored the Stratton School trip, and Franklin Savings Bank sponsored the Mt. Abram group. For Spruce Mountain, Ranor Mechanical, Main-Land Development Consultants, and Androscoggin Savings Bank each contributed toward lodging. Schools provided food and transportation.

Activities differed by destination. Stratton and Spruce Mountain students swam, explored the shoreline, and used the hut’s canoes and kayaks on Flagstaff Lake. Mt. Abram students completed the more strenuous hike to Stratton Brook Hut.

Once there, students “spent most of their time relaxing, enjoying the views of the Bigelow Range, cooking and playing games in the hut,” said Sam Shirley, Youth & Community Program Manager for Maine Huts & Trails.

Shirley said the most memorable part of these trips is the chance for students to step away from screens and reconnect with one another in a shared outdoor setting.

“What I see as the most impactful part of the visits, especially for local students, is how it gives them the opportunity to disconnect from the internet and electronics while being immersed in the natural beauty of Western Maine,” Shirley said. “Despite only being a short drive from where they live, many of the students aren’t otherwise given the opportunity to be out in the woods with their peers. No matter what friend groups they may have back at school, these trips have a way of bringing students together through shared experiences.”

This spring, summer and fall, 12 of the 33 group stays at the huts were schools. A Youth & Community Experience Fund helps reduce the cost of stays for groups that do not have sponsors.

“We look forward to welcoming more schools during the summer of 2026, including Teens to Trails’ Middle School Spring Campout at Flagstaff Lake Hut on May 22-24,” Shirley said.