The Allagash Wilderness Waterway, located in the far northern reaches of Maine, has been a highly sought after destination for paddlers from all over the world for decades. A journey along the Allagash grants an experience that can be hard to find elsewhere;
consisting of 92 miles of remote and pristine river and lake travel through the heart of the Great North Woods. A truly wild place.
As exciting as the prospect of tackling the entirety of the 92 mile route in one push sounded, I wasn’t quite sure if I was ready for such a water expedition, as most paddlers complete the entire route in around 10 days. Most of my experience in the backcountry comes primarily in the form of foot travel, but I do dabble in the art of canoe expeditions from time to time. I’m no expert by any means on river and open water travel, but I like to think I know my way around a canoe.
Months of pouring over trip reports and talking to local guides helped me settle on a more feasible plan; 50 miles over the course of four days, traveling through the northern half of the waterway.
This route avoids most of the larger lakes in the Southern half (and the burlier rapids), which can be tricky to cross when faced with the brutal North headwinds the Waterway is known for. This route I had chosen primarily consisted of river travel, with some open water lake paddling.
With my team of three assembled (and a trusted four legged, furry river companion, Max), we loaded up my car with one canoe and one kayak, and on July 13th we left the cozy confines of our apartments and the luxuries of city life in Portland, ME, and began the five hour drive North to Arrostook County, the land of Moose and sparse cell service.
July 14th, Day One, 17.8 Miles Paddled
Our shuttle van slowly but surely made its way down the series of backcountry logging and fire roads, weaving its way through the many acres of the remote forests and rolling hills surrounding the waterway, far
removed from any sign of civilization.
I was fascinated by the massive network of logging roads scattered through this area. Although seldom traveled now, this area was once a major hub for the logging industry way back in the day.
Just getting to our launching point at the Umaskis Lake Thoroughfare was an adventure in itself. After leaving Portland the day prior, we spent the night at Pelletier Campground in the town of St. Francis, ME, nestled along the St Francis River on the Canadian Border.
The following morning our shuttle driver loaded up his van with our
gear and we began the three hour journey to our launch point, not before dropping my car off at the takeout location. It was a long, bumpy, but scenic ride through the woods as we anxiously passed the time chatting with the shuttle driver and looking out the window for any signs of Moose. Sure enough, before we even got on the water, we passed a female Moose in a brief clearing of woods, adding awe and excitement to our crew that already had tons of stoke to be out here.
Right around noon, after the arduous drive through one of the most remote settings I’ve ever experienced, we arrived at the launch point at Umaskis Lake and bid farewell to our Shuttle drivers, and set off down the river into the unknown.
Day One was where most of our open water lake travel would occur. With me steering the canoe in the back, river dog Max manning the middle of the boat, Evan at the front of the Canoe, and Chad cruising on the kayak, we swiftly made our way North,
traveling across Long Lake and Harvey Pond before being deposited onto the river. Morale was high amongst the team, as the reality of what our lives would consist of for the next four days truly began to sink in.
There are 80-something primitive campsites nestled along the shorelines of the Allagash, so needless to say camping and afternoon siesta options were in abundance. No formal itinerary for camping was planned, as we felt we could paddle for as long as our hearts desired until we wanted to settle on whichever campsite seemed most appealing.
Nearly 6 hours of exposed paddling in the hot sun proved to be more tiresome than we may have thought, but we soon found ourselves docking the boats on the shores of Round Pond, home for the night. Sleep came easy for the team, as we fell asleep to the sound of Loons screaming away, and a thunderstorm slowly making its way towards our location.
July 15th, Day Two, 15.6 Miles Paddled
The sound of thunder and pounding rain on my tent woke me at around 4:00 am. My trusted Unbound 2P Shelter kept me and my gear bone dry throughout the storm that rocked the region during
the early morning hours. The storm slowly petered off, and by 6:30 the sun was shining throughout the Allagash Wilderness Water.
A nice morning spent sipping coffee and eating our breakfasts on our own private beach that our campsite offered had us fueled up and ready to continue our journey North along the river.
A brief mile and a half paddle along the shoreline of the Pond led us to Round Pond Mountain trailhead for a side quest. A gentle 2.5 mile ascent of Round Pond Mountain led us to the sketchiest of fire towers at the summit.
Despite the nerves, the long climb up the ladder proved to be worth it as we were gifted with a 360 degree view, with our route for the next three days clearly visible before us. Mount Katahdin loomed far off on the horizon line.
We were back in our boats around noon with the intention of covering some serious miles for the next few hours. With most of the lake travel behind us, we found ourselves cruising through fast moving waters on the narrow river at a speed of arounf 5-6 MPH. Some
sections of this river consist of long stretches of fast moving ‘rapids’; nothing that was too strenuous for our team but certainly required some attentive paddling and communication to ensure safe passage without capsizing.
The Allagash River is engulfed by endless rolling hills and mountains, proving to be a scenic backdrop for the team to marvel at as we paddled. I was beginning to realize why this sliver of land in Northern Maine had such the reputation.
Wildlife is also in abundance on the Allagash. We passed several Bald Eagles, Geese, Ducks and Loons who called this waterway their home. Birds aren’t the only animals that call the Allagash home, as we paddled right past a large Bull Moose enjoying an afternoon swim. We slowly paddled past him in awe of this massive creature, soaking in the setting, before he decided he had experienced enough paparazzi for the day and ran back into the forest.
Roughly four hours of paddling later, we were ready to call it quits for the day, as another thunderstorm loomed in the distance. We had gone the entire day without seeing another paddler on the water, but began to see other travelers already at camp for the night as we began our hunt for a campsite, ultimately settling on a large grassy clearing right off the shores of the river.
July 16th, Day Three, 8.9 Miles Paddled
We had heard weather reports of rain for the entire day from a ranger the previous day, but we awoke to an overcast sky with no immediate threat of rain. We hurriedly broke down camp and got back on the water, with the ambition of covering as much ground as possible before the imminent rain arrived.
