Recreational Kayaking in Maine: Bartlett Stream Reservoir, Searsmont ME

Waterbody: Bartlett Stream Reservoir, Searsmont ME [Maine Gazetteer Map 14 B2] This is the James Dorso Wildlife Management area.

Directions: From Portland, Take I -95 north to Exit 113, towards Augusta/Belfast. Keep Right at the fork to be on Rt. 3 East for 35.8 miles. The sign is very hard to see from the road and the parking area/launch is on the left just after a small bridge. It is easy to drive by. (Not far after the Searsmont Seventh Day Adventist Church/Cox Machine Corporation, slow down as you pass them.)

Parking: Parking for up to 8 or so vehicles if parked well.

Launch: grass/gravel slope down to water immediately next to a dam. Be careful of the dam! especially with higher water levels.

Wildlife: Loons, eagles, dragonflies, turtles, jumping fish, songbirds... I would suspect deer and other critters too!

Bathroom: No

Notes: This is a pretty small place to paddle especially in the late summer when water levels are low and reeds/grasses have grown high.

This seems to be a place where people fish. Each time I have driven by here or stopped to check it out (a few times in the last couple of days) there are people standing at the dam fishing. Last night there were a few boys fishing and they had a couple of kayaks. I asked if you could paddle pretty far and one kid told me you could paddle WAY back in there… I am sure I could have paddled further back than I did but it would have been hard work with all the pickerel weeds! Ha! This was a short paddle, but beautiful! Again, I bet in the spring you can paddle much further!

I spent a lot of time watching a family of loons whose eyes were to the sky monitoring a pair of eagles that were flying overhead. The water here was calm. The lily pads were beautiful. It is a small waterbody, but it was the perfect place to paddle for me today. It had been raining all day and when there was a break in the rain clouds we got on the water. And about 5 minutes after we got off the water the rain returned!

This is a small place but if you just want to get on the water to relax and float… while hoping to spot some wildlife, this is a great little spot. (Probably a great fishing spot!)