West Branch of the Penobscot: The Wabanaki-Thoreau Canoe Trail
West Branch of the Penobscot River/Chesuncook Lake. This trip retraces part of Thoreau’s voyage through the Maine woods with his Penobscot guide, Joe Polis.
West Branch of the Penobscot River/Chesuncook Lake. This trip retraces part of Thoreau’s voyage through the Maine woods with his Penobscot guide, Joe Polis.
| Date(s) | Price(s) |
|---|---|
| July 7-11, 2025 | $1,400 per person |
| October 7-11, 2025 | $1,400 per person |
West Branch of the Penobscot River/Chesuncook Lake Wabanaki-Thoreau Canoe Trail, which retraces part of Thoreau’s voyage through the Maine woods with his Penobscot guide, Joe Polis, is a must-do for nature enthusiasts.
This part of Thoreau’s route is an excellent wilderness trip for beginners through countries rich in wildlife, logging history, and Native American history. There are no difficult rapids or portages on the entire trip. We also visit the historic Chesuncook village, which Thoreau visited in 1850.
On most of our West Branch trips, we see moose, bald eagles, and occasionally black bears and river otters. Our comfortable campsites in the boreal forest along the river banks and lake shore have picnic tables, outhouses, and stone fire rings.
This is the most popular introduction to Maine canoe camping we offer and an excellent choice for families. To view the trip itinerary, click here.
This canoe trip on the West Branch of the Penobscot retraces about half of Thoreau’s journey with his Penobscot guide, Joe Polis. This is our most popular introduction to Maine’s wilderness canoe camping trips. The West Branch trip is especially popular with elders and families as there are only beginners-level rapids and no carries or portages. The area is rich in wildlife; moose and bald eagles are often daily sightings. There is some evidence of the river drive logging era along its shores and many of the campsites are old river drive encampments. For over 12,000 years, the West Branch has been a major Wabanaki canoe route interstate for travel. The Wabanaki word for Chesuncook translates to “lake from which you can travel to many rivers”. From the north end of Chesuncook, you can access the Allagash River, the East and West Branches of the Penobscot River, the Wolastoq (St. John River), and the Kennebec river systems.
On our West Branch canoe trip, we will stop at Chesuncook Village, which was first cleared around 1850 by Ansell Smith whom Henry David Thoreau and Joe Polis stayed with on their famous canoe trip. Later in the 1800s, the village grew in size to be a bustling community of several hundred people during the river drive logging era and, until the early 2000s, was the state of Maine’s last roadless settlement. We will go on a leisurely walk through the village as we have some friends who still live there today. We will also stop by the historic church and, if there is interest, take a short walk up to the cemetery where Ansell Smith and his descendants are buried.
In the early 1980s, the state of Maine negotiated a conservation easement along the shoreline of the upper West Branch to keep it from ever being developed and to maintain its “forever wild” state. Along the river shoreline, the campsites are located in Boreal Forest habitat and the state of Maine maintains picnic tables, a stone fireplace, and an outhouse at each of the campsites. The West Branch of the Penobscot Wabanki-Thoreau Canoe Trail is an excellent choice for anyone who would like to enjoy a remote and quiet river trip through the solitude of the north Maine woods.
For trip itinerary, click here
All our Maine canoe trips are fully outfitted and guided by Mahoosuc Guide Service’s owners Polly or Kevin. We provide all the food, camping, paddling, and cooking equipment, as well as a detailed clothing list to help you in packing for your trip. Most of our trips meet in Orono, Maine (just north of Bangor). We provide transportation to and from the river. Many of our canoe trips require no special physical conditioning. If you have any concerns about the physical requirements of a trip, please contact us.
We are experienced teachers and will help you master the art of canoeing by teaching paddle strokes and poling techniques. You will learn how to set up a warm dry camp, and if you want, how to cook and bake over an open fire. All our food is natural or organic, and we source much of our food locally. Natural history, wildlife viewing, and fishing will be covered as your interests warrant.
You are in safe hands with Mahoosuc Guide Service. With more than 40 years guiding experience from Maine and Quebec to the Yukon Territory and Alaska, we have an excellent safety record. We are certified in Wilderness First Aid and Wilderness First Responders. We carry a satellite phone for emergency communication!
Meet at the Black Bear Inn in Orono, Maine, at 7:30 a.m. for breakfast. Look at map together and pack up gear for the trip. Depart around 9 a.m. Drive to put in on Lobster Stream. Lesson about paddling strokes, loading canoes, and traveling as a group. Paddle to campsite on Lobster Lake.
Paddle down Lobster Stream to confluence of the West Branch of the Penobscot River. Lunch at Thoreau’s Island. Camp at Big Island area. Fish or lesson about canoe poling.
Paddle down the West Branch of the Penobscot to Pine Stream. Lunch and exploration upstream, if people desire. Paddle down to Chesuncook Lake. Stay over in area around Chesuncook Village with beautiful views of Mt. Katahdin. Walk around village and see historic cemetery.
Paddle down Chesuncook Lake. Camp at Mouser Island with beautiful views of Spencer Mountain. Last night together and on an island! Good swimming, poling, or fishing.
Paddle to take-out at south end of the lake, visit the museum if it is open. Load canoes and gear. Have lunch. Drive back to Black Bear Inn in Orono. Arrive around 5 p.m. Say good-byes.
Deposits are non-refundable. No money is refundable from 0-14 days before the trip starts. Within 14-30 days before the journey begins, money is non-refundable. You may apply the amount to another trip for one year (on a space-available basis) minus your deposit. If you cancel within 14 days of the starting date, money is non-transferable and non-refundable. We go in all conditions, including rain and thaws. If extreme weather conditions prevent you from traveling to Maine for your trip, you may use the total amount less the deposit for another year from the starting date. You may purchase vacation insurance to cover this possibility. If you have to cancel due to Covid related issues, we cannot give a refund, but we will lock in the trip’s price and give a 2-year credit for any of our trips.
We only cancel a trip for safety reasons (i.e., flooding, bad ice, extreme windchill or lack of conditions – not enough snow or ice.) We may need to cancel canoe trips due to safety issues such as extremely high or low river water. If we need to cancel, we try rescheduling people to another trip. If we need to compensate for safety or lack of conditions, you may use the total amount toward another Mahoosuc trip for two years or receive a 50% refund and apply the other half to a Mahoosuc trip for two years.
If you have any symptoms of Covid before your trip, please test yourself before arriving at Mahoosuc Guide Service and contact us to reschedule your trip.
Tips are appropriate for your guides. If you would like to recognize how hard they worked to provide a safe and reliable trip for you. A standard amount is 5% – 10% of your trip cost. At Mahoosuc, we split tips evenly among whoever works on the trip unless people want certain amounts to go directly to specific guides. In this case, they should give it to them individually.
Over the years my wife and I have been on wonderful guided trips on the Allagash and West Branch of the Penobscot with Polly. I also went on several other Allagash trips with her. All of these trips were unique and enjoyable. We found her easy to be with and eager to share her wilderness knowledge of the North Country gained through experience of thirty years. Both Kevin and Polly are the organizers, guides, teachers, chefs, story tellers, and friend to all on the trip. But, there was no doubt they are in charge of details that made a wilderness trip seem effortless – shuttle service, organized lists with necessary equipment to bring, menus and meals, safety measures, daily schedules, side trips, and in a pinch, a back-up plan if some unseen event required a change in plans. Our view of this level of professional guiding is that it provides an atmosphere where everyone can feel safe and therefore free to totally enjoy the wilderness experience. Beyond all of the above, I think a real plus for me is the opportunity to use the skills I already have – this makes a trip with Kevin or Polly special for all involved.
