We’ve been guiding whitewater rafting trips at Northern Outdoors in The Forks, Maine for over 40 years, but somehow Maine’s three rivers — the Kennebec River, the Dead River and the Penobscot River — are more fun every season! It must be you guys. Read your whitewater rafting trip reports, get some Maine travel tips, and meet our Registered Maine Whitewater Guides below. Post your rafting photos and other Maine adventures on Instagram with #NorthernOutdoors to be featured in our taproom.
This past Memorial Weekend was sure one to remember for those that went Dead River rafting with Northern Outdoors. Originally, we were scheduled for Kennebec River rafting on Saturday and Dead River rafting on Sunday. But due to the extreme high water levels, from the previous night’s rain, we rafted the Dead River on both Saturday and Sunday. A chance like this hardly ever happens!
One of those well-known adventures is Dead River rafting with Northern Outdoors. Each year, we’re lucky enough to have 8 releases on the Dead River. This 16-mile trip offers a day of paddling through heart-pounding Class III, IV, and V whitewater and avid rafters say that “you haven’t rafted Maine until you have been on all three rivers – Dead, Kennebec and Penobscot“.
Kennebec River rafting is always fun. Throw a little extra water into the mix and the trip becomes down right AWESOME! The standard water level for Kennebec River rafting is 4,800CFS (cubic feet per second), and this past weekend we rafted on 8,500CFS of water.
The Long Falls Dam, where water is now released for us to enjoy Dead River rafting, impounds the waters of Flagstaff Lake.
Slaid Cleaves and Nicole St. Pierre, with photos contributed by the Dead River Area Historical Society, produced this song and video titled “Below” which chronicles the 1940’s flooding of Flagstaff and Dead River in Maine.
Braving the rapids in the summer is quite a thrill, but spring rafting is truly an excellent time to catch exciting water levels in Maine. As the spring thaw begins, the rivers swell to levels higher than what we typically see in the summer.
A New Twist on the Traditional Coffee House in The Forks, Maine Northern Outdoors is
Kennebec Whitewater Rafting – Better Than Your Average Riverside Lunch Lunch on the banks of
Conquer Hot Summer Days with Maine Whitewater Rafting We’re watching the mercury hit record temperatures
Northern Outdoors is home to Maine’s best rafting and adventure vacations. We started rafting in 1976, in fact, we were the very first rafting company in Maine (see more Northern Outdoors history), and have a long record of setting industry standards for quality, safety, and professional guide training.
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