When most tourists envision Maine, the image is of coastal fishing villages, rocky island resorts and stately lighthouses. A visit to Western Maine, however, is a lake and woodland experience in a region dotted with real and fictitious sites related to novelist Stephen King.

King, who lived in Durham during his early childhood, is among the state’s best-known natives. From Bridgton, where King lived at one time while raising his children (cast as the town of Castle Rock in his stories) to Kezar Lake, where the writer vacations, one can drive the landscape and collect King stories by the blueberry bushel.

Autumn in southwest Maine brings spectacular fall colors.

Whether a King fan or not, a southwestern tour of the state offers numerous attractions, including snowmobiling and skiing at Sugarloaf or Sunday River; wild blueberry picking with the kids; romantic lakefront bed and breakfasts; and scenic steamboat rides on the Songo River Queen II on Long Lake, at Naples.

Southwestern Maine is the place to canoe, go antiquing or savor a warm bowl of the local chowder.

Yet there is another story, part fact, part fiction, one told by King in his best-selling tales, and by his neighbors and associates who are residents.

A tour of this woodsy, historic region takes one into the state’s past as a logging center. Here, hearty men, many French-Canadian, worked in logging camps from September through April, sharing labor, meals and folklore.

This history becomes apparent if one visits Rangeley, a town in the popular Rangely Lakes region, to see The Mad Whittler, a shop run by R.J. Richard. Richard, the son of a logger, carves out a living making lifesize figures with a chainsaw. He’ll induct women tourists into his worldwide “Bunny Club” by giving them a tiny carved rabbit.

Rangeley also has a logging museum, Rangeley Lakes Logging Museum, where one may view artwork celebrating the woodsman tradition; hear “The Mad Whittler’s” tales of the old logging era; and read scrapbooks and journals kept by those who worked the camps.

Staying the night and got the kids along? Ask your innkeeper or hotel staff for a prime spot to pick wild blueberries, if the season’s right. Antique and craft shops also abound.

While in the Rangeley Lakes area, dine on homestyle foods or lobster at the Kawanhee Inn and Restaurant, situated on Lake Webb in the tiny town of Weld. The young Stephen King worked as a dishwasher at this rustic lodge. Order a blueberry dessert, as the fruit is fresh and locally picked.

From there it’s a 74-mile drive south to Naples, a lakefront town where King once served as a kitchen hand for a defunct hotel called The Woodlands. There, the budding author met an African-American cook who served as the model for Dick Halloran, the clairvoyant chef in The Shining.