@moosefan93 , no matter where you go in Maine, you’re near an unspoilt place. It s a relatively wild state. The Belgrade lakes are very close (the school’s boathouse is on one). The outing club is very active and does trips all over Maine, and there is great hiking, skiing, climbing, camping, shore, – all of a quality that people travel for for vacation – relatively close. The outing club also makes equipment available.
I’m probably betraying my biases, but if I were going on a “great outdoors” vacation, I would be more likely to head for “Vacationland” than Virginia. To each his own!
Btw, closer to Mt Blue from Colby than GW National forest from W&L. But I am partial to Acadia…