West Branch Penobscot from Roll Dam to Chesuncook Dam

[alsg]

This isn't a trip report but a request for information. A friend and I who did the Allagash last fall are considering a trip on the West Branch of the Penobscot River from Roll Dam to Chesuncook Dam. What's the best time of year for this trip? How many days/nights should we allow? Any recommendations for shuttle services? Feel free to make suggestions for campsites or offer other tips.

Thanks in advance!

 

[sweeper]

There was a discussion on this route a while back, you might try a search.

 

[goonstroke]

Lots of useful info in this thread:
http://www.canoetripping.net/forums...l-discussion/50085-lobster-lake-to-chesuncook

I think more people start at the Lobster put-in than Roll Dam, but it's mostly the same route.

 

[Guest]

What's the best time of year for this trip?
How many days/nights should we allow?
Any recommendations for shuttle services?

Best time of year? I have no idea, we have done two family trips there, late July into August, and early to mid August. I have no complaints even though that is likely peak paddler season. There was enough water to rumble over the riffle beside Big Island, the bugs were between not bad and not present, the weather was unfrigid enough to swim and the days long enough in camp twilight.

That was perfect for a kids out of school family trip. September, after the grade school and college kids are back in class, may be better, if cooler.

How many days? If you launched at Lobster Trip, went up into Lobster Lake for a night, then down the W. Branch to Chesuncook and took out at Ripogenus that would be around 50 river/lake miles. You could easily do it all in 3 or 4 days if Chesuncook was calm, but I would take at least a week and layover at some of the nicer sites, especially sites near the west end of Chesuncook that allow for day paddling explores from camp.

We used Allagash Gateway for vehicle shuttle, with them driving our vehicle back to Ripogenus. Not sure if they still do that, but it was convenient, our van was waiting in their secure area at the take out and we did not have to load and unload a shuttle trailer on launch day.

http://www.allagashgatewaycamps.com/services

I may be preaching to the choir, but in either guise, back shuttle with your vehicle or trailer shuttle with your boats and gear, have your crap organized and ready to go. Folks still packing their gear when it is time to load the trailer do no one any favors.

On the other hand folks who can not figure out what goes where in the canoe at the launch point have done us many favors. See ya and thanks, we will be miles downriver before you sort it out. Hope you find a site before dark.

Other stuff in the previous discussion. Bring a big tarp, the rough hewn ridge poles are very long and very tall, and extend out to the fire pit.

Get the tarp up early. Summer can be thunder stormy. And windy. I temporarily tied one end of a giant blue poly tarp to the seat of the picnic table while I wrestled it over that tall ridge pole to stake the far side. When I stepped down off the picnic table a gust caught that tarp like a billowed mainsail and upended the picnic table. I was laying atop the table Ride em Cowboy holding it down until the gusts calmed.

Yeah, it gets windy. Choose your Chesuncook transit carefully. I would want to come out onto the lake with at least a days insurance time, just in case. And make any mid lake crossing early in the AM.

Given a week to cover the distance I would be hesitant to pass up a delightful campsite in early afternoon. It never felt like campsite races, but we were content to make 8 or 10 miles a day, with a leisurely morning pack up, and an early to make camp Oh this is a nice spot afternoon.

YMMV. I would not camp at anything less than a B minus site if the day was early and a batch of maybe better sites just a few miles away.

 

[alsg]

Thanks Mike!

 

[Guest]

Going into Lobster at the start of a West Branch trip for a day, or two, may be logistics timing helpful. There are something like a dozen sites on Lobster Lake, all with an easy 3 or 4 mile paddle. Many are very nice and worthy of a night. Or two, with a daytrip circumnavigation of Lobster for lake paddling shakedown and future visit campsite reference.

Timing helpful because departing Lobster at any reasonable morning hour will have you heading down the West Branch before most folks arrive at the put in and get packed up.

I would skip a Roll Dam and spend a day or two on Lobster.

Maybe not for you, but one of the best family trip sites ever was the double at Little Cove. Two families, four adults, four very young kids, four canoes. Our companion family had a separate permit, and we were looking for a big double site with a shallow sandy beach for kid play.

The double at Little Cove looked like shallow sandy beach heaven. But there was a gentleman already camped on there with a motorized johnboat. As we floated around the cove discussing whether to head back to the last unoccupied site or press on into the unknown he called out Hey, you want to camp here? I am just getting ready to pack up, come on ashore.

It got better, Hey, I got a lot of ice left, want some? It got better yet, Little Cove was an idyllic site for kids that age, happily splashing about in the shallows.

It got better still, and funnier. Friends daughter Quinn, probably 5 at the time, spent hours splashing about, throwing her rubber duckie, and chanting Duckie, Duckie, Duckie as she splashed to retrieve him.

Duckie eventually lost his squeaky plug and sank. Quinn opted to throw and rescue a little plastic bucket in Duckies place. While chanting Bucket, Bucket, Bucket.

Quinn could not pronounce her Bs. They came out as Fs. Picture a naked 5 year old splashing about and occasionally chanting, well, that. For hours. We may have won a bad parenting award that day, we just sat around and burst out laughing every few minutes.

About the double sites. I would generally prefer a single, and am usually beyond hesitant to intrude on the other half of an occupied double. I will invite anyone in need to share, even on a single if there is room. But we have met some fine and memorably paddlers all around the country who cruised up to have a look at a half unoccupied double.

It may be a sign of good manners when folks muckle up and float offshore for a while talking it over. Those sorts, displaying the courtesy of hesitation, have always been worth a hail and come ashore.

 

[alsg]

Great story!

There will be just two of us old guys on this trip. I was thinking about 6 days/5 nights and planning on spending 2 nights on Lobster Lake and 2 on Chesuncook Lake, with 1 night spent somewhere on the river in between the lakes.

I think you make a fair point about starting at Lobster Stream and giving up the Roll Dam to Lobster Stream segment. While it's only 6.5 miles of river, staring there would probably delay our arrival at Lobster Lake by a lot if others are putting right in at Lobster Stream, and that would make it harder to get one of the better campsites.

So putting in at Lobster I'd still plan on a 6 day/5 night trip; just would spend more time perusing campsites on Lobster on day 1.

Thanks again, Mike.

Al

 

[yellowcanoe]

Going into Lobster at the start of a West Branch trip for a day, or two, may be logistics timing helpful. There are something like a dozen sites on Lobster Lake, all with an easy 3 or 4 mile paddle. Many are very nice and worthy of a night. Or two, with a daytrip circumnavigation of Lobster for lake paddling shakedown and future visit campsite reference.

Timing helpful because departing Lobster at any reasonable morning hour will have you heading down the West Branch before most folks arrive at the put in and get packed up.

I would skip a Roll Dam and spend a day or two on Lobster.

Maybe not for you, but one of the best family trip sites ever was the double at Little Cove. Two families, four adults, four very young kids, four canoes. Our companion family had a separate permit, and we were looking for a big double site with a shallow sandy beach for kid play.

The double at Little Cove looked like shallow sandy beach heaven. But there was a gentleman already camped on there with a motorized johnboat. As we floated around the cove discussing whether to head back to the last unoccupied site or press on into the unknown he called out Hey, you want to camp here? I am just getting ready to pack up, come on ashore.

It got better, Hey, I got a lot of ice left, want some? It got better yet, Little Cove was an idyllic site for kids that age, happily splashing about in the shallows.

It got better still, and funnier. Friends daughter Quinn, probably 5 at the time, spent hours splashing about, throwing her rubber duckie, and chanting Duckie, Duckie, Duckie as she splashed to retrieve him.

Duckie eventually lost his squeaky plug and sank. Quinn opted to throw and rescue a little plastic bucket in Duckies place. While chanting Bucket, Bucket, Bucket.

Quinn could not pronounce her Bs. They came out as Fs. Picture a naked 5 year old splashing about and occasionally chanting, well, that. For hours. We may have won a bad parenting award that day, we just sat around and burst out laughing every few minutes.

About the double sites. I would generally prefer a single, and am usually beyond hesitant to intrude on the other half of an occupied double. I will invite anyone in need to share, even on a single if there is room. But we have met some fine and memorably paddlers all around the country who cruised up to have a look at a half unoccupied double.

It may be a sign of good manners when folks muckle up and float offshore for a while talking it over. Those sorts, displaying the courtesy of hesitation, have always been worth a hail and come ashore.

Trying to reply. Does not work from phone
Done.

 

[yellowcanoe]

I've run the W Branch several times.. Once tandem and it was a day and a half trip. We had to launch at Burbank as the launch at Lobster accessed Lobster only. There was significant flow from the River to the Lobster Stream and the bridge was jammed with debris under it for many feet all the way across. There is no good launch on the other side of the road.. There had been a huge release from Sebomook which carried us all the way down the West Branch so that we camped at Gero ( dont remember if it was 1,2,3,or 4). The next day we rose early and caught a tailwind that shot us down Chesuncook for a 1 PM arrival.

On that trip we had taken two of our own cars and self shuttled. It was a PITA going through Caribou checkpoint multiple times Three. Each involved a toll. I forget how expensive it was.. They charged by the day you expected to have a car in the North Maine Woods. We were planning for five days.. not two. so we got suckered.
Next and subsequent times we used Allagash Gateway Campground for a shuttle. They drive you to the put in and drive your car right back to their facility on Ripogenus Lake. That way there is a one day toll. in addition to the shuttle fee.

Its nice to spend at least two nights on Lobster.. Two on the river and two on Chesuncook.. I have spent two nights on Lobster, one at Little Ragamuff, one at Gero and one at Red Brook

Things have gotten less wild now that there is car or at least truck access to Chesuncook Village.

I like to go in May or June. No competition for campsites with kids camp outings and guaranteed moose and eagle sightings I like Ogden Point. Two years in June we camped there and about six canoes from a school tried to round the point. They had been in the lee out of the fierce wind and rounding the point they almost capsized. We hosted them for a couple of hours. Most slept. When the wind calmed they moved down to Scofield Cove. Lobster can be very rough and Chesuncook must mean "lake that is a witch"

I've gotten up at three am to try to outwit the wind.. I have paddled in mortal fear at the sight of monster mares tails.. There was a bad storm later.

 

[alsg]

Thanks for the reply, yellowcanoe! Sent an email to Allgash Gateway Campgrounds. Their website indicates that the "new" owners bought it six years ago.

 

[yellowcanoe]

Thanks for the reply, yellowcanoe! Sent an email to Allgash Gateway Campgrounds. Their website indicates that the "new" owners bought it six years ago.

A chuckle but satellite internet is difficult. Oh Bring Cash.. They do not have the ability to process credit cards. Their facilities run on a generator that is run sparingly.. Their campground is fine for tents but be aware the facilities are outhouses They do have cabins for rent with indoor plumbing.

 

[Guest]

Two years in June we camped there and about six canoes from a school tried to round the point. They had been in the lee out of the fierce wind and rounding the point they almost capsized. We hosted them for a couple of hours. Most slept. When the wind calmed they moved down to Scofield Cove. Lobster can be very rough and Chesuncook must mean "lake that is a witch"

How are the bugs in May or June? I can tolerate most bugs, but I loath blackflies and avoid the northcountry between Mothers Day and Fathers Day.

On a trip with just the wife and kids we did an early AM crossing between Sandy Point and Waymouth and made it maybe a mile down Chesuncooke before the wind and wave quickly became unmanageable and we had no choice but to pull ashore. And unload the canoes and pull them well up and out. The waves were whitecapped crashing against the rocky north shoreline, and in the time it took to lighten the load and pull the canoes to safety we had dimpled some Royalex.

And there we sat, from where we could literally see the take out, until late afternoon when the wind slackened a bit and we could not take it anymore. We should have stayed longer, the mile of lake from our shore break to the wind shelter of the peninsula at the Ripogenus narrows was a daunting as any mile I have ever paddled.

No pun intended, that is a longwinded way of saying beware of fronts moving though while on Chesuncook.

Something about that trip lends itself to folks in need memories. The day we camped at Sandy Point it was getting windy with thunderheads on the horizon when a group came down lake, landed 100 yards away from the site and stood around on shore doing the courtesy hesitation bit.

I walked down to tell them they were welcome to join us on the double site. The sky was getting dark and the wind picking up, and I might have insisted had they refused.

They were a group of a half dozen 18 to 20 year olds on a weeklong trip in a hilarious mishmash of inappropriate boats, including a falling apart duct taped beater Mad River ME being solo paddled in the wind, and a couple of small terribly overloaded Sparky type rec kayaks with gear strapped to the decks.

Among other gear mishaps they had brought a teeny little useless tarp full of holes and rips. They had a propane stove and fuel, but not the connector piece, and had been eating single pot hash meals cooked over an open fire for a week. They turned down our stove use offer, preferring to tough it out for one more night. When it began to pour buckets they refused the offer to share our spacious tarp and turned in early. They laughed long into the night, calling back and forth comparing the relative leakiness of their crappy tents.

They were up and out early the next morning and seemed to be having the time of their lives.

 

[yellowcanoe]

No bugs till Memorial Day. There is often snow on the ground till then
I live in black fly country. To me no reason to not trip

 

[yellowcanoe]

Chesuncook Lake House burned to the ground this am
Firefighters had to access by snowmachine

 

[alsg]

That's a shame. I was looking at their website as part of my trip research.

 

[Guest]

Never even saw it, despite camping at Boom House on one trip.

https://www.pressherald.com/2018/03/17/chesuncook-lake-house-destroyed-by-fire/

Guess I never will. Dont know what ya got til its gone.

 

[yellowcanoe]

Boom house is a good walk. You had to get out at Graveyard Point and we did as they had ice cream floats

 

[alsg]

Somewhere I read about a place called "The Store" in Chesuncook that sold fudge and ice cream and a few other things. Is that still in business?

 

[yellowcanoe]

they will be back but in what form I don't know nor when. That lodge is essential to the tourism. Its busy especially in the winter.

 

[alsg]

Reviving this thread as a September trip seems to be in my future. Does anyone know what the canoe zero water level is for this stretch of the Penobscot (Roll Dam to Chesuncook Lake) and on which gauge?