Trip Routes
MIKCo offers these multi-day trip destinations for experienced paddlers. Maine’s tiered islands allow the capable to explore the outside along the edge of the Gulf of Maine.
Our thousands of islands are in unique archipelagos protected from the full tempest of the sea. With tides from 10’-25’, summer air temps of 50’s-70’s F, water brisk in 50’s F, and three distinct ecosystems.
Paddlers need to be clear of their own abilities on the sea. We can help your planning if you review materials in our Ocean School section of the website, such as our general suggestions in Before You Go.
See our Galleries for photos of these spectacular destinations.
Paddling Casco Bay
Paddling from our base on Peaks Island, we wander past lighthouses, through protected passages, along rocky cliffs, beneath Civil War era forts, past seal covered ledges to island retreats. We land in hidden pocket beaches, maybe stop at an island ice cream store before adventuring out to explore the old forts on Jewell Island's varied shores. Perhaps you’ll paddle across the stronger tidal flow of Broad Sound to visit Admiral Peary's island hideout.
With over 200 islands, a rich geological and human history, and tremendous variety of paddling, Casco Bay is a great area for experimenting with your readiness and skill set before adventuring further Downeast.
Eastern Penobscot Bay - Stonington to Acadia National Park's Isle au Haut
Launch near the historical fishing port of Stonington, once a granite quarrying center for public buildings from Boston to D.C. Paddle out through the protection of magnificent dome shaped and pastured islands sprinkled with delicate white shell beaches. Maybe hear seals barking, porpoises breathing, and loons cooing. If you are confident and experienced, with favorable weather and tides, maybe you’ll paddle the bold cliffs and booming ledges of the unknown part of Acadia National Park, Isle au Haut, a year round home to a few dozen committed souls.
Jonesport Archipelago
Come paddle the pristine, cold, magnificent waters on this edge of Downeast Maine where the tides are greater, the water cooler, the people friendlier, and the birds are thick as the fog. This 100-island archipelago is mostly conservancy land, protecting exotic flora and fauna. It is stunning down here, though often damp and foggy. Paddle out beyond the madding crowd through Pig Gut to Mistake Island Light,; we’ll see if we can paddle along the wonders of The Nature Conservancy's Great Wass Island. Notice the large elephants marching along the ebbing tide out to sea. Be prepared for more rugged camping, we often sleep on the ledges down here.
Best of Penobscot Bay
Sample Maine's grandest body of water with its beautiful ports and channels offering weeks of exploring: sculpted rock forms, meadowy islands, old lighthouses and intimate pocket beaches. Penobscot Bay is genteel and special with its graceful schooners, old island communities and open spaces. Old island communities still survive offshore in this marine world. Perhaps we’ll cross from Muscle Ridge, circumnavigate Vinalhaven, paddle to Isle au Haut or head East toward Swan's Island. Many different routes are possible here so let us know your goals and interests.
Prospect Harbor to Machias
One of our more demanding journeys along Maine's coast, this one-way expedition traverses some of the wilder coastline of Maine, crosses several major headlands and passes large brawny outer island environs. This is one of Tom’s favorite trips on the eastern seaboard. We'll cross Maine's famous Atlantic Salmon rivers, old fish weirs, large nesting colonies, and dozens of varieties of pelagic birds. The coastal ecosystems approach sub arctic with blueberry barrens interspersed with larch, tamarack swamps and rare peat bogs sprinkled with rare Arctic flowers.
Surrealistic sand beaches sometimes contrast with the fractured needle shaped volcanic rocks and sea caves of Machias Bay. Nature Conservancy preserves...outer island lighthouses...grassy barrens with wild sheep and berries galore. The area can be foggy, but is beyond the normal tourist traffic. It's basic down here - stronger tides, rougher weather...and a kayaker's heaven. Some of our campsites will be very minimal - tiny barren rocky islands, sleeping on the rocks...but offering access to some of the most magnificent paddling on the eastern seaboard. Other campsites will be basic primitive camping on larger islands once we carry ashore across the 15-20 foot tidal range. Due to the large sea bird populations, we will focus on the many U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Nature Conservancy island properties set aside to protect local and unique colonial birds and flora. Total trip distance will be over 50 miles. Please note that one way trips are both psychologically and physically demanding; we don’t usually take a rest day on this trip.
Jonesport or Machias via Lubec to Gran Manan
This area on the Maine – New Brunswick border is a true BCU 4 Star level trip: from 4 to 10 days in some of the Gulf of Maine’s strongest tidal conditions. Paddlers need to be solid intermediates and comfortable with basic camping, though some nights we’ll bunk up in a camp or boarding house. Crossings out to Grand Manan are well over 10 miles, fog can be thick as butter, and the wildlife is mostly pelagic species of birds and mammals.
Beginning in the wonders of Jonesport with its tight archipelago of islands, we’ll wander down along the edge of the Nature Conservancy’s Great Wass Island, to stick our bows out into the swells and currents of the Gulf of Maine. We’ll wander by Mistake Island, rock garden along volcanic shores, pull into pristine, secluded beaches, and marvel at our good fortune to be paddling in this magical area. Let's cross to the Rogue Island archipelago, settled 400 years ago by the same family that still owns it, and then paddle out into a set of moor covered treeless islands, before paddling near the shipwrecks of Libby Island Light to Cross Island with its Native American petroglyphs and wilds.
Now we’re ready to run the 20-mile Bold Coast from Cutler to Lubec: often foggy, always gorgeous, with the 3 knots of flooding tide squeezed between Maine and Grand Manan. Along the Maine Public Reserve Lands, past Bailey’s Mistake, beneath West Quoddy Head light and then up the last miles to tiny Lubec, the entrance to Campobello, and a night at a boarding house with its own Irish Pub looking out over Cobscook Bay.
If we’re moving on today toward Grand Manan, we’ll check through Canadian Customs, then stay in Canadian waters on our long day ebbing SE along the high cliffs of Grand Manan, hoping to turn the southern corner to its developed Eastern slope – and the tide turns and pushes us up to our camp site amidst these strong tidal streams. There’s something about our Canadian neighbors that keeps us coming back. We’ll explore around before returning the next day or two back toward the mainland.
The islands of Cobscook and Passamaquoddy bays are underplayed with Canadian Shield, some of the most ancient rock on my planet. Everywhere we can see the effects of the near mile thick glaciers of 15,000 years ago. These islands remain carefree and mostly undeveloped, except for the fishermen and their equipment. This area is known for its thick pods of finbacks, humpbacks and other pelagic; keep your eyes and ears open.
We’ll eventually wander up the bay, try to time our arrival at the Reversing Falls so we can get through its class 4 rapids, and settle in for our last night together.
“Wilderness is not a luxury but necessity of the human spirit.” Edward Abbey