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Time for Maine, looking for ideas

Having a few arrowheads find their mark over the years I have been steadily building up my tire repair kit.
I found the scissor jack and the reflectors in the dump. I'm going to make a larger base to set the jack on and hidden behind the jack is a Chock Block.
We're headed up Telos Road on Saturday

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Just got back from the Allagash Lake area. Drove several miles on the Freshly Graded (first tracks) Caucomgomoc Road. Made it OK, but definitely didn't find it enjoyable. FYI, Allagash Lake via Upper Allagash Stream is a no-go (at least with a WC canoe)until we get some relief from the drought.
 
Just got back from the Allagash Lake area. Drove several miles on the Freshly Graded (first tracks) Caucomgomoc Road. Made it OK, but definitely didn't find it enjoyable. FYI, Allagash Lake via Upper Allagash Stream is a no-go (at least with a WC canoe)until we get some relief from the drought.

Did you try Allagash Stream??? I would have hoped the folks at the Telos gate would have set you straight and told you to take the carry trail in this drought.
 
Freshly graded. sand pit. in mud season full of sharp stones
Gate people dont usually pry and need to be asked,;often they don't know as most are not paddlers
 
Gate people dont usually pry and need to be asked,;often they don't know as most are not paddlers

Last September they had a sign at Telos gate saying that the only access to Allagash Lake was via the carry trail because of low water. I assume the info came from the rangers but the folks at the gate, when they heard we were going to Allagash Lake, made sure we read it.
 
Did you try Allagash Stream??? I would have hoped the folks at the Telos gate would have set you straight and told you to take the carry trail in this drought.

I had checked earlier with NMW and they were not optimistic, but I have done that run quite a few times...a couple when I waded a lot up to and including once when the stream was level with the bank at the put in. It actually looked pretty good at the put in and the day before had been a gully washer of rain. I usually come in on the Sias Hill Rd so had no contact with the Telos gate.
 
Lobster Lake. Put in at the parking lot where Lobster Stream joins the W Branch of the Penobscot. Three to eight mile paddle to a campsite on Lobster Lake. Camp two nights. Lobster is a big varied lake with hiking to Lobster Mt. the Lake is about 5x 8 miles Moose sometimes walk the many beaches on that lake. It is shallow so it can get rough. The scenery is outstanding.
Day three go back past the Parking lot and join the West Branch of the Penobscot. Over the next two days float the 27 miles to Chesuncook Village. There are ALWAYS moose around.

If you want to extend the trip you will be meeting my favorite b*tch lake.. Chesuncook. Outstanding scenery of Katahdin but 17 miles to the State take out or Allagash Gateway Campground. The Campground will shuttle your vehicle.. drop you off at Lobster and leave it either at the Campground or Graveyard Point in Chesumcook Village.

Ask alsg about the one caveat re the West Branch of the Penobscot in low water. Thoreaus Rapid. It only surfaces in times of low water.. This year may be one of those years.
I'm making plans for next year. I don't see a trail up Lobster Mt. on the topo I have. Is it established and clearly marked. I'm curious about distance and gradient.

Thanks.
 
Nice, We used the Allagash campground shuttle but that was many years ago, so your saying that Chesuncook lake house does shuttles ? Thanks
best to check.. We spent last week at Seboomook. Northern and Seboomook and Burbank roads have not been graded nor Ragamuff . Even the 490 is bad. Now its way too wet!

And there is a sandy stretch of the Golden Road between Ragamuff and the 490 road that is now quicksand. Keep going or yer gonna sink.
Downed trees are a possibility. We saw dozens of little trees down across the road. Usually someone had snapped the tops so you could get around. There was one on Ragamuff ( going to Caucogomoc Lake) that was a big spruce 80 feet or more hanging at a 45 degree angle. Worrisome as if we had go backtrack we did not have a chain saw.

In some ways if you can stomach the fees taking two cars may be more feasible as the beginning and end points are only half an hour apart; if you go from Lobster Trip down the WestBranch and Chesuncook all the way to Allagash Gateway Campground.
 
best to check.. We spent last week at Seboomook. Northern and Seboomook and Burbank roads have not been graded nor Ragamuff . Even the 490 is bad. Now its way too wet!

And there is a sandy stretch of the Golden Road between Ragamuff and the 490 road that is now quicksand. Keep going or yer gonna sink.
Downed trees are a possibility. We saw dozens of little trees down across the road. Usually someone had snapped the tops so you could get around. There was one on Ragamuff ( going to Caucogomoc Lake) that was a big spruce 80 feet or more hanging at a 45 degree angle. Worrisome as if we had go backtrack we did not have a chain saw.

In some ways if you can stomach the fees taking two cars may be more feasible as the beginning and end points are only half an hour apart; if you go from Lobster Trip down the WestBranch and Chesuncook all the way to Allagash Gateway Campground.
Great, thanks for the information, we are planning something for late September and that looks like a great option. half hour apart isn't too bad at all , I've done that trip a couple times, the last time was in June a few years ago and we went to the left side of Big Island and it was a rock garden, on the West Branch ,the water was somewhat low. I might try the right side depending on the water. Happy paddling !
 
...if you can stomach the fees...
Forgive my ignorance of the area but... fees? Is that because you have to travel a toll road twice to retrieve the drop-off car? Seems it would still be cheaper than a shuttle but, then again, I avoid the toll roads here like the plague because PA is insane on tolls.
 
Forgive my ignorance of the area but... fees? Is that because you have to travel a toll road twice to retrieve the drop-off car? Seems it would still be cheaper than a shuttle but, then again, I avoid the toll roads here like the plague because PA is insane on tolls.
actually toll is a misnomer..$16 day use fee/pp and 11.00 pp additional per person camping fee.
 
With a fetch of 27 miles its a crapshoot. Most aren't so lucky! I have been on it five times for nine days and one was nice. But the huge mare's tails in the sky were ominous for the next day. We paddled all the way down from the river to AGC that day. 18 miles. One trip from Burbank put in to AGC we did as an overnight the water was so high and had a tail wind.. We were on the water 9am one day and 47 miles later off the water at noon.
I've been burned on Chesuncook. Twenty-one years ago, I was a young man who didn't know any better and we were a big group, setting out across the lake from the Village, having just snacked on some of their legendary fudge. We were "supposed to" camp on Gero island but never should have left shore given how the wind was coming up. About halfway across, canoes started swamping and we did our best to tee rescue one another until we were all too swamped to help anymore. Thankfully, someone from the village had their eyes on us and came out in a power boat to save us, one boat after the next. The calamity divided our group on each side of the lake, with half of us camped on Gero Island for the night and the rest back at the village with tents pitched on someone's front lawn. I lost my own bag of personal clothing and did the rest of the trip (through Chamberlain, Telos and Webster Brook to Mattagamon) with little more than the shirt on my back and a few precious borrowed items. Learned more than a few lessons that day!

Rocky Lake has a few official campsites, and Second Lake has one (it's nice).
https://www.maine.gov/dacf/parksearch/PropertyGuides/PDF_GUIDE/rockylakeguide.pdf
(n.b., on the ground Rocky has more campsites than are on that map)

East Machias would also have less road drama than a PRC/Allagash/NMW trip -- the put-in for Rocky (on the inlet stream) is ~1mi from a paved state highway.

Goonstroke and Glenn have me thinking about a Rocky Lake trip with my twins (7 year old boys) in late August. What appeals to me is that it seems we could put-in on the inlet river, at mud landing, and then paddle just a short distance to the Rocky Lake Island campsites, or Piney Point. That would give my boys a little taste of both river and lake paddling, but it still keeps the distance as short as possible given that I'll effectively be soloing with the unruly ballast of two seven-year-olds! We'd post up for a couple days and then paddle back to our car (assuming that the inlet river moves slowly enough). Are the campsites nice enough to warrant a multi-day stay? Thanks!
 
I've been burned on Chesuncook. Twenty-one years ago, I was a young man who didn't know any better and we were a big group, setting out across the lake from the Village, having just snacked on some of their legendary fudge. We were "supposed to" camp on Gero island but never should have left shore given how the wind was coming up. About halfway across, canoes started swamping and we did our best to tee rescue one another until we were all too swamped to help anymore. Thankfully, someone from the village had their eyes on us and came out in a power boat to save us, one boat after the next. The calamity divided our group on each side of the lake, with half of us camped on Gero Island for the night and the rest back at the village with tents pitched on someone's front lawn. I lost my own bag of personal clothing and did the rest of the trip (through Chamberlain, Telos and Webster Brook to Mattagamon) with little more than the shirt on my back and a few precious borrowed items. Learned more than a few lessons that day!
I love Chesuncook, but she does have a way of tweaking a schedule. I've been there twice this year, one time we were a day late and had to cross at 4am to avoid being two days late, the other time it was cloudy and I had no problem taking a bee line wherever I wanted to go.

Goonstroke and Glenn have me thinking about a Rocky Lake trip with my twins (7 year old boys) in late August. What appeals to me is that it seems we could put-in on the inlet river, at mud landing, and then paddle just a short distance to the Rocky Lake Island campsites, or Piney Point. That would give my boys a little taste of both river and lake paddling, but it still keeps the distance as short as possible given that I'll effectively be soloing with the unruly ballast of two seven-year-olds! We'd post up for a couple days and then paddle back to our car (assuming that the inlet river moves slowly enough). Are the campsites nice enough to warrant a multi-day stay? Thanks!
That sounds like a nice trip. The inlet river is definitely slow enough for out & back. I'd say the campsites are very good, maybe not quite as nice as my favorites on 3rd & 4th Machias, but pleasant. I'm not sure if there's a spot to swim directly from Piney Point campsite, but if not there are other places on the lake.

(n.b.2, in my earlier comment I said there were campsites not on the map, but it looks like they updated the map in 2022 and now it has everything I've seen.)
 
I love Chesuncook, but she does have a way of tweaking a schedule. I've been there twice this year, one time we were a day late and had to cross at 4am to avoid being two days late, the other time it was cloudy and I had no problem taking a bee line wherever I wanted to go.


That sounds like a nice trip. The inlet river is definitely slow enough for out & back. I'd say the campsites are very good, maybe not quite as nice as my favorites on 3rd & 4th Machias, but pleasant. I'm not sure if there's a spot to swim directly from Piney Point campsite, but if not there are other places on the lake.

(n.b.2, in my earlier comment I said there were campsites not on the map, but it looks like they updated the map in 2022 and now it has everything I've seen.)
Thank you very much for the insight, Goonstroke!
 
I love Chesuncook

I've always been amused at how late Chesuncook was first surveyed. The link below appears to be the first map from 1820. The Ripogenus dam was first built in 1853 and eventually made it the third largest lake in the state. The image below is from the earlier Carleton maps simply saying "Here has been discovered a very extensive Lake but it has not been survey'd."

Benson




Chesuncook.jpg
 
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