During the Summer of 2015 my wife and I took an overnight canoe trip to Middle Jo-Mary Lake and Lower Jo-Mary Lake.
The area is near Millinocket, Maine. It's about 4 hours from our home in Windham, Maine. Most of the driving is on Interstate 95/Maine Turnpike. We exited 95 at the Medway exit and took route 157 into Millinocket and then route 11, which follows the shore of South Twin Lake. After about 11 miles we turned onto Turkey Tail road and at the end met up with Fire Lane 3.
As we drove down Turkey Tail road it was line with camps, but as we proceeded the camps were further apart and the road narrowed. Fire Lane 3 was rough because of the large crushed rock used for the surface and I was concerned about our tires (the road was actually well graded).
The fire lane follows the shore of Turkey Tail Lake where we had originally planned to park and put in. There weren't any decent areas to park and Turkey Tail looked more like a marsh than a lake. I pulled the car off the side of the road near a small bridge in order to get a better feel of the situation.
Timing is everything, and just about then a truck with a family crossed the bridge. The man driving the truck stopped so I was able to ask him if there was a decent place to park. He had a hat that said "Buckhorn Camps" and not only told us that there was a good place to park about 100 yards past the bridge but also a launch area on to Middle Jo-Mary. He told us that there were two ways into Lower Jo-Mary, Cooper Brook and a small chute next to Buckhorn Camp.
View attachment PXjNaND1RHonI7K2EUzjOEfvjWnp73qGFxhe2lyJ5tZvZS3DwCnbAKYiMtqWwr-Zi7fWZcUXAKwpJ6HmvxioFIDVdcpwWagoIQ-Z
This is Diane portaging the canoe to the boat launch. We had just purchased this particular canoe, a Bell Morningstar, which is 15.5' long and weighs less than 40 lbs. I have a bad back, so at that time carrying a canoe was out.
There were a few camps in the area of the launch and space to park several vehicles. None of the camps appeared to be occupied, and our vehicle was the only one parked at the launch. We loaded up and were off. We paddled perhaps a mile and rounded a peninsula and suddenly there was Mount Katahdin!
View attachment MESpeCvmWvTnZZdhs6H_dL4EOkIV9TUVkphiT8b1f5glXRkROXXtyklBFU-4ogtquSNbUwwL2Ncy5y84wDQJIwNGbhYLjUbIbPi6
It was a spectacular view,.
We then paddled another mile to the northwest end of the lake, where Buckhorn Camp is located. On the right side of the hunting camp is where the small chute is located which is one connection to Lower Jo-Mary. I looked and notice a partially covered boulder in the middle of the chute. It appeared that the channel on the right was the way to go, so I told Diane that's what we should do. But, then I suggested just to be safe we should scout it from shore (I was being dramatic). Well it was obvious from shore that the channel on the right had another boulder that was submerged about six inches below the surface. We went in the left channel and shot through with no problem. Diane did not mention my first bold statement.
We paddled down to the end of Lower Jo-Mary, where there is a campsite used by hikers on the Appalachian Trail. When we arrived it had started to rain a little so we wanted to get our camp set up. There were three young adults swimming by the campsite (two men and a women), they told us the site was very large and there was plenty of space. There were a couple of women camping on the site, as well. We decided to take the furthest tent pad we could find from the other two groups. The site we chose was not great but adequate. We set up camp and cooked supper and by then it was getting dark so we called it a day. This is a view from the campsite, looking across the lake.
The next morning we woke to a beautiful day. When we finally exited the tent the hikers had already left. We cooked breakfast and then wandered around the rest of the campsite. It's large with multiple fire rings, and several areas of tent pads.
I had read where there was another campsite, almost directly across the lake. So we paddled over to see what we missed. It was a Caribbean type beach site with very little evidence of use. If we had arrived early the day before, this would have been the place.
View attachment HmeLZAy2a7Q_xuXvYAHd59JV3tMq3P17LRq1gQ-xon_gqMvN5C4AfjgAqb5m-TnMXshGF0qc9T3S0k-9PvG8XWuxXGvEcVcNHPO4
View attachment Omww35JbJlc_Ucmofh-M0E1Ap8R9QoaSq79O9of6PEreXVReLuaRFZsQpGfOTPkt4NNzmT6z3hYLj5DQAiXSnsoL_frNxxj2kRRY
After our tour of what might have been, we paddle down the north shore of Lower Jo-Mary. I was intent on looking at the outlet stream form Jo-Mary into Pemadumcook Lake. I wanted to see if the stream could be navigated or portaged. It was a rock garden and I could not see a portage around it.
We then paddled back against a fierce wind to Cooper Brook. Cooper Brook is the other connector to Middle Jo-Mary. I had read a post that questioned whether there would be enough water in the summer to canoe it, there was plenty.
The paddle up Cooper Brook was interesting. We crossed a beaver dam which was fun since Diane had never crossed one. A little later we saw a brown object moving across the stream. Much to our surprise it was a moose head only showing above water, but attached to a huge body. The moose noticed us just after we notice it. He climbed out of the stream and ran along the shore out of our sight. We rounded a bend and there he was, again. Finally he trotted off and out of sight for good. We fumbled with our camera so we didn’t get any pictures.
Cooper Brook is joined by another stream, but we continued on it and came to the opening into Middle Jo-Mary. Our car was on the other side of the lake. It was a dot of white which I could see, but Diane couldn’t (about mile and half away). She was nervous about our vehicle, but as we came closer she saw it.
This trip like many others in Maine is not as remote feeling as in Ontario. I enjoyed its beauty and the fact that it is located near home. We saw no other boats or canoes and other than a couple float planes overhead and the hikers at the campsite we had it to ourselves. I would rate it one of the best short trips we have taken
The area is near Millinocket, Maine. It's about 4 hours from our home in Windham, Maine. Most of the driving is on Interstate 95/Maine Turnpike. We exited 95 at the Medway exit and took route 157 into Millinocket and then route 11, which follows the shore of South Twin Lake. After about 11 miles we turned onto Turkey Tail road and at the end met up with Fire Lane 3.
As we drove down Turkey Tail road it was line with camps, but as we proceeded the camps were further apart and the road narrowed. Fire Lane 3 was rough because of the large crushed rock used for the surface and I was concerned about our tires (the road was actually well graded).
The fire lane follows the shore of Turkey Tail Lake where we had originally planned to park and put in. There weren't any decent areas to park and Turkey Tail looked more like a marsh than a lake. I pulled the car off the side of the road near a small bridge in order to get a better feel of the situation.
Timing is everything, and just about then a truck with a family crossed the bridge. The man driving the truck stopped so I was able to ask him if there was a decent place to park. He had a hat that said "Buckhorn Camps" and not only told us that there was a good place to park about 100 yards past the bridge but also a launch area on to Middle Jo-Mary. He told us that there were two ways into Lower Jo-Mary, Cooper Brook and a small chute next to Buckhorn Camp.
View attachment PXjNaND1RHonI7K2EUzjOEfvjWnp73qGFxhe2lyJ5tZvZS3DwCnbAKYiMtqWwr-Zi7fWZcUXAKwpJ6HmvxioFIDVdcpwWagoIQ-Z
This is Diane portaging the canoe to the boat launch. We had just purchased this particular canoe, a Bell Morningstar, which is 15.5' long and weighs less than 40 lbs. I have a bad back, so at that time carrying a canoe was out.
There were a few camps in the area of the launch and space to park several vehicles. None of the camps appeared to be occupied, and our vehicle was the only one parked at the launch. We loaded up and were off. We paddled perhaps a mile and rounded a peninsula and suddenly there was Mount Katahdin!
View attachment MESpeCvmWvTnZZdhs6H_dL4EOkIV9TUVkphiT8b1f5glXRkROXXtyklBFU-4ogtquSNbUwwL2Ncy5y84wDQJIwNGbhYLjUbIbPi6
It was a spectacular view,.
We then paddled another mile to the northwest end of the lake, where Buckhorn Camp is located. On the right side of the hunting camp is where the small chute is located which is one connection to Lower Jo-Mary. I looked and notice a partially covered boulder in the middle of the chute. It appeared that the channel on the right was the way to go, so I told Diane that's what we should do. But, then I suggested just to be safe we should scout it from shore (I was being dramatic). Well it was obvious from shore that the channel on the right had another boulder that was submerged about six inches below the surface. We went in the left channel and shot through with no problem. Diane did not mention my first bold statement.
We paddled down to the end of Lower Jo-Mary, where there is a campsite used by hikers on the Appalachian Trail. When we arrived it had started to rain a little so we wanted to get our camp set up. There were three young adults swimming by the campsite (two men and a women), they told us the site was very large and there was plenty of space. There were a couple of women camping on the site, as well. We decided to take the furthest tent pad we could find from the other two groups. The site we chose was not great but adequate. We set up camp and cooked supper and by then it was getting dark so we called it a day. This is a view from the campsite, looking across the lake.
The next morning we woke to a beautiful day. When we finally exited the tent the hikers had already left. We cooked breakfast and then wandered around the rest of the campsite. It's large with multiple fire rings, and several areas of tent pads.
I had read where there was another campsite, almost directly across the lake. So we paddled over to see what we missed. It was a Caribbean type beach site with very little evidence of use. If we had arrived early the day before, this would have been the place.
View attachment HmeLZAy2a7Q_xuXvYAHd59JV3tMq3P17LRq1gQ-xon_gqMvN5C4AfjgAqb5m-TnMXshGF0qc9T3S0k-9PvG8XWuxXGvEcVcNHPO4
View attachment Omww35JbJlc_Ucmofh-M0E1Ap8R9QoaSq79O9of6PEreXVReLuaRFZsQpGfOTPkt4NNzmT6z3hYLj5DQAiXSnsoL_frNxxj2kRRY
After our tour of what might have been, we paddle down the north shore of Lower Jo-Mary. I was intent on looking at the outlet stream form Jo-Mary into Pemadumcook Lake. I wanted to see if the stream could be navigated or portaged. It was a rock garden and I could not see a portage around it.
We then paddled back against a fierce wind to Cooper Brook. Cooper Brook is the other connector to Middle Jo-Mary. I had read a post that questioned whether there would be enough water in the summer to canoe it, there was plenty.
The paddle up Cooper Brook was interesting. We crossed a beaver dam which was fun since Diane had never crossed one. A little later we saw a brown object moving across the stream. Much to our surprise it was a moose head only showing above water, but attached to a huge body. The moose noticed us just after we notice it. He climbed out of the stream and ran along the shore out of our sight. We rounded a bend and there he was, again. Finally he trotted off and out of sight for good. We fumbled with our camera so we didn’t get any pictures.
Cooper Brook is joined by another stream, but we continued on it and came to the opening into Middle Jo-Mary. Our car was on the other side of the lake. It was a dot of white which I could see, but Diane couldn’t (about mile and half away). She was nervous about our vehicle, but as we came closer she saw it.
This trip like many others in Maine is not as remote feeling as in Ontario. I enjoyed its beauty and the fact that it is located near home. We saw no other boats or canoes and other than a couple float planes overhead and the hikers at the campsite we had it to ourselves. I would rate it one of the best short trips we have taken
