The Northern Forest Canoe Trail: State by State
AMC Outdoors, March 2006
New York
New York’s 147 miles of trail are a study in diversity as paddlers traverse the Saranac and Raquette Rivers through lake country and rural villages. "You get a taste of remote wilderness and small towns that are uniquely Adirondack," says Terry Martino. "The evergreens are spectacular; the water is spectacular. The whole area gives you an untouched feeling."
This route requires two major portages: The first comes via the Fulton Lake Chain when paddlers cross to Raquette Lake and the second is from the Raquette River to the Saranac Lakes—navigating sections of Class IV. At Raquette Falls there’s a mile-long portage around a twisted Class V section.
"Most Native Americans wouldn’t run the hairy stuff because their canoes were valuable and they would rather carry than risk losing them," says Krepner. There are numerous carries depending on seasonal fl ows. Along the way stop in at the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake and get a complete history of the boat building techniques used in the area. The museum has designated an entire building to Adirondack watercraft. All portages on the NFCT are marked on the maps and by summer 2006 all will have signs.
Vermont/Quebec
Once you’ve entered Lake Champlain in Vermont, things get international. There are two border crossings, so have your passport ready. And don’t assume “lake” translates to flat paddling.
"This is my favorite section because of all the waves created by the delta," says Finlay. "Plus it’s teeming with wildlife thanks to the Missisquoi Wildlife Refuge." A strategic battleground in colonial times, the French, Dutch, and British all used the lake as a means of quick communication and transportation. Some of the fiercest battles during the war of 1812 were fought for control of Champlain. Following your lake crossing, ascend the Missisquoi River to its North Branch above Masonville. This section is tabbed the “Grand Portage” and requires a nine-mile carry along a dirt road to Lake Memphremagog. Don’t rest your muscles yet: You'll paddle to Newport, and then carry again to the Clyde River. After paddling up the Clyde to the Nulhegan it’s on to the mighty Connecticut. The Vermont section covers 174 miles of complex water, which most paddlers tackle downstream.
New Hampshire
New Hampshire hosts only 72 miles of the NFCT, but that doesn’t make it any less interesting. Three different rivers anchor this section: the Connecticut, the Ammonoosuc, and the Androscoggin. A portage is required between the latter two. On one section of the trail, near Stark, sat a World War II prisoners of war camp, housing Germans captured during the conflict. "It's an amazing story," says Williams. "Especially when you dig deeper and discover the ties between the residents of the town and the camp." Over 300 Germans were housed here and townspeople had varied relations with the prisoners ranging from cordial to strained.
Maine
With over 347 miles of watertrail, Maine has by far the most real estate in the NFCT system. The route leads paddlers from Errol, New Hampshire, to Rangeley, Maine, but, according to the NFCT, it’s easier to navigate in the opposite direction. This is because the rivers and lakes tumble inland off the Androscoggin-Kennebec divide—at around 1,000 feet, easily the highest point of the trail east of the Adirondacks. In all, you’ll paddle or portage eight rivers and 10 lakes during the Pine Tree leg of the journey. And if you’re weary of paddling by this point, "the hiking trails go right through the Bigelow Preserve off the Flagstaff Lake," says Williams. "It’s an outdoor Mecca." About six miles above the St. John River on the Allagash roar the forty-foot Allagash Falls, which have been inadvertently run on more than one occasion. Avoid this and you’re in for a fantastic view. “It’s one of those places you just want to sit and go ahh…,” says Krepner, of what’s arguably the NFCT’s most remote section.
After descending the Moose River to Moosehead Lake, paddlers will be enthralled with Mount Kineo, a mountain of flint that rises some 800 feet out of the lake. Flint remnants from Moosehead Lake—a stomping ground of Thoreau--have been found as far south as Pennsylvania.
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