spruce mountain lake

Spruce mountain lake in beddington Maine
is pristine, remote and Almost untouched.
There are only three or four cabins on this
lake and when my wife and I Stayed there for
a week the other cabins were unoccupied.
The cabin was somewhat difficult to get to
because the only road to the Cabin ends before
you get there and it’s about a 15 minute walk from there.
This is one of the rare times I didn’t take my own canoe because there is no Boat access to the lake
and an older canoe was at the cabin already.
the cabin sits only a few feet from the water and
every night the loons would call till two in the morning.
sitting on the porch at night in such a remote area with
just the moonlight and starlight listing to the wildlife is something you just cant get enough of.

A truly wonderful place .

the quaboag

The Quaboag River in Massachusetts can be a nice
Day trip,there are many places to launch from and the current
Of the water on the upper side of the river is slow enough so it
Can be paddled ether way but one once you get below the Lucy stone park
In warren its down stream only.I have paddled this river many times and still enjoy
It.the only problem I have with this river is the activity on the water, on a good day There are many other people enjoying the river everything from Jon boats to bass boats.If you like a little more solitude you can launch at the inlet to the quaboag pond , its called seven mile river and paddle upstream ,you will find that there is a lot less boating activity and the bass fishing is good.

pleasant river maine

The pleasant river in Washington county Maine
Is one of the few untouched rivers, it a slow flowing River that stretches from rt9 in beddington to the coast.
The river meanders through one of the largest peat bogs
In the country and because of the remote location few people
Venture into this area.
on one trip into this area with two other Fellows we started from the south end at a place called El meadow.
It was early spring and the water was high, I had my canoe and the
Two others were in another, I carried most of the gear.
Starting out early in the morning we traveled all day upstream, dozens Of Beaver dams blocked our passage.
About 7 miles up there is a wooded Rise in the land that makes a good camping area, we stayed there for three days.
The fishing was great, all the native brook trout you could want.
While on the river fishing more than once we saw moose feeding in the river sometimes paddling only a few feet from them. We also saw bear and may eagles.
The return trip was a lot easier the canoes were lighter and we were able to shoot over most of the beaver dams without stopping.

the machias and the narraguagus

The Machias River and the Narraguagus River in Maine are both challenging.
Both rivers flow through remote wilderness and with a good amount of whitewater.
The Machias river is full of history; along its banks there are places you can camp
that have been used by the Passamaquoddy tribe for thousands of years.

The Narraguagus River is a fun two-day trip. It starts off with slow moving
water that flows through a peat bog, then as it descends down through the woodlands
the water picks up in intensity. There were four of us on this trip with two canoes.
Early into our second day we rounded a bend in the river and we suddenly found ourselves in a steep down grade of whitewater that stretched before us for about 200 yards. At the end of the stretch was a ledge that the water washed up onto and it was a sharp turn to the right. Both canoes were going very fast the two fellows in front of us were having a difficult time controlling their speed and struck the ledge head on. Their canoe broke entirely in half. After seeing this unfold in front of us, I put my canoe sideways and slid up onto the ledge and was able to follow the flow of water and made the turn.
We then caught up to the two fellows and what was left of their canoe and gear. After
getting them dried off and making sure they were ok, they decided to take the largest half of the broken canoe and sit in it in a way that kept the broken end up andout of the water.
It was a long day but we did eventually make it all the way to our destination, Cherryfield.

the Quinebaug

Quinebaug river canoe trail.
This small river or large stream is another favorite.
I usually start at Holland pond and slowly meander downstream through wooded groves and open marshes, There is an abundance of birds In this area. Once I get to the Brimfield reservor, I turn around and head back.
It's an easy paddle upstream and makes for a good day trip.

Quabbin

One of my favorite places to paddle in Massachusetts is Pottapaug Pond on
The Quabbin Reservoir, but unfortunately there has been a recent ban on canoes and kayaks because of fear of invasive water species being introduced to the reservoir.

Canoeing on Pottapaug Pond is like being in the deep woods of Maine.
It feels remote, the landscape is mostly pine and fir trees on a rocky shoreline with a few islands scattered around. You hear and see loons, eagles, otters, Canada geese and if you’re lucky enough you might see a moose. There are many coves
to explore and the fishing is good.

Here is a list of waterways I have paddled in Maine.

WEST GRAND LAKE
MACHIAS RIVER
PLEASANT RIVER
NICATOUS LAKE
GASSABOUS LAKE
DEER POND
EAST AND WEST BRANCH OF GRAND LAKE STREAM
GRAHAMM LAKE
SHEEPSCOT RIVER
SHEEPSCOT LAKE
NARAGUAUS RIVER
DUCK POND
THE UNKNOWN LAKES
UNION RIVER
BOG LAKE
BEDDINGTON LAKE
SPRUCE MOUNTAIN LAKE
SPECTACLE POND
DONELL POND
WEBB POND
MOLASSES POND
BEACH HILL POND
GEORGES POND
PATTEN POND
TODDY POND
HAMILTON POND
SCHOODIC LAKE

Many of these waters are located in remote areas
To experience a few of them requires a two or three day trip.