Re: Kayaking in Acadia?

Posted by terry on Jun 17, 2005

Favorite put-ins for my wife and I area:

Someville: coming down to Somesville from the bridge, there's a small road to the left just before you get to the book store in the middle of the village. This will take you to the kayak launching area. Technically, it's for Mt. Dessert residents only, but we've parked there with the other kayakers and had no problems. This gives you access to the the head of Somes Sound, I believe the only natural fjord in the continental US, a great paddle.

We also put in off of Pretty Marsh Rd. on the western part of the island.

Another favorite paddle is Long Pond, just west of Somesville. This is the largest freshwater lake on the island, and the water is much warmer and quite swimmable. There are a few small islands to explore, though one has a private cabin on it. You put it at the beach next to the boat launch, but you may have to park across the road up from the kayak rental agency.

A shorter warm-water paddle is Echo Lake. Put in at the public beach on the south edge of the pond. The lake has no fast motorized craft and is a safe choice on a foggy day.

If you're stronger paddlers, a day trip from Bass Harbor to either or both Cranberry islands is a lot of fun. Again, fog may be an issue, as you're crossing a busy, open water channel.

A word about fog up there. It can swoop in and stay a while. Sometimes in patches, sometimes regionally. If you don't have a loud air horn, get one. Also, a VHF radio, good, waterproof chart and compass are a must. We actually rig a radar reflector on a small mast on my boat, but I'm not sure how effective this is. We also wear thin wetsuits for summer paddling on open water - not always the most comfortable things, but a way to extend your safety margin if you capsize and get wet while you're feeling your way back home in fog. Our basic fog strategy is to hug the shoreline and hit the horn and VHF channel 16 if a boat is nearing us.

Good luck on that enchanted island!

terry

In Response to: Kayaking in Acadia? by Mike M. on Jun 16, 2005

Replies: