Byron, Maine Vacation Guide

Byron is a small town in western Maine’s Oxford County with about 120 residents. It has a campground, a store, and a river popular for gold-panning. It is a good area for taking a vacation, especially in the summer or autumn.

Coos Canyon Campground & Cabins offers rental cabins, tent sites, and recreational vehicle facilities. The cabins can be rented year-around, the cost varies slightly depending upon the season. It changed ownership sometime around 2001. There are lean-tos and campers available for rent as well. It is located along route seventeen.

The store, which is part of the campground but accessible by people who are not staying at the campsites or cabins, offers gold-panning supplies (can be rented), some types of food/drinks, and gift items. The Swift River (it runs through Coos Canyon), which is near the store and campground, is well-known for gold-panning. According to the Portland Press Herald newspaper, there is a state-owned picnic area with tables and an outhouse along the river.

Weather in the Byron area is generally a bit colder than that of other areas in Maine, excluding northern and eastern Maine at times. Maine weather information and news, along with national news and religious programming, are available on the Rumford radio station AM-780 (not very far from Byron).

As it is heavily wooded and has a small population (along with less traffic), it is a good area to visit for seeing autumn foliage while on vacation. According to the Maine Office of Tourism, the Byron area is one of the better locations for fall foliage and in a region where leaves begin to change color earlier than most other areas. Also, the Rangeley Lakes National Scenic Byway begins in Byron (Route 17). The website of the campground/cabins indicates that the area is also desirable for fishing, hunting, and snowmobiling.

Byron also has a town office (open Tuesday and Thursday). The slightly larger nearby town of Roxbury offers a store, another campground, and a post office. Tumbledown Mountain, which is popular for hiking, is not very distant from Byron.

Overall, Byron is a pleasant town for lodging and some activities while on vacation, although you will probably need to travel to Roxbury or Rumford/Mexico for dining, fuel, and most other needs. More information about the campground and Byron are available at cooscanyoncabins.com. Little other information on Byron can be found online. Vacation information on Maine in general is offered at visitmaine.com (Maine Office of Tourism).