Old Saco River, Fryeburg Maine

 

Body of Water: The Old Saco River, Fryeburg, Maine [Map 4 A2, to Ma- 10 E2 and E1]

 (from Google!)

Directions: From Portland... Take Brighton Avenue (Rt. 25) into Gorham. After going through the center of Gorham stay on 25, stay straight through the rotary.   Stay on Rt. 25 through Standish.  Turn Right onto Rt. 113.  Stay on 113 for about 30 miles.  When in the center of Fryeburg turn Rt at the light onto Rt. 302.  Stay on 302 for less than half a mile.  Turn/bear left onto Rt 5.  Stay on Rt. 5 for about 6.3 miles.  (Passing Fryeburg Fair fairgrounds, pass Canal Bridge Campground on left, cross over the Saco River ...   After going down a hill Frog Alley will be on your right.  Turn onto Frog Alley! )  If you get to New Suncook School you have gone too far... quite a ways too far, but there are not many landmarks out there!) 

Not too far down the road you will see The Frog... 

Of course I just HAD to see what would happen .... 

Despite being kissed... the Frog remained a frog!

Keep going straight on Frog Alley.  You will come to a farmhouse on the right and you will feel like you are going into their driveway or private property... Turn LEFT across from the farmhouse onto Hemlock Bridge Road.  

You can see the sign in the upper right of this pic. 

*** In the winter this gate is closed; the road is not accessible. When we came here in the winter we were able to park here because my friend knows the owners of the farm across the street and let her park there.  Snowmobiles were allowed on the road. 

Please remember to always respect private property. ***

Stay on this narrow, dirt road, for about a bit.  You will be following the river.  Stay on that dirt road until you get to the bridge.  Parking will be on the right !

The road is very narrow, go slowly and play nice with oncoming cars!  

 

(This was taken on the way out)

Parking:  There is a decent amount of parking here in a funky loop.  I would say 6-7 vehicles could fit here, but please park strategically so others can get out.  (Remember trucks have a bigger turning radius so leave them extra room to 'get by' your vehicle.) 

 

Launch: There is a 'launch' just before the bridge, it is a gradual gravel decline.  The bottom is gravel and not mucky... my favorite!! 

Bathroom:  None (There are not many places nearby where you can use their bathrooms...Standish or Fryeburg are your best bets... )

Fees:  None (But this is priceless!)

Wildlife: We saw turtles, loons, a blue heron, a kingfisher, lots of dragonflies... I would bet that this is a great place for other wildlife too!  I will return here and find more critters!

Notes:  As you know I LOVE paddling, love being on the water and exploring.  I love places with nooks and crannies where I can try to find wildlife... I love winding rivers with beauty everywhere... and this place... was incredible!!  

I had been here in the winter with a friend of mine.  We had brought the dogs here on a nice snowshoe/walk and I was very intrigued and made a mental note to return here to kayak.  July 4th was the day I got to do just that!  

      

This is Hemlock Bridge.  

Looks a little different than it did in the winter! 

Hemlock Bridge  is a Maine Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. It is the Oldest surviving example of a Paddleford Truss system used in a Maine covered bridge...  

(You can learn more about Paddleford Truss here. )

I figured most people had plans for the 4th of July so I hadn't invited people to come with me... but I had seen my friend Wendy at an Aqua Fitness class on Tuesday and we were talking about our plans for the 4th... since she didn't have plans in the morning I asked her if she wanted to come and she said yes!  It was very cool to experience this place with her... especially because she loves hiking in the White Mountains... (more on that later!) 

When I paddle on a river I like to start going against the current.  I do this for a couple of reasons...first I like to have the help of the current on my return trip in case I am tired.  Secondly, I  like to go upstream because if there are obstacles I feel like I have more time to react to them without the added speed of the current.  (Most places I paddle have minimal current, but...)   I can also make a mental note of places I need to be careful when I return. 

In this river, paddling against the current meant going under the bridge!  (I was happy that was the case!)

After you go under this bridge... you get to choose whether you go let or right...  it was a tough decision!

Left goes along the road you drove on to get here... from what I heard from a local at the launch site you can paddle a long way if you go that way...many many miles... going under Rt 5 and beyond!  We did NOT go left... (But I can tell you I will return and will go left!)  Wendy said since we had seen a lot of the river as we drive in we should go the other way... seemed reasonable...and turned out to be INCREDIBLE! 

[You could also go away from the bridge floating with the current downstream but that means you have to paddle against it on your way back! It eventually connects with the Saco River.  By the way... the Saco River was CROWDED when I had driven by it later in the day... but this place was very quiet... we saw a couple of other kayakers and 2 boats...]

So.. back to our route... after the bridge we went to the right.  

It was beautiful.  The river was narrow... which I love! 

Everything was so green

And the reflections!!!  

(That's Wendy by the way!) 

At one place along the river there was a house... next to and across from what used to be, I assume, some kind of homestead.  

It was BEAUTIFUL!  At one point Wendy and I were talking and Wendy stopped and said... "There's a lake up there!"  And she was right! 

Oh my gosh... this was BEAUTIFUL! 

This log/tree was huge.  It was at the mouth of the river as we went into the "lake" and became our landmark so we could return. 

This kingfisher was hovering above the water... (its body actually looked like a hummingbird as it hovered...)  then it dove and came up with a crayfish!  I couldn't tell it was a crayfish until I looked at the photos!  So cool! 

I mean... look at that view! 

(One of my favorite pics of the day!  Wendy LOVES hiking the Whites... so I think it is cool to have a pic of her in front of them!)  

I was in awe!  We were able to be on a beautiful pond.  (We researched and we were on Kezar Pond.  Not to be confused with Kezar Lake, which you can find here!) 

This is my "I'm in awe" face! 

Followed by many moments of just taking it all in! 

 

I mean... the view... 

And the reflections!  (We put in around 7:30, and when we got out on the pond it was still so calm, like glass!)

We explored the northwestern part of the pond... and I searched for another outlet to explore, but didn't find one... the reeds along the edge were thick and I expect as summer goes on they will get thicker.  There were a lot of lily pads starting!

Here is a screenshot of google maps to show where we were. 

We saw this blue heron in the reeds.  It didn't stay around for many photos!

You can see some lily pads coming up from the pond floor in this pic.  I bet the photos will be amazing when they flower!  (I may never paddle anyplace else!  Ha! Kidding, of course!) 

Way off in the distance I saw these loons.  They were so far away I had to zoom way in.. and didn't realize until later that...

That's a baby on their backs!   Oh I wish I had been closer!

On the shore opposite of where we came out onto the pond, there was a beach.  

 

It was a nice place to stop to stretch our legs.  

I walked up a path and found this.  

What a nice way to remember someone!  I did not know Dick Arsenault, but he had great taste in where he liked to go fishing!

Wendy sat on the beach trying to figure out where we were... 

See... USUALLY when I paddle I do a lot of research.  I know where I am going and where it leads.  I had not done that on this trip.  My friend who lives in the area told me the river was calm and flat and I took her word...and didn't do more research... 

Sometimes not researching could come back and bite you in the ass... but sometimes not researching is a 'safe' risk ... and can lead to a glorious surprise as was the case here.  I can say that coming around the corner of the river to this amazing pond was one of the best surprises I have experienced!  Such a cool moment!  

(Sorry you won't have that moment because I have spoiled the surprise, but... trust me, STILL worth the paddle!) 

Not sure I would swim here... as it was pretty shallow...and as Wendy noted.. probably some blood suckers!  But.. wading in the water was fun, lots of baby fish!

After leaving the beach we headed back to the river because temperatures were rising and it was HOT!  (It was cooler in the river!)

These were the two boats we saw on the pond.  Turns out they are all the same family.

Back in the river...

I wonder if Joanna Gaines could help with this Fixer Upper!  Ha!

I really felt like I was in the most beautiful spot!!

We saw some interesting eggs on a log.. not sure the pics are super clear, but... if you know what these are I would love to know.  (The spiraled shaped stuff)

This gentleman was in a pedal kayak trying to catch some fish.  Apparently there are a lot of bass here!

And of course... a turtle!  This turtle stayed on the log despite our proximity!

Love this pic!

The trifecta... a great friend, a beautiful covered bridge, and MYRTLE!

(I know.. that was A LOT of photos of one turtle.. but I can't help it!) 

We returned to the bridge.  Wendy needed to hit the road.  I was planning to paddle the other arm, along the road... and so after a photo opp of Adventure Arms... we parted ways... 

As I paddled there was some long grass and there were dozens of these tiny dragonflies or damsel flies or whatever they were....

I did not get any great photos, not clear, but still kind of cool..

And this dragonfly...

I didn't make it very far, I was still very close to the bridge and was attacked by this thing!  

Ha!  Kidding, I was not attacked...and I KNOW this dog...

This is Bella!  One of Gladys's best friends.  She and Meg had come to meet me (I was planning on heading to their house when I got off the water but they decided to come hang out at the water and see me!)  

She did try to get into the kayak... but that was quickly thwarted... she is 80 lbs and I was in my single kayak!(I had left Gladys at home because temps were supposed to get so high.  Gladys doesn't always love being out when it is hot!) 

This is me with Bella and Meg.  Meg and I met when I got my first teaching job, which was in Fryeburg.  That was MANY years ago... We remain great friends. (One of those friendships where you don't see each other often, but when you do you pick right back up where you left off and laugh until your belly hurts!)

I really enjoyed this adventure!  I hope you get there and also enjoy it.  

The boaters we saw ended up knowing Meg... it is a small community after all!  They said that later in the season it is hard to get their boats through because the water levels drop.  They said kayakers should be able to access it through the fall... 

The fall?? This would be an AMAZING place to see foliage!  Mentally noted!  Wow!  I may have to spend many free days here between now and the end of the season! Perhaps I will plan a fall foliage paddle here and invite my followers!... hmmm...

I bet this would be a great location on a windy day....because it is so protected.  If I came here on a windy day I would go left after the bridge to stay on the river instead of going out onto the pond. I think, given the openness of the pond, the wind would make it difficult to paddle...

I had such an amazing morning on the water!  Thanks to Meg for taking me here in the winter so I could dream about kayaking in the summer... (dreams do come true!) and thanks to Wendy for joining me and deciding we needed to go right instead of left after the bridge!  

And thanks to Bella for not tipping me over when trying to save me!  

Happy Paddling!