Salty water, standing water, and rough water: Maine boasts the Holy Trinity of paddling opportunities. Kayakers and kayakers can travel from southern Maine to the coast and northern woods, and they never have trouble finding a place to stand. In the summer, I don’t even try to get my kayak off the roof of my station wagon. It was on Maine’s waterways that the first peoples of the region traveled. It was a grand 325-mile canoe trip in 1857 that caught the attention of Maine’s first great popularizer of Maine tourism, Henry David Thoreau. He had a wabanaki guide; you can contact his scout through the Maine Association of Professional Guides at maineguides.org. All locals, of course, have their favorite bays and creeks – I, being a middle slide, am pretty spoiled, surrounded by the tidal rivers that characterize Maine’s mossy coastline – but these five represent some of the most iconic paddling opportunities in the boating-obsessed state. .
Debsconeag Lakes Wilderness Area
A rarely visited pocket wilderness area owned and maintained by the Nature Preserve, Debsconeag includes nearly 50,000 acres and a couple dozen completely isolated lakes and ponds, along with groomed vehicle trails and lakeside camping spots. Come listen to the loons, admire the views of Katahdin, soak up the rope and enjoy the solitude.
Acadia National Park.
Sea kayaking along the coast of Mount Desert Island lets you see the contours of Acadia National Park from a completely different angle. Dramatic cliffs and sea cliffs rise from beneath the sometimes rough surf. Only experienced ocean kayakers can set out on their own, but a handful of outfitters paddle from Bar Harbor and elsewhere on the island.
Allagash Desert Waterway.
Traveling the remote 92-mile Allagash is one of North America’s classic river routes. Named the National Wild and Scenic River, it connects a succession of glassy lakes inaccessible to other uses. Abundant wildlife (it’s the heart of Maine’s elk country) and rutted stretches of rough water are a big part of the attraction.
Sebago Lake.
In the summer, 45 square miles of Sebago Lake attracts day-trippers from nearby Portland. The wooded Sebago Lake State Park on the lake’s north shore has a beautiful campground. Kayakers and canoeists often cruise around Frye Island’s charming seasonal outpost. Watch for loons, eagles, otters and buffalo.
Moosehead Lake.
Moosehead, the largest mountain lake in the eastern United States, is famous for both the lush green mountains surrounding it and its tentacles and more than 80 islands (many of them have campgrounds). Anglers come here for unsurpassed trout and salmon fishing, and paddlers can circle Mount Kineo, a 1,789-foot-high peninsular monolith that rises from the water like a huge stone whalespin.