Mount Katahdin from Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument/George Wuerthner

Local and national controversy has surrounded Maine’s recently established Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. While there has been plenty of noise generated by these debates, none of it has touched on the reason the monument was created in the first place: to protect and encourage public access to Maine's natural beauty and outdoor adventures.

World-class camping, canoeing, kayaking, mountain biking, hiking, hunting, fishing, wildlife, and sightseeing are all at every visitor's fingertips. In September 2017, a team of four Maine-born photographers and filmmakers set off into Katahdin Woods and Waters in hopes of encouraging more public use. This film, Monumental, documents a five-day, 64-mile-long human-powered circumnavigation of the park by canoe, bike, and foot.

The video was made possible by Old Town Canoe with Hyperlite Mountain Gear, Baxter Brewing, and Good To-Go Foods.