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Songo Locks LbNA #33501

Owner:Adoptable
Plant date:Jul 27, 2007
Location:
City:Naples
County:Cumberland
State:Maine
Boxes:1
Planted by:Clover4
Found by: St.Laurent5
Last found:Aug 4, 2011
Status:FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFaa
Last edited:Jul 27, 2007
Songo Locks Letterbox Directions:

Songo Locks is at the north end of Lake Sebago in Maine.

If you are coming from Portland, take Rt. 302 west, passing through Windham, North Windham and Raymond. Its about 25 miles west of Portland to the State Road turn. Check your mileage at the Rt. 302 intersection with Rt. 121 North, but continue on Rt. 302. After 5.4 miles, turn left on State Park Road. Follow State Park Road for about 2 miles to Songo Locks. Cross the one-lane bridge, turn left and park near the locks.

If you are coming from North Conway, NH, Freyburg, ME or Bridgeton, ME, come east on Rt. 302 to Naples. At Naples (Maine), turn south on Rt 11. After 1.7 miles, turn left on Clement Road. When it ends (shortly) turn right on State Park Road. Follow State Park Road for 1.8 miles to Songo Locks. Turn right just before the one-lane bridge and park.

Time to walk! Check out the locks, talk to the ranger, and watch the boats go through. These locks are completely hand operated, and have been here since 1830.

To find the letterbox, walk back out to the road and across the one-lane bridge. Just on the other side of the bridge, turn right, and look down along a stone wall, between the wall and a little brown building, and you will see the end of a wooden walkway over the river spillway next to the locks. Walk down to the end of the walkway. If you feel like it, cross the walkway, view the locks from this side, and note the old mechanisms for raising or lowering the level of the Songo River.

Back to the hunt. From the land end of the walkway / bridge, continue down alongside the river, until you are near the end of the locks. Turn to the left where you will see a path going diagonally up the hill. Follow this path to the top. Just at the top of the hill, look forward through a small three-trunk birch tree (reported now to be a two-trunk birch tree, 22-Aug-08), across the open space to the far side where there are two big rocks on either side of a path leading to the road. Walk to those large rocks.

Stand between the two big rocks facing the road. On your right is a smaller rock. Site across the big rock and small rock on your right, into the woods, and spot a pine tree with a trunk about 8” in diameter, 45 feet (9 paces) away. The pine stands in the middle of a ‘borrow pit’, a place where dirt was removed probably to use in the construction of the locks. You can either walk directly to that tree, or back around the edge of the clearing and then into the woods to reach this tree.

Standing just a few feet away from the pine is a small grey two-trunk lichen-covered Maple tree. Look at the base of the tree to find the Songo Locks Letterbox.

Please hide the box again when you are done stamping in. Get an ice cream or soda at the little store across the road on your way back to the car!