The canoe race
The largest paddling event in New England. 16.5 miles from Discovery Park in Kenduskeag to a finish in downtown Bangor, with Six Mile Falls halfway along. Free to watch.
Penobscot County · Maine
Kenduskeag, Maine
A small valley town on a whitewater river, twelve miles upstream from Bangor. Every April the Kenduskeag Stream fills with canoes and kayaks; the rest of the year it fills with trout, eagles and the best walking in the Bangor region.
- The stream
- 33 miles Garland Pond to the Penobscot
- From Bangor
- 12 miles About 15 minutes by road
- Each April
- Canoe race 16.5 miles of whitewater
- The town
- 1,350 people 16.75 square miles
“Kenduskeag Stream” · Nicholas Stasulis / USGS · Public domain
Six reasons to come up the river
Kenduskeag is not a resort town and does not pretend to be one. What it has is a river, a race, and the kind of open country that Maine is good at.
Six Mile Falls
A Class II–III rapid on the top of the Kenduskeag's whitewater, six miles north-northwest of Bangor. Spectacular from the bridge; serious from a boat.
The stream trail
Two and a half miles of riverbank path with lookouts over Lovers Leap, the old mill ruins and interpretive signs along the whole walk.
Wildlife & quiet water
Brook trout and landlocked salmon in the cold reaches, alewives and eels in the pools, bald eagles on the bank — plus nine miles of trails in the Bangor City Forest.
Orchards & farm stands
Pick-your-own apples, pumpkins, berries and ice cream at Treworgy Family Orchards in nearby Levant, and strawberries and blueberries on the Corinth Road.
Something every season
Canoe race in April, fly fishing all summer, the State Fair in July, apples in the fall, and snowmobile trails and Nordic skiing in the winter.
The river
The Kenduskeag Stream
Thirty-three miles of cold water running from Garland Pond in the west, through Kenduskeag, and into the heart of Bangor where it meets the Penobscot. The Penobscot people called it the place where eels gather.
It is a working river. Cold water for Atlantic salmon, alewives and eel, trout in the pools, and wooded banks where bald eagles nest and hunt. Sawmills once crowded the shoreline; the ruins of several still stand in the woods, and Henry David Thoreau walked these banks on visits to Bangor more than 150 years ago.
“The Kenduskeag, then a deep flowing stream, with its beautiful cascades from Six Mile Falls to tide water, has shrunk to a comparative rivulet in summer time by the clearing of the forest.”
John A. Poor, 1869 — on the stream before the logging eraThe canoe race, by the numbers
- Course
- 16.5 miles, Kenduskeag to downtown Bangor
- When
- Third weekend of April
- Organised by
- City of Bangor Department of Parks & Recreation
- Rapids
- Six Mile Falls, then portages at Flour Mill and Maxfield Dam
- Start line
- Discovery Park, Kenduskeag
- Finish
- Near Sea Dog Brewing on the Penobscot River
- Since
- 1967 — more than 28,000 paddlers
How to spend a day here
Three itineraries that work, whether you have three hours or three days. Times are suggestions, not appointments.
The river walk
Morning
Kenduskeag Stream Trail
Park at the Franklin Street bridge in downtown Bangor and walk 2.3 miles upstream to Valley Avenue, past Lovers Leap and the mill ruins.
Trail map ↗
Lunch
Downtown Bangor
Two blocks of independent restaurants, bars and shops between State and Main, then a walk on the Penobscot River Walkway.
Afternoon
Six Mile Falls
Stop at the bridge on Route 15 to watch the water. Best light is late afternoon.
River & orchard
Morning
Fish or paddle the stream
Trout water above the town, or a float on the flat reaches below it. Guides and rentals are listed on the stream page.
Fishing rules ↗
Lunch
Wrong Turn Pub
The clubhouse at Kenduskeag Valley Golf Course on Grant Road, right on the water.
Afternoon
Treworgy Family Orchards
Apples, pumpkins, ice cream and a corn maze in nearby Levant. Twenty minutes away.
Farm details ↗The whole river
Day one
The valley
Kenduskeag, Cole Memorial Field, the golf course and the Case Memorial Library, then west to Treworgy and the Corinth Road berry farms.
Day two
Bangor & Brewer
Waterfront, City Forest, museums, and a night on the Bangor or Brewer waterfront.
Day three
Go further
Fort Knox and the Penobscot Narrows Observatory, or an afternoon at the Maine State Museum in Bangor.
Everything is close
Bangor has the restaurants, the hotels, the hospital and the airport. Brewer has the quiet waterfront. Beyond that, Acadia and Katahdin are a long day's drive.
The Pine Tree City
Waterfront concerts, the 31-foot Paul Bunyan, the Zillman Art Museum, Maine Discovery Museum, the Bangor Symphony since 1896, and a downtown worth an evening.
Across the river
The Brewer waterfront promenade, Chamberlain Freedom Park, the Penobscot River trail and the Holmes family legacy — a small city with a long memory.
Katahdin, Fort Knox, Acadia
Mount Katahdin and Baxter State Park, the granite towers of Fort Knox and the tallest bridge observatory in the world, and the coast at Acadia.
Eat, drink & buy
In town it is a golf clubhouse, a convenience store and a coffee window. Ten minutes away in Bangor it is a proper restaurant scene.
Wrong Turn Pub
The clubhouse restaurant at Kenduskeag Valley Golf Course, on Grant Road above the stream.
Sam's Qwik Stop
Fuel, coffee, ice cream and snacks on Broadway. Open seven days.
Downtown & the waterfront
Two blocks of independent restaurants and bars, plus Sea Dog Brewing on the river where the canoe race finishes.
L.L.Bean, Stillwater Ave
The Bangor store on the edge of the City Forest, with kayak tours and classes on the water outside.
When to come
The river has a season, and so does everything else here.
April
The canoe race, third weekend of April. High water on the stream, mud on the trails, and the first fishing of the year once the river clears.
July & August
Bangor State Fair in the last two weeks of July, the American Folk Festival on the last weekend of August, swimming, paddling and long light.
September & October
Apples and pumpkins at Treworgy in Levant, berries and then apples, the best hiking weather of the year, and waterfowl moving down the river.
December – March
Snowmobiles on the Kenduskeag Stream Riders trails, cross-country skiing at the Bangor City Forest, and skiing and tubing at Hermon Mountain.
Before you go
Four things that trip people up in this part of Maine.
A licence for the river
Fishing the Kenduskeag Stream needs a Maine fishing licence (16 and over). Non-residents: roughly $69 for the year, or a $14 one-day licence.
Burn permits
Most outdoor burning needs a permit, including a campfire. They are free and issued online by the State of Maine.
Signal is patchy
Cell coverage drops out in the valley and there is a dead spot at the town office. Download maps before you head up.
Water is cold
Even in July, the Kenduskeag is cold enough to be dangerous and fast enough to carry you away. Respect the Class II–III sections.
Emergency numbers
Save these before you need them. For any emergency in Maine, dial 911.
Need a doctor or a hospital?
Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center, 489 State Street, Bangor — a fifteen-minute drive, with a 24-hour emergency department. For anything non-urgent, the town office can point you to a local clinic.