A few years ago my son and his husband were hosting a Chinese new year party in NYC. My wife and I attended and met some of their friends, two Australian couples. While we talked it came up that I had done a small number of canoe trips, amongst them, the Allagash River in Maine. One thing led to another and soon we were planning a trip.
Me: Have you done any canoeing?
Young Aussies (YA): Yes, of course. But will there be bears?
Me: There are bears but they are frightened of you. Now tell me about your canoeing.
YA: Sure we know how to canoe. And I want to see a bear.
In late August 2024 we went to the Moose River bow trip, where we refined our paddling skills. On May 10 2026 we were in a shuttle truck heading to our put in at Bissonette Bridge on the river portion of the Allagash. We elected to avoid most of Chase rapids. The water level was very high, and we paddled quickly downstream to Meadows campsite above Umsaskis.
After a cold night we were up and out by 8:30, which wasn’t bad for a party of 7. Umsaskis was a bit windy and we stopped for a break at Ledges campsite. We had some wind on Long lake, but made it through to Long lake dam. The official advice is to portage around it, but there is a channel on River right where we could run a chute. I have done this in lower water without difficulty, and my party had no problems. We camped at Cunliffe Island.
Tuesday was clear in the morning and we had a short paddle to Round Pond and Inlet campsite. We had planned to hike up to the fire tower across the lake, but people were tired and we enjoyed an afternoon off.
Wednesday we paddled to Allagash falls, with a stop at the ranger station. The rangers warned about being careful to not miss the portage trail (!!!) which apparently happens some times. Yikes! We were still enjoying very high water levels, as in there was no rock dodging AT ALL.
Thursday morning we were up and out. The 12 remaining miles went quickly. I was very pleased that my group gained enough skills to have a safe and fun trip. Importantly, they did not leave me too far behind in my solo canoe. They certainly could have.
We saw moose, deer, eagles, osprey, ducks, geese, but alas, no bears. There were no other canoe parties, no bugs, and cold but manageable weather.
We had lunch at Two Rivers Lunch in Allagash, and a long ride back to Southern Maine.
Me: Have you done any canoeing?
Young Aussies (YA): Yes, of course. But will there be bears?
Me: There are bears but they are frightened of you. Now tell me about your canoeing.
YA: Sure we know how to canoe. And I want to see a bear.
In late August 2024 we went to the Moose River bow trip, where we refined our paddling skills. On May 10 2026 we were in a shuttle truck heading to our put in at Bissonette Bridge on the river portion of the Allagash. We elected to avoid most of Chase rapids. The water level was very high, and we paddled quickly downstream to Meadows campsite above Umsaskis.
After a cold night we were up and out by 8:30, which wasn’t bad for a party of 7. Umsaskis was a bit windy and we stopped for a break at Ledges campsite. We had some wind on Long lake, but made it through to Long lake dam. The official advice is to portage around it, but there is a channel on River right where we could run a chute. I have done this in lower water without difficulty, and my party had no problems. We camped at Cunliffe Island.
Tuesday was clear in the morning and we had a short paddle to Round Pond and Inlet campsite. We had planned to hike up to the fire tower across the lake, but people were tired and we enjoyed an afternoon off.
Wednesday we paddled to Allagash falls, with a stop at the ranger station. The rangers warned about being careful to not miss the portage trail (!!!) which apparently happens some times. Yikes! We were still enjoying very high water levels, as in there was no rock dodging AT ALL.
Thursday morning we were up and out. The 12 remaining miles went quickly. I was very pleased that my group gained enough skills to have a safe and fun trip. Importantly, they did not leave me too far behind in my solo canoe. They certainly could have.
We saw moose, deer, eagles, osprey, ducks, geese, but alas, no bears. There were no other canoe parties, no bugs, and cold but manageable weather.
We had lunch at Two Rivers Lunch in Allagash, and a long ride back to Southern Maine.
