My friend and I recently completed a 3 day canoe trip in the Spring (although the temperature was cold!) and would like to do another this Summer. We do not have a ton of canoe experience but by the end of the three day trip felt like we were navigating class 1 and 2 rapids without much trouble (we absolutely did not want to fall in as temps were low). We are reasonably experienced campers. Could anyone recommend a destination for a canoe camping trip this August for 5-6 days with the following requirements:
5-6 days
Not incredibly far from New Jersey (up ten hours of driving I would say is acceptable)
Not a ton of people on the river - We don’t mind seeing a person or two during the day but do not want to be overwhelmed with crowds.
Any sort of fishing is a bonus
Would prefer a river to a lake as we enjoyed at times being able to just go with the current and the challenge of navigating rapids.
We would need an outfitter as we do not own our own canoe, but do have dry bags and camping gear,
Any recommendations are greatly appreciated, I hope I have been specific enough.
Maine rivers are pretty much out. The Bow River is a pretty loop but about four days. Its near Jackman ME at the Canadian border.http://www.jackmanmaine.org/maine-canoe-trips.php I can’t recall canoe liveries but they are said to exist so contact the Chamber of Commerce for info.
Allagash is too far as well as West Branch of the Penobscot
The trouble with a river trip in the Northeast is that rivers run very low in August often. Requiring lots of walking
The Saranac River of the Northern Forest Canoe Trail is a nice river but not in August!
you might want to check out the northern forest canoe trail, canoe outfitters in the adirondacks, how is the connecticut river in august? google a little bit to get some websites
G’day RP…can’t go wrong paddling in the Adirondacks. Places to paddle are to numerous to mention here, but a few that you can research are the Oswweigachie River, Raquette River, The Saranacs(Upper-Middle-Lower) and the St. Regis area…all great places to paddle for solitude and beauty…let me know if you have questions regarding these area’s I’ve mentioned…Regards…
An alternative, when up in Maine…
One can take two, three or four ponds that are pretty close together and, prior to fishing, paddle around each, in the afternoons, before the action(trout feeding) starts in the warmer weather. One can often get eyesight of some wildlife doing that…before attempting to commune with the fish. Checking out the scenery can often break up day to day tasks of camping alongside rivers.