Canoeing Maine’s Allagash: Adventure in the Wilderness

“It’s wild country you’re going into,” said Bob Bull, a SERE trainer. Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) is training for people whose work might be taking them into potentially hostile environments. But it’s also for those who just want the experience of surviving in extreme circumstances, such as in Maine’s Allagash Wilderness in winter. 

Exploring Maine’s north woods in late summer certainly didn’t require survival training. However,  having planned a six-day canoe trip on the Allagash River in the Allagash Wilderness Area, I invited Bob to share his knowledge of and experience in the region with me.

My kitchen table was strewn with Bob’s well-used maps along with our own copies of the Maine Atlas and Gazetteer. This is a must-have for Maine adventure enthusiasts and for those who just wish to ponder the state’s 3,478 miles of coastline and its 32,000 miles of rivers and streams. 

I had recently come home to Maine after 10 years away teaching in Saudi Arabia for 4 years and living in France for 5. On my return, I wanted to learn more about my adopted state  and thought a wilderness trip would fit the bill.

Choosing the Right Adventure Company

Canoeing the Allagash with trained guides is an activity that fills up quickly, so reserving early was a must. Canoe the Wild still had space in early September, the time of year I wanted to travel.

The company provided clear instructions for the meeting place in Ashland, Maine, along with a detailed packing list. They also supplied guides, tents, sleeping mats, all of our meals and dry bags into which we put all our gear.

Most importantly for me, the experience included a stop on Eagle Lake to see the Ghost Trains. Bob lent me a camper’s whistle, explaining that one never knew what might be out there at 3 AM when nature was calling.

From Eagle Lake to the Allagash River

For two days of this six-day adventure, another woman about my age and I shared a canoe, she in the stern and me in the bow. We paddled hard on Eagle Lake for two days into headwinds that created whitecaps. There was a feeling of relief as our guide pointed out the small beach in the distance where we would be landing.

Once we were finally on the Allagash and off Eagle Lake, the river had barely a ripple.

No Luxuries, A Small Price to Pay

Our guides helped us set up our basic tents, which were awkward to enter and exit. Yet, our reward was the Allagash at dawn, often cloaked in mist or light fog that dissipated as the sun warmed the water. 

Canoeing the Allagash is certainly not luxury travel. Our packing list included biodegradable soap for bathing in the Allagash River, which one of our guides pointed to and described as our ‘big bathtub.’ We had intentionally left our creature comforts at home.

Top Maine Tours & Excursions

The Ghost Trains and a Bit of Logging History

The Abenaki Indians once hunted and fished in the Allagash region, and many Abenaki sites still exist. Northern Maine is logging country, and a short walk from one of the portages at which we stopped led us to the Ghost Trains, a fascinating relic of Maine’s rich logging history.

It was easy to imagine them rumbling through Maine’s dense woods, transporting pulpwood to the paper mills. Equally intriguing is how the wilderness has reclaimed the area around the trains, giving them an eerie, timeless feel. It would be quite a sight for snowmobilers visiting them in winter, and it is a favorite destination. 

King Edouard Lacrois, a Quebecois who worked for the Great Northern Paper company, made a deal to build a 13-mile railroad in the middle of the Allagash Wilderness. It was used to haul pulpwood to paper mills in Millinocket and East Millinocket.

The trains functioned from 1925 to 1933 and were just left where they were when the need for pulpwood and newsprint diminished after the Great Depression. When the need later increased, trucks replaced the trains. 

Back on Dry Land

At the end of our journey, we left the region by truck and saw sporting camps being set up by hunters in anticipation of moose hunting season. Logging trucks barreled past us on a hard-packed shale and dirt road, but not before giving their location with their CB radios, according to the mile markers.

When I asked our driver how long until we reached the main road, he answered, “We’re on it.” I just smiled, knowing something of the penchant for rural Mainers to say only what they feel is necessary.

Mainers and Mainiacs 

My perspective on Maine may be a little skewed because I love this state and all it offers, even though I am not a true Mainer, who was born and bred here. Transplants like me are known as Mainiacs- those who come to the largest state east of the Mississippi and stay – even after experiencing a Maine winter. 

The Allagash Wilderness is a remote and scenic waterway protected by the State of Maine in its natural and eternal beauty. National Geographic calls this canoe trip one of the best adventure trips in the entire country.

We ended our adventure with a sense of exhilaration that we canoed like pros through six sets of class II rapids at Chamberlain Dam. 

Be Inspired by Nature Like Thoreau

We also felt a sense of accomplishment because we decided to forgo pressed white sheets and a massage for a bit of adventure. This was real adventure in untouched, wild country, the way that Henry David Thoreau saw it and wrote about it in his book, The Maine Woods.

Like Thoreau, carry a notebook and a pencil. Reflect upon what you see and feel as you saunter in the Maine woods at sunrise or sunset. Be inspired, just as these woods inspired Thoreau.

If You Go

Many travel companies in Maine offer wilderness trips by canoe or kayak in spring, summer and fall. Some offer hunting trips as well as ice fishing during winter. 

I chose Canoe the Wild because it was the only company that still had openings for early September. This was my preference because kids were back in school by then. Trips fill quickly, so book early. 

Canoe the Wild provided very clear instructions about where to meet and park our cars. An information pack sent by email included a video on how to paddle, and more instruction was given once the group was on the water. 

Meals were planned, and our experienced guides cooked dinner over a wood fire. 

For more information, visit their website: Canoe the Wild

Inspire your next adventure with our articles below:

Author Bio: Ava Kabouchy is an American travel writer and photographer based in mid-coast Maine, USA. She has traveled and worked extensively abroad and has authored travel articles on various locations including France, Saudi Arabia, the Camino de Santiago in Spain, France, and Portugal; the United States, Mongolia, Iceland, and Guatemala. Additionally, she has written a book for young readers about her experiences in Saudi Arabia.  

Want to discover more hidden gems and helpful travel tips? Join our free newsletter for the latest travel secrets and travel articles.

We are reader-supported and may earn a commission on purchases made through links in this article.