Spring runoff
Peak flows and the canoe race on the third weekend of April. Muddy trails, high water, dramatic skies and the first fishing of the year once the river clears.
Plan your visit
Getting here & making the most of it
Kenduskeag is small, rural and easy to reach but not easy to find without a map. Here is everything that makes a trip here work: how to get in, when to come, where to eat and sleep, and how to spend a day on the river.
Getting here
Kenduskeag sits on Maine State Route 15 — Broadway, the town's main street — about twelve miles northwest of Bangor. The fastest route from the south is straight up Route 15 from the city.
By car
- From Bangor
- Take Broadway (Route 15) north out of the city and keep going for about 12 miles. Roughly 19 minutes.
- From the south
- I-95 north to exit 185 at Broadway, turn right onto Broadway and head north on Route 15 through the town.
- From Portland
- I-95 to Newport (exit 161), then connect to Route 222 — the Stetson Road — and pick up Route 15.
- From the north
- Route 15 runs south from Garland, Exeter and Corinth into Kenduskeag.
- Airport
- Bangor International Airport (BGR) is in the city, about fifteen minutes away.
- Public transport
- There is no bus service in Kenduskeag itself. Bangor's BAT bus system covers the city; the valley is a car country.
Road conditions
Broadway through Kenduskeag is the town's main street and doubles as Route 15. Expect farm traffic, logging trucks and snow in winter. Most side roads are narrow, unlit and best driven in daylight.
Parking in town
Parking is easy in Kenduskeag — and nearly impossible at Six Mile Falls on race day. The bridge parking area fills early; come at dawn with a thermos and a folding chair.
Cell service
Coverage is patchy in the valley and there is a known dead spot at the town office. Download maps, save the addresses you need, and treat the river as offline.
When to come
Each season has its own reason to be here.
Long light
Swimmable lakes, paddling, fly fishing, the Bangor State Fair in the last two weeks of July and the American Folk Festival on the last weekend of August. Watch out for black flies in late May and June.
Harvest and colour
Apples and pumpkins at Treworgy in Levant, the best hiking of the year, fall colour through late October, and waterfowl moving down the river.
Deep winter
Snowmobile trails with the Kenduskeag Stream Riders, cross-country skiing at the Bangor City Forest, downhill skiing and tubing at Hermon Mountain, and quiet rivers under ice.
Itineraries
Four plans that work, depending on how long you have and what you like doing.
A half day — 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. Interpretive signs cover the mill history and the wildlife; the Lovers Leap overlook is the one to make the detour for.
Lunch
Downtown Bangor
Independent restaurants and bars between State and Main, then the Penobscot River Walkway along the waterfront.
Afternoon
Six Mile Falls
Ten minutes north of the city on Route 15. Look at the rapid from the bridge, then continue to the Kenduskeag Valley Golf Course for the clubhouse view of the valley.
Optional
Bangor City Forest
Add a couple of hours and a bog boardwalk walk if the light and the legs allow it.
A full day — river & orchard
Morning
Fish or paddle
Trout water above the town, or a float on the flat reaches below it. Rentals, outfitters and the local fishing rules are on the stream page.
Lunch
Wrong Turn Pub
The clubhouse at Kenduskeag Valley Golf Course on Grant Road, looking over the stream.
Afternoon
Treworgy Family Orchards
Twenty minutes west in Levant. Apples, pumpkins, a corn maze, ice cream and a farm store, with pick-your-own through the season.
Evening
Bangor after dark
The waterfront concert series in summer, or dinner and a drink downtown.
Three days — the whole river
Day one
The valley
Kenduskeag itself: Cole Memorial Field, the golf course, the Case Memorial Library, and the farms and berry stands on the Corinth Road and in nearby Levant.
Day two
Bangor & Brewer
Waterfront and museums in Bangor, the City Forest and Orono Bog, then the Brewer promenade and a night out.
Day three
Go further
Fort Knox and the Penobscot Narrows Observatory, or the Maine State Museum and the historical society in Bangor.
A wet-weather day
Morning
Maine Discovery Museum
Three floors of hands-on exhibits in Bangor, and the strongest wet-weather option for families.
Midday
Zillman Art Museum
Modern and contemporary art on the University of Maine campus, including David Hockney, Andy Warhol and Marsden Hartley.
Afternoon
Case Memorial Library
Quiet, warm and free in Kenduskeag, with printing, computers and a daily museum pass.
Evening
Bangor waterfront
The river walk and a seafood dinner; the waterfront stays worth walking in the rain.
Eat & stay
In town and in Bangor
In Kenduskeag
What there is
Wrong Turn Pub at the golf course, Sam's Qwik Stop for fuel, coffee and ice cream on Broadway, and Butlers Variety for the small things you run out of.
In Bangor
Where to eat properly
Two blocks of independent restaurants and bars between State and Main; the waterfront brewery where the canoe race finishes; and the downtown bakery, butcher and fish counter tradition that a working river city keeps.
On the farm
Treworgy, Levant
A farm store and cafe with ice cream and baked goods, twenty minutes west — the easiest sit-down lunch in the valley.
Where to stay
Bangor and Brewer
Historic downtown inns, modern hotels near the interchange and airport, and the Black Bear Inn across the river. Cabins, campsites and vacation rentals sit around the lakes.
What to bring
- Insect repellent — black flies are ferocious in late May and June, and Maine mosquitoes have teeth.
- Tick protection — permethrin-treated clothing and a tick check after any walk in the woods. Maine has the highest rate of Lyme disease in the country.
- Layers — it is ten degrees colder up the valley than in Bangor, and colder still on the water.
- A rain shell — April showers on the Kenduskeag are sudden and horizontal.
- Cash — farm stands, grange suppers and the clubhouse are better with it, and the nearest ATM is in Bangor.
- Water shoes — if you are wading the shallows.
- A head torch — if you are walking back to the car from Six Mile Falls after dark.
Dogs are welcome on most trails and on the Kenduskeag Stream Trail, on a lead. They are not allowed in the canoe race.
Good to know
The local realities that make a visit easier.
Licences
A Maine fishing licence is required to fish the Kenduskeag or the Stillwater if you are 16 or over. Non-residents pay roughly $69 for the year.
Burn permits
Most outdoor burning, including campfires, needs a permit. They are free and issued online by the State of Maine.
Fire & EMS
Kenduskeag Fire-Rescue is volunteer and per diem. Dial 911 for anything urgent.
Cold water
The Kenduskeag is cold enough to be dangerous in July, and the rapids are fast. Respect the Class II–III sections.
Black bears
Bears live in the woods all around Kenduskeag. They are not interested in you, but they are very interested in your food. Keep rubbish and coolers inside the car, do not feed wildlife, and make noise when you walk.