The St. John River...The Granddaddy
The Saint John is commonly called the “Granddaddy” of wilderness river trips in Maine. The St. John River lies in the in the far North Western corner of Maine, just miles from the Canadian Border. The river stretches 105 miles from Baker Lake to the town of Allagash. It is an overland expedition just to get to the start of the river trip and the excitement grows with the passing miles of the logging roads.
A shuttle service will either drop us off or take our vehicles to the town of Allagash and we will be left with ourselves, our canoes and the St. John River. We will spend the first day at Baker Lake and will focus on instruction in canoe technique, wilderness camping, leave no trace principles and much more.
The second day, we will pack up and head downstream. The St. John River Trip is 7 days. Given high to medium water, the river pushes the canoes downstream and makes for quick travel. To do the same mileage on lakes with a head wind would be long and arduous.
The rapids on the St. John River are easy at first and grow progressively more difficult. This progression makes the St. John River perfect for learning whitewater canoeing. We’ll start off on flat lake water, ease into the whitewater with Class One and Two, and by the end of the trip tackle some Class Three rapids.
There will be ongoing instruction and feedback to help you optimize your canoeing skills. No previous canoeing experience is required for this trip as quite a bit of time will be spent on canoeing instruction and practice. You’ll need to be moderatly fit and able to paddle intensely for short periods of time (to navigate around obstacles).
The St. John River is highly affected by rainfall and snow melt. For every inch of rain that falls, the river rises a foot. This rise in water tends to last for 24 hours. The spring snow melt tends to provide enough water for good passage. Maine Bound Guides schedules the St. John River Trip in early May to take advantage of this spring runoff and hopefully avoid the black fly hatch. The weather and the water will be cold this time of the year and adds to the adventure of the trip.
Topics we may cover throughout the trip include wild edibles, tree and plant identification, camp cooking with a fire and stove and wilderness navigation skills. These activities will be balanced with personal time.
Your Guide, River Lee, has been teaching outdoor skills and leading expeditions for over 15 years. We will eat and camp well. Past guests have raved about the food. One says,” And then there is River’s gourmet back country cooking… Probably better than what I make for myself at home!”
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