River

The Bear River is a 14.6 mile river feeding the Androscoggin River at the intersection in Newry. The river drains the south side of Grafton Notch and Route 26 follows its entire length. Access is easy. Best run in the Spring but can be done after heavy rains. It is a beautiful windy river with lots of boulders and three great ledge drops (Class III). 

The river rises out of the northern side of Sugarloaf Mountain in Western Maine. Above Carrabasset Village the river is a wild and extreme mountain brook. Once below the village the river offers excellent white water paddling down to Kingfield. The river emptys quickly after rain and is best run late april or early May.

The Cathance River is formed from the West and East Cathance Streams in Bowdoin north of Bradley Pond. The river travels south until it intersects Interstate 95 and turns north east becoming tidal after a 15 foot waterfall at Head of Tide Park in Bowdionham. The paddling is quite varied (flat water to Class V) and requires a number of easy portages thanks to CREA hiking trails along the river. It is a delightful paddle in a forested area.

Starting at Fish River Lake, the river flows eastward to Portage Lake. Turning north it flows through Saint Froid Lake and into Eagle Lake. From Eagle lake it travels north where it joins the St. John River at Fort Kent.

The river starts out in Liberty and meanders its way south to flow into Medomak pond. From the pond the river is flat but has rapids interspersed that usually can only be run at high water levels. The river continues south with plenty of turns with a nice take out right in downtown Waldoboro. From Waldoboro it meets the tide water and flows into Muscongus Bay.

Fed from the western slopes of Mount Washington, the Saco River rises out of Saco Lake in New Hampshire (Crawford Notch) and winds itself south-southeast to empty into Saco Bay with Camp Ellis on its north shore and Hills Beach on its southern shore.

The river starts in the Sandy River Ponds south of Rangley and flows east into the Kennebec River. The beginning of the river is unrunnable until Small Falls about 4 miles north of Madrid. From here the river travels 52 miles and drops 700 feet. It offers all different kinds of water for all different skill levels. The Sandy can be run well into the summer but during the Spring the river receives the melt from Saddleback and Mt. Abraham

The Sheepscot River rises in Montville and travels southwest through Palermo and Somerville. The West Branch of the Sheepscot joins the main branch in the Whitefield Salmon Preserve just north of North Whitefield. From there it travels south past Wiscasset till it reaches the ocean between Georgetown and Southport

The South Branch of the Dead River flows out of Saddleback Lake which is on the northern side of Saddleback Mountain. The river travels northward to start and then turns northeast and enters Flagstaff lake at the Southwestern corner near the town of Stratton The river has lots to offer all skill levels but usually can only be run during the Spring run off.

Spencer stream begins just south of Kibby Mountain. It travels southwesterly till it intersects the Dead River north of Grand Falls. The river is quite remote and travels through some beautiful and wild country. It is extremly difficult to reach the head waters. The stream water levels do allow for paddling late spring and into June. Luckily there is a USGS gauge to help decide if the water level is high enough. The stream offers many mile(s) long continuous rapids which make trying to get to the river well worth it.

The river is fed from several of the lakes around Liberty and Searsmont. The river offers some beautiful scenery in rural Maine, including hills with farms, forested areas and salf marshes. The upper section needs to have plenty of water  to run and offers the most interesting paddling. The lower section, which is mostly made up of ponds, can be run year round. The last several miles of the river (between Warren and Thomaston) is tidal and offers some attractive salt marshes.

The Wassataquoik is a pristine mountain stream fed from the northern side of Katahdin and flows Northwest through the center of the park and turns southeasterly at "Old City".  From this point the stream exits the park into Elliotsville Plantation and joins the East Branch of the Penobscot River about .6 miles downstream from Lunksoos Boat Launch. It offers a beautiful wild scenery with the seclussion many dammed rivers can't offer.