Saco River from Rotary Park in Biddeford

This section of the Saco is fairly quiet and wide. You will have to paddle against the current going up

river and if the water is high, as it often is in the spring then you'll work hard. The plus side is that on the way back you will have the current assisting you along.

The put-in is easy with plenty of parking and a cement ramp. When you drive into the park stay left to find the put-in. There are ball fields and probably bathroom facilities if you bear right on entering the park.

You have to go under the Maine Turnpike, The bridge is quite high and the current under it was not significant. Most of the shoreline is undeveloped and we found a few places where we might stretch our legs for a few minutes. We saw a couple of turtles basking in the sun, a blue heron, a bald eagle, and a couple of hawks antagonizing some smaller birds. We never made it all the way up to Skelton Dam on this paddle, but will save it for another time.

Tight shoulders from paddling can be relaxed with a Maine Warmer.

First Roach Pond

First Roach Pond in Frenchtown Township is anything but a pond and a lovely place to paddle. It's

Put-in on the western end

3270 acres, about six miles long and 1.5 miles wide at it's widest part . The put-in at the western end, in Kokadjo, is easy and there is plenty of parking across the street from the put-in. No parking signs dot the put-in area and the store owner who owns the land keeps a close eye out for violators. Also, there are not any bathroom facilities -- unless there is one inside the store. However, the put-in is only thirty minutes, at the most, from Greenville.

Snack and stretch time on the northern shore

The sandy/stony beach makes an easy place to put in. The shoreline is dotted with camps but there
were plenty of places to get out and stretch without feeling like we were trespassing. We only covered about half of the lake, never making it to North Inlet which I had hoped to check out. There is another put-in on the far east end of the lake which I hope to report on another time.

We saw Loons, but that was about it for wildlife, even though there were places where moose might be spotted. Early mornings and evening are the best bet for wildlife viewing. The lake has quite a few varieties of fish, including land-locked salmon, brook trout, and lake trout, according to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

Cool nights in this part of the state make using a Maine Warmer a welcome event at the end of the

Neck Warmer soothes tired muscles after paddling

day. The heat relaxes stiff shoulder or neck muscles, and at the end of day outside on the water I am ready to snooze.

Kayaking Indian Pond -- Upper-middle section in early summer

Driving to a place to kayak can be an adventure in itself as was the case with finding this put-in. It is on the Northeastern, upper

Indian Pond put-in on the Northeast end

end of Indian Pond which we accessed via a dirt road, called Burnham Rd off Rte 6 & 15 (no road sign visible). The road into the pond is fairly smooth for about five miles, then it jogs to the left, then right. Although this last stretch of road is only a mile, it took us almost 15 minutes to navigate over the bumps and through three or four large, muddy puddles, all the while being careful not to get the kayaks tangled up in low hanging branches. A four-wheel-drive vehicle with a high wheel base will helps.

See map 40 on the Maine Atlas.

Small cove to check for wildlife

There was plenty of parking, some picnic tables, and a wide stone beach that made putting in easy.
Tucked in the trees was a porta-potty that was clean! Although this area is somewhat remote there is a private camp right next to the put-in. We saw only a couple of boats during the four hours we spent on the "pond."

We paddled south, crossing over to the west side, avoiding the northern bulb of the lake where there are a number of campgrounds. Since we started our paddle about 10 AM we missed a lot of wildlife, although we saw a large turtle that I could not identify crossing the dirt road on our drive in. We came across a couple of man-made Loon nesting sites. The second one had a Loon in it, and not knowing what it was,

Man made, unoccupied Loon nest

we got a little too close. As soon as we realized what it was we quickly left the area hoping the mother didn't abandon her nest. If you see one of these, stay clear. The one in this photo happened to be unoccupied when we stopped here for lunch. Not knowing what it was made us curious and we wondered if it was some kind of trap.

Indian Pond -- really a large lake on the Kennebec River -- is a watershed created by the construction of the hydroelectric Harris Station Dam, in 1952-1954. The river starts as an outflow of Moosehead Lake, then opens up into Indian Pond. Several islands provide places for paddlers to step out for a stretch or lunch. As you paddle, be careful of rocks and tree stumps just under the surface of the water. There are also a number of small coves and streams to explore -- and where we had hoped to see a moose.

Maine Warmers Black Bear microwave warmer

Since I like to camp at the Holiday Inn, at the end of a day of paddling I am happy to heat up a Neck Warmer in the microwave and melt away stiff muscles. If you know someone who missed seeing a moose or bear on a trip to Maine, you can give them a unique gift of a Maine Warmer's Black Bear (like the one in the photo) or Magnificent Moose (check Comforting Creatures for more options on the web site) that can be microwaved and used all year long to relax tight muscles or to warm up.

Happy paddling in Maine!

Branns Mill Pond in Garland, Maine

Island on Branns Mill Pond

Branns Mill Pond is gorgeous with few houses and boats and is fairly shallow with depths of mostly 5 - 6 feet. A couple of islands make nice exit places for picnics.

Find it on Map 32 of the Maine Atlas.

We put in about 11 AM which is about the time the animals head for the woods. There were plenty of colorful dragonflies and butterflies. The obnoxious deer flies bugged us only when we paddled in places protected from the wind. We saw fish jumping and heard plenty of bass playing frogs. We had hoped to see a moose or an eagle but our timing was off.

It took us about 1.5 hours to paddle most of the pond and we paddled at a leisurely pace, watching for rocks and shallow areas. The island we stopped at had tall pine trees and fire pits that looked like they got frequent use. We did saw almost no litter.

Branns Mill Pond

There was plenty of parking on Notch Rd after you cross over a short causeway with another small pond on the other side of the road. The put in was easy with a gradual cement ramp.

This was a nice break and a good warm up paddle on our drive from Southern Maine to Greenville, as we took advantage of a great weather week end for kayaking. Slight winds made it inviting, otherwise, being fair weather paddlers, we would have spent our time hiking. The Moosehead area provides ample opportunities for both.

Whether you kayak or hike, both activities can result in a few stiff muscles. Make sure to pack your Maine Warmer -- that is if you camp at a place with a microwave oven. Then sit back and relax at the end of the day as you plan the next day's paddle or hike.

Paddling south on the Androscoggin River from Center Bridge Rd. In Turner, ME

The Androscoggin Riverlands State Park on the western side of the river protects twelve miles of the

waterfront from development. The Eastern side of the river has almost no development, making this a quiet, lovely place to paddle with several opportunities to get out and stretch along the way. A few islands long the way make for a nice spot to stop for lunch.

Put in at Center Bridge Rd. in Turner, ME

Inlet along the river -- calm shallow water paddling

Island lunch stop

A couple of unfortunate situations occurred resulting in the quietness of this stretch of the river today. One, the river was terribly polluted for decades due to dumping from industrial activities upstream. Two, a hydro-dam constructed in 1925 in Auburn, created an impoundment that stretches up river 14 miles and forced residents to evacuate the land along the river. 

The lower end of this stretch is more open and exposed to boat and float plane traffic. The upper end seems to have less boat traffic and there are several inlets that are shallow and fun to explore.

There wasn’t a lot of wildlife I think because we put in late morning when the animals seem to be less active. In less than two feet of water I inadvertently came close to a large turtle with an oval shell that was about twelve inches long. The head was almost as big as a baseball. I think it was enjoying the warmth of the shallow sunny water and was probably more startled than I.

A small box turtle was sunning himself on a log, and I was disappointed that we didn’t see more turtles on logs or rocks. A few fish were jumping, a Blue Heron flew off in front of us, several Dragonflies darted around and hitched rides on our kayaks, and other birds flitted about.

The put in has a decent ramp and bathroom facilities (portable) and lovely tree-lined frontage for picnicking. I am not sure if the water quality is okay for swimming. 

A Maine Warmers heating pad feels great on stiff shoulders at the end of a day of paddling. 

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.

Gulf Island Pond from the boat ramp in Turner

July 6, 2015

We put in Turner off of Center Bridge Road, at an all-tide ramp (not that is makes any difference in this location) on a beautifully calm day. There were a few cars in the parking lot and the porta-potty was okay. I was a bit skeptical after the long holiday week end. It looks like a nice spot to just stop and throw a fishing line in the water or enjoy the shady area and a picnic. I think swimming would be fine here too, although one would have to climb over a few rocks as there isn’t a sandy beach. 

Boat Ramp

It was a gorgeous paddle – no houses to speak of – with the Andorscoggin Riverlands State Park (it must be about 2 miles long) on our right as we paddled down river. The current didn’t look bad for paddling back against it, and as it turned out it was an easy paddle back.

We saw quite a few birds and one large turtle who we must have spooked. He frantically paddled his own way in the opposite direction after seeing us so close by. There were lots of nooks and crannies to explore and few island on which there were WELCOME signs. That was a nice surprise! They are owned by Maine Hydro and are open to the public for camping (no more than 14 days) and for those who want to stop, like we did, and have a picnic and move on.

There is not much development on this part of the river, I think because it was once so polluted from the mills that no one would want to be close to it. We noticed a lot of dirt and grease like substance on our kayaks as we took them out and gave them a good scrub-down once we arrived home.

This is a beautiful spot to see in spite of the need for continual clean-up. There was a very unpretentious and nice group of folks who were there the day we were. I’d go again.

If your shoulders are tight after paddling, try using a microwave heating pad from Maine Warmers to increase circulation and help flexibility. An extra large back warmer is long enough to cover the shoulders.