Baugneg Beg Pond, North Berwick, Maine

Body of Water: Baugneg Beg Pond

Directions:  From Portland head south on 95.  I got off Exit 19, the Wells exit.  Turn right off the exit onto Rt. 9.  After about a half mile turn left to stay on Rt 9.  Stay on Rt 9 for 6.7 miles.  Not far after Dunkin Donuts Turn right onto Rt. 4.  Stay on Rt 4 for 2.7 miles.  Turn left onto Morrills Mills Road and after about a mile you will go over a bridge, not far after the bridge the park is on the right.  It would be easy to miss!  I entered 254 Morrils Mills Road North Berwick into my GPS and it got me to Bruce Abbot Memorial Park.  It would be easy to drive by this park. 

 
There are a couple of signs at the park. 

 

As  you can see, the rules of the park indicate needing a sticker to use the park.  We did not have stickers.  We talked with a couple of fishermen who were also launching.  They said they do not have a sticker either and that they park here often and have never had a problem... that being said... you are taking a risk if you park here without a sticker! 

 UPDATE: I reached out to the North Berwick Town office and asked about accessing this launch site.  Here is what they told me:

 'If you are a North Berwick resident you must have a current NB Transfer Station/Dump sticker displayed in the front window of your vehicle. If you are not a North Berwick resident you will need a park pass. You will need to go to the NB Town Hall with your drivers license and the vehicle registration of the vehicle you will be using to access the park. You can buy a one day pass for $10 or a season pass for $35. The park is monitored by the NB Police and tickets are issued for violators who don’t have a pass. No motorized boats are allowed. Please read the listed rules board at the park. " 

I followed up again and asked what to do if you cannot get to the town office during the week.  I was told to figure out a way to get there...take a longer lunch, go to work late or leave early... (apparently they do not understand the hours educators work!)  or suggested having someone else get the sticker and have them transport my kayak for me.  I suggested doing some kind of kiosk with a lock box for a daily fee... 

 We did park there with no sticker and was fine... but... it is clear they have expectations/rules about this.  

So again.... park at your own risk. 

Parking: There is not a lot of parking.  I would say 4-5 vehicles tops.  Parking is off the road. 

Launch:  The launch was very nice.  Gradual sandy bottom put in next to this dock.  There were a lot of houses with pontoon boats at them... and it seems that this is the only launch.. it makes me wonder if the dock is removed in the fall to remove boats and if folks have to get their boats in before they put the dock in!  Although in the spring, perhaps with higher water levels the dock would not be in the way. 

Fees: None

Bathroom: There is a porta potty... it was not in great shape... needed to be emptied...

Wildlife: This is a place where we saw a loon, ducks, herons, a hawk... and signs of beavers.  I would suspect there are other animals here especially away from the main part of the Pond.

Notes: 

I cannot remember where I first heard about this pond.  I looked it up and saw that it was an interesting shape and looked like there would likely be some cool areas to explore at the northern end.  You all know that I love the places that are marsh like and wildlife sightings are likely! 

*Map from Google

The launch site was nice and we got out onto the main part of the lake. 

The sun had come up and it was a bit cloudy... this photo is a bit darker than it actually was, but I like it! 

 

There were a lot of houses/camps on the main part of the lake.  It was nice.  We paddles up the western shore and explored all the areas we could. 

As we got up to the northwestern part of the lake it started to feel a bit more remote. 
 

This heron greeted us at one point.  It stayed quite still but eventually flew away.  I am not sure if it is the same heron I saw later or not.

 

After  leaving the camps/cabins behind we rounded a corner and that's where I got excited.  The area looked very remote with lots of nooks and crannies to explore! 

 

Many areas were really narrow!  It was fun to see what was around the next corner!

 

Here is the heron who had caught a decent size fish! 

 

I was not sure whether or not the heron would be able to swallow this fish...

 

It was a feat of maneuverability!

And... down the hatch!

If you look closely, you can see the tail of the fish... Crazy that it got the fish down its throat!

And maybe crazier that it kept it down! 

 

And just like that... the neck was back to normal! 

 

This is not a great photo, but these orange flowers were cute! Not sure what kind. 

There were a lot of lily pads.  There were some flowers too!  Mostly white, but a few pink ones here and there. 

 

This is Donna coming through one of the narrow channels... she had the right idea.. took her paddle apart and used one end!  Ha!  Worked well!

 

The lighting kept changing making everything keep changing.  It was cool. 

There were a lot of ducks on this pond.  Lots of feathers around!

 

The reflections were incredible!

 

The turtles were out as we headed back towards the main part of the lake. 

We paused at a small island in the southern part of the lake to stretch our legs. 

 I didn't take many pics of the houses along the lake shores... I would say there were a lot of houses, but not too many... the pond still felt like a relaxing pond, not too... busy!   That being said... there were a lot of boats at the houses/camps.  On a busy summer day I bet this pond can get pretty busy.  

 We were on the water for a few hours.  It was just what I needed!   

Ohhhh... before I forget...

You know what fall means... in the snack world??  Caramel hummus!!  It is so good!  Love it most with granny with apples, but this honey crisp did the trick!! 

We enjoyed this snack on the tailgate after we loaded up. 

 

Happy Paddling!