Hi! I am looking for a nice place for a 2-3 day kayak tour with a child. We will travel from NYC to Boston. Looking for a place that is not too far away. Any recommendations for a beautiful location in New Hampshire, Vermont, eastern part of New York State or maybe even in Maine with safe campgrounds and if possible not too busy? We need to rent the equipment. Any recommendation would be greatly appreciated.
Saco ?
The Saco gets a good review from everyone.
Keep an eye on water gauges on the upper Delaware.
Have you visited American Whitewater ?
Of course, New Brunswick.
When you say “with a child”, do you
mean you will be touring along some river, from camp to camp, with a child in one of the kayaks?
Kayaks are not terrific child carriers. How have you, so far, been moving on the water with your child in one of the kayaks?
not the first time
Yes, it’s not her first time but so far we have only done day trips. She is 9 years old and loves to kayak.
Connecticut river
The Saco is very crowded on weekends and much of that crowd can be undesirable. Take a look at the CT. River in Vt and NH, I’m not sure about renting gear.
http://www.connecticutriverpaddlerstrail.org/
go north ?
http://www.northernforestcanoetrail.org/
Connecticut is infested with ticks ? True or false ?
Images
The North Trail:
http://goo.gl/qbvQr9
The Delaware, in your backyard ? has livery, scenery, riffles, history, some isolation.
I’d not do the Saco on weekends
Midweek it's just fine. I live 15 minutes away. It IS safe as the local PD on Fryeburg has a marine patrol and alcohol is prohibited on it in Fryeburg now. Moreover there is a river keepers organization to enforce campsite cleanliness.
Thing have changed just on the last few years immensely
The Saco however is at the upper time limit of travel from Boston. On a Friday it can be a four hour drive.
Rentals are available
The NFCT is a long haul from Boston. Six to 11 hours. It's not easy getting around in Maine.
You can also paddle part of the Androscoggin on the Maine NH line.
Rentals available in Bethel
Delaware River is six hours from Boston. Adirondacks 250 miles. In the Daks that is some six to eight hours driving. It takes me in Maine 8 hours to get to the Adirondacks. Not many interstates up here.
I’m not sure I understand your question
The Connecticut river is not infested with ticks nor is the NFCT,this time of year s peak tick season pretty much everywhere in New England.
Ct river and Saco
It is about 2 hours from Boston to White River Junction VT. there is plenty of flat water canoeing north of there. It is 2 hours and 45 minutes from Boston the Fryberg, Me where you would put in for the Saco river,
chuckling
not on a Friday… The summer people have hit. It took me 30 minutes today on a five mile stretch of 302. Better to plan for snarls than not.
My summer shopping for food strategy has to kick in NOW.
Kids and ticks
There is a map.
I moved south to Florida from a tickless area, from winter cold also no snakes, then continued reading about Lyme in New England. Connecticut was often mentioned.
http://www.aldf.com/usmap.shtml
search Google Images for tick maps
107 miles
from Ft Lee to Skinners Falls.
No black fly, few mosquito.
Search for tour guides.
https://www.google.com/#q=landers+canoe+delaware+river+skinners+falls
Overnight on the Ipswich River
The Ipswich River from Middleton to Ipswich MA is a lovely slow moving river with two overnight possibilites.
Foote Brothers has Colt Island and rents canoes and kayaks.
http://footebrotherscanoes.com/rates-packages/
Mass Audubon has Perkins Island and has canoes at least. You may need to be a member to take advantage?
http://www.massaudubon.org/get-outdoors/wildlife-sanctuaries/ipswich-river
Ticks and Lyme Disease are certainly a concern here as they are in most of New England.
Have you considered a state park?
Have you considered camping at a state park? While we live in Northern Virginia, and we are not campers, we will be returning later in the summer for our 4th (I think) time renting a house on Lake Pawtuckaway for a few weeks which is in southern New Hampshire. One side of the lake is state park, the other is private housing.
It is only about 1 3/4 hours north of Boston and is plenty big (about 4 miles long) and has a beach area.
While the park rents kayaks, there is a private rental outfit near the lake from whom we have rented when we’ve needed an extra kayak for visitors to supplement ours. I believe the one day rate is 35 but I think if you were doing 2-3 days, it might drop to 30 or even 25 but I’m not sure. They have delivered the kayak to our rental house but I assume they could take it to the state park entry (maybe). You’ll need NH fishing licenses (not sure about the 9 year-old) if you want to give that a try from the kayaks.
This park is about 30 minutes east of Manchester, NH and about 30 minutes west of Kittery, ME and the coast in case weather is not cooperative and you need other places to visit.
If you would like lake photos, please send me a private email.
Best of luck.
Michael
West Branch Pond Camps(NE of Moose-
head Lake)…may be quite the ideal drive for you, but once you get up into the north central Maine woods there’s no place more safe for overnight/multiple day/night stays! Only visitors will be moose & deer. Camps are on 1st W.Br.Pond(1 of 2)…coldwater, not deep = ideal for comfortable paddling…to check out sometime(in a warm June(2014!)-August).
Umbagog is three hours approx
from Boston
Primitive or developed camping.
http://www.sacobound.com/northern/wildlife.php
Moosehead is three hours away from me. I am midway between Boston and Moosehead.
Logistics
We need to know more about your paddling and camping experience and the type of trip you’re looking for.
Such a trip is logistically complicated, considering the travel distance from New York and then from Boston to your destination, renting gear, and having a child along. Seems like a lot of fuss for a two- or three-day trip.
What is your paddling experience?
If you’re inexperienced I would recommend car camping at a campground and making kayak day trips from there. Car camping is more forgiving of gear mistakes—you can run into town to pick up things you forgot.
You can rent kayaks at EMS in Concord, NH, and at Quickwater Canoe and Kayak in Penacook, NH. EMS also rents tents and sleeping bags.
For car camping with day paddling trips the closest place north of Boston is the New Hampshire Lakes Region, about 2 hours. But this is not a remote area and there is heavy motor boat traffic on the large lakes.
If you really want to do kayak camping, a more remote place is Greet River Reservoir in Vermont, about 4 hours from Boston. Said to be crowded on weekends.
The closest remote area to Boston is the western lakes region between Errol, NH, and Rangeley, Maine. A long drive from Boston—about 5 hours. If you don’t have at least intermediate paddling skills, this might not be a good choice as the lakes are large and windy.
I suggest doing a search for kayak outfitters. LL Bean offers kayak camping tours and there are others.
ditto on the Saco midweek(if possible)
..and Waterbird's. Any crowds midweek are from people out for the same reason you are....
you can leave substance rec at home
the law is on the river
http://www.pressherald.com/2014/07/26/man-arrested-charged-with-cocaine-possession-at-saco-river-campsite/