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.