Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Adventures On Water
Places to Paddle
Brownfield Bog
As part of a wildlife management area, Brownfield Bog is home
to numerous species of mammals, reptiles and birds. The access
road come off Route 160 a little over a mile east of the Saco River
bridge. There are two put-ins, one about .75 miles in from the paved road
and another at 2ΒΌ miles. This shallow marshy area offers convoluted
channels and weed-choked paddling among low islands and forested up-
lands. Without camps or nearby roads the seldom-visited bog has a decid-
edly wild feel.
Range Ponds, Poland
Located on the Empire Road off Route 122. Ideal for canoeing and
kayaking. There is a 10 horsepower limit on Lower Range Pond, keeping
personal watercraft and big boats to a minimum. The water is clear and
the shores boast fine sandy beaches, forested glens and weedy coves filled
with wildlife. Put in at the park on Lower Range Pond's northeastern
end. You'll have to carry your boat across Route 26 if you want to explore
Middle Range Pond as well. It connects to Upper Range Pond, although
there are more camps and houses in the Middle Range Pond area.
Saco River (Fryeburg to Hiram)
Saco had a reputation for offering a great, easy, float trip. But this image
is getting a little tarnished in recent years as Massachusetts fraternity
boys have turned weekend trips into drunken brawls. Maine Wardens
hold canoe roadblocks during particularly busy times and check floaters
for drunkenness, illegal possession of alcohol and other violations. Still, if
you go mid-week, and approach a trip on the twisting and turning Saco as
an afternoon diversion instead of a wilderness experience, you can have a
good time thanks to swift currents, sandy banks and bars, and the fine
swimming the river offers. If you don't have your own boat, local liveries
can help out. They lease and transport hundreds of canoes daily.
Camping is allowed on river; fires by permit. There are also some com-
mercial campgrounds along the way.
The most popular stretch runs from Fryeburg at Swan's Falls just off
Route 302 to Hiram, a distance of some 33 miles. The trip takes six to
eight hours.
