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Log inQuantabacook Lake a peaceful paddle
Quantabacook Lake a peaceful paddle
by Outspoken on Sun Jul 20, 2008 2:23 pm
Quantabacook Lake a peaceful paddle
By MICHAEL PERRY
Portland Press Herald
For a delightful midsummer paddle coupled with a classic Maine scenic drive, consider an outing on Quantabacook Lake in Searsmont before the back-to-school promotions begin appearing in a few weeks (a frightening thought, indeed).
This lake is one of the headwater lakes of the beautiful St. George River, which flows 32 miles south from the town of Searsmont to Thomaston. Quantabacook is an elongated lake, three miles long and a half-mile wide.
The lake has concentrated pockets of cottages on it, but enough undeveloped shoreline to provide ample solitude and natural beauty. Most of the cottages are set back a few yards into the forest, nearly hidden by the lush canopy of hardwoods and evergreens.
MANY SOUNDS ABOUND
If you love red-winged blackbirds, this is the place to paddle. There are a number of coves bordered by lush low marshes. Everywhere you look you will see the spectacular red-patched male standing sentry on a low bush or cattail stalk, and nearby the brown mottled female.
The unforgettable chortle of the red-winged blackbird is as much a part of the early summer symphony on Quantabacook Lake as are the calls of a mating pair of loons echoing over the lake, or the song of the osprey piercing the airwaves high above the water.
Couple that with the entertaining chorus of bullfrogs in Bartlett Stream, adjacent to the boat launch site, and you have the makings of a day devoted to auditory wonderment as much as sight.
Getting to and from the lake, coupled with three or four hours of paddling, will make for a whole day of exploring. A nice way to proceed with your day is to drive to Augusta and take Route 3 east toward Belfast.
This is a peaceful drive through rolling meadows and flower-dotted hillsides, with very little development once you get five miles east of Augusta. We especially love the area nearing Lake St. George.
Every time we drive by we look up at the slopes above the road and make the pledge to come back and ski the hillsides peering down over the lake in the winter. They look like the perfect venues to carve out some telemark turns.
A GREAT PLACE TO CAMP
If you enjoy camping, Lake St. George State Park is a fabulous spot to tent out for the night, and a pretty lake to explore as well. From the state park you are only nine miles away from Quantabacook Lake.
The primitive boat launch site is tucked into the woods just south of Route 3. Five miles east of Lake St. George start looking for a small body of water on the left: the James Dorso Wildlife Management Area -- Ruffingham Meadow.
From the small parking area at this pond it is 1.5 miles to gravel Bryant Drive on the right. Turn right onto this narrow access road and follow it a quarter mile to the northwestern end of Quantabacook Lake.
The small green street sign out on Route 3 is very easy to miss, and we went right by it on our first try. Consult the Delorme Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map No. 14 for help in getting there.
The shady launch site offers a great view down the lake through the narrows leading down toward the town of Searsmont. At the end of our paddle we were sorely tempted to break out the lawn chairs and tarry a few hours at the launch site watching the sun slowly arc over the water. But new exploring beckoned, as we had decided to head down to Camden and return home via Route 1.
As beautiful as the lake is, it is not what we would call a swimming lake for canoeists, not for the clarity of water, but for the fact that the shoreline is lined by a very thick mixed forest, making it a challenge to land easily. There are no sandy beaches on the lake, but if desperate for a swim you will be able to find a spot to pull the canoe up through the brush and dive in for a refreshing dip.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=200070&ac=Outdoors
By MICHAEL PERRY
Portland Press Herald
For a delightful midsummer paddle coupled with a classic Maine scenic drive, consider an outing on Quantabacook Lake in Searsmont before the back-to-school promotions begin appearing in a few weeks (a frightening thought, indeed).
This lake is one of the headwater lakes of the beautiful St. George River, which flows 32 miles south from the town of Searsmont to Thomaston. Quantabacook is an elongated lake, three miles long and a half-mile wide.
The lake has concentrated pockets of cottages on it, but enough undeveloped shoreline to provide ample solitude and natural beauty. Most of the cottages are set back a few yards into the forest, nearly hidden by the lush canopy of hardwoods and evergreens.
MANY SOUNDS ABOUND
If you love red-winged blackbirds, this is the place to paddle. There are a number of coves bordered by lush low marshes. Everywhere you look you will see the spectacular red-patched male standing sentry on a low bush or cattail stalk, and nearby the brown mottled female.
The unforgettable chortle of the red-winged blackbird is as much a part of the early summer symphony on Quantabacook Lake as are the calls of a mating pair of loons echoing over the lake, or the song of the osprey piercing the airwaves high above the water.
Couple that with the entertaining chorus of bullfrogs in Bartlett Stream, adjacent to the boat launch site, and you have the makings of a day devoted to auditory wonderment as much as sight.
Getting to and from the lake, coupled with three or four hours of paddling, will make for a whole day of exploring. A nice way to proceed with your day is to drive to Augusta and take Route 3 east toward Belfast.
This is a peaceful drive through rolling meadows and flower-dotted hillsides, with very little development once you get five miles east of Augusta. We especially love the area nearing Lake St. George.
Every time we drive by we look up at the slopes above the road and make the pledge to come back and ski the hillsides peering down over the lake in the winter. They look like the perfect venues to carve out some telemark turns.
A GREAT PLACE TO CAMP
If you enjoy camping, Lake St. George State Park is a fabulous spot to tent out for the night, and a pretty lake to explore as well. From the state park you are only nine miles away from Quantabacook Lake.
The primitive boat launch site is tucked into the woods just south of Route 3. Five miles east of Lake St. George start looking for a small body of water on the left: the James Dorso Wildlife Management Area -- Ruffingham Meadow.
From the small parking area at this pond it is 1.5 miles to gravel Bryant Drive on the right. Turn right onto this narrow access road and follow it a quarter mile to the northwestern end of Quantabacook Lake.
The small green street sign out on Route 3 is very easy to miss, and we went right by it on our first try. Consult the Delorme Maine Atlas and Gazetteer map No. 14 for help in getting there.
The shady launch site offers a great view down the lake through the narrows leading down toward the town of Searsmont. At the end of our paddle we were sorely tempted to break out the lawn chairs and tarry a few hours at the launch site watching the sun slowly arc over the water. But new exploring beckoned, as we had decided to head down to Camden and return home via Route 1.
As beautiful as the lake is, it is not what we would call a swimming lake for canoeists, not for the clarity of water, but for the fact that the shoreline is lined by a very thick mixed forest, making it a challenge to land easily. There are no sandy beaches on the lake, but if desperate for a swim you will be able to find a spot to pull the canoe up through the brush and dive in for a refreshing dip.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=200070&ac=Outdoors
"Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything."
Plato (427-347 BC)
Plato (427-347 BC)
