Pack a cooler. The main picnic spot sits right at the foot of the West Ridge Trail, where the asphalt of Cardigan Mountain Road finally peters out into gravel and dirt. You will find heavy wooden tables shaded by paper birches and maples. Fire up a charcoal grill. It is a low-key, rustic setup with simple pit toilets nearby, making it the perfect staging ground to fuel up on ham sandwiches before tackling the steep granite slope ahead.

Maybe you want views instead. If so, stuff some cheese and apples into your daypack and hike the mile and a half up to the bare, windswept summit of Mount Cardigan. The 3,155-foot peak offers zero shade, but you get incredible 360-degree views stretching to Vermont. It gets incredibly windy up there. So, hold onto your sandwich wrappers tight, because the park runs on a strict carry-in, carry-out trash policy, meaning every single crumb of your lunch has to hike back down with you. No exceptions.