West Point Up the New Meadows River

The West Point beach in Maine has very limited parking and does not have an all tide ramp. As long as people are respectful, this place will remain open to the public. It is a gem.

We made our plans to put our kayaks in 2 hours before high tide. On this day we planned to navigate up the New Meadows River in order to take advantage of the incoming tide and the outgoing tide on our return.

On the way, because the wind had not picked up yet, we paddled out around an island for which we

couldn’t find a name. It is right next to West Point and may be called Carry On Island. The west side of this island is exposed to open ocean and is gorgeous.  In the afternoons, the wind tends to pick up along the Maine coastline, so we stayed on the protected eastern side on the return trip.

A few notes of concern:

1. When the waves hit the rocky shore they bounce back, causing the water action to become unpredictable.

2. There are some ledges which cause waves to break. Getting caught in breaking waves can be difficult to overcome, so we steer clear of ledges.

3. The motorized boats in this area tend to go at a pretty good clip. It's safer to stay together to increase visibility.

We paddled around Malaga Island, part of the Maine Coast Heritage Trust, stopping on the north west side where an easy take out is a welcoming spot on an otherwise rocky coastline. I made a huge error in leaving our lunch in the cooler in the car, so we didn’t stay long on the island to enjoy the trails and scenery from other vantage points.

There isn’t a bathroom at the put-in at West Point, so a stop on Bath on drive is prudent. There is an art gallery and a gift shop on the point, but I didn’t have the enthusiasm or energy to check them out at the end of the paddle. That may entail a separate trip. 

Please feel free to add a comment with additional information about paddling the New Meadows River.

At the end of a day of paddling my shoulder muscles are tight and a Maine Warmers' microwave

heating pad does the trick to increase flexibility. This Cozy Black Bear heating pad becomes a comforting companion at the end of the day.