Rapid River runs from Richardson Lake to Lake Umbagog and is right near the Me NH line. The river is well known to whitewater kayakers and fly fishermen but it is not heavily publicized and the access to it is difficult to the general public so it doesn't get a lot of attention. Most folks unaware of it tend to head over to maine for the much more publicized white water trips on the dead, Kennebec and Penobscot. Anyone used to a typical day hike in the Northern Whites would be comfortable with a 8:30 AM start time and 6 PM return time. Unfortunately due to the distances involved this inevitably makes for a one or two over night event. The attractive thing to me for the Rapid River trip is that its an easy day trip based out of Gorham NH. It has been on my list for many years but for many years the trips were one off specials run by outfitters by request for private groups. Last year Raft NH started making scheduled runs so I signed up for the good release day this year.
I had been worried that they may not have a large enough number of folks participating, this wasn't a problem when I got there. Thirty nine folks were all ready and waiting. The check in and equipment supply was fast and they seemed to have adequate gear and sizes and the process went quickly. After an initial safety talk we hopped on the bus and headed north. The ride up is where the remoteness of the river is apparent. With one stop in Errol for a break, it was about 1 hour and 45 minutes to the put in. Its very scenic drive but the last 15 to 20 minutes is on logging roads. Once we got out of the bus we met the guides and hauled the rafts the last 100 yards to the put in. This is where the difference with the more publicized white water trips in Maine was apparent. Our group of seven rafts was all the rafts at the put in compared to the vast lines of boats on the more popular rivers. (there were two other rafts behind us that had put in up river) We then paddled across the Pond in the River and then headed down the rapids. The rapid is a smaller river but it has plenty of interesting water and a lot of opportunities to go swimming. The guides were all friendly and well experienced and basically told us when to paddle and when not to, skill wasn't required. Our boat had the first swimmer of the day when he got lifted out of the boat on a steep wave. We all remembered our initial training and I pulled him back in the boat complete with paddle in hand. The Rapid doesn't have huge drops, its just several near continuous stretches of white water with ledges and holes to make it interesting. After going through rapids of increasing challenges we then stopped at popular drop which has a contingent of white water boaters surfing a standing wave. We pulled over and tried to get the rafts to surf the wave but water conditions just weren't amenable. After taking a long break at the wave, we headed down the river for a few more stretches of water and then came out on the dam impoundment. Overall with 7 boats we have several folks go in the water but everyone stayed with the boats and were pulled in by the other folks on the boats. No one went for an extended swim down rapids and throw ropes weren't needed except when playing around at the wave. One benefit of the recent warm stretch was warm water.
The rafts were then tied up and we got towed by a pontoon boat across Lake Umbagog to the Errol Dam take out. As we went, the outfitter supplied beer, bananas and fruit. This section of the trip was quite scenic but I expect many folks would have preferred a faster out, unfortunately there aren't a lot of good options, other than what they use. We then loaded onto the bus and after a long drive back down the river stopped in Berlin for a quick meal before heading back to Gorham.
Overall it was a great day and I considered a great trip and worth the price. The minimum age is 14 and given the long transit to and from the river I don't think it would be great for some kids and even some adults who aren't in to long rides. I think it would a great thing to do on a weekend in the whites with a hike one day and rafting the next.
The following caveats apply. The Rapid is only run limited times a year when the recreational dam releases are adequate, if you want to go this year, book soon. They offer other trips on the Magalloway River somewhat more often and have other offerings. The outfitter who also runs sled dogs in the winter in the area is growing rapidly from its start last year, there are still some growing pains associated with an expanding business and they have plans in place to address them. If they have weak spot, its the post event meal. Due to the timing, there is no lunch stop and not an easy way to set one up so by the time they stop near the end of trip folks are hungry. They are having a tough time finding a local firm to support them and their current choice is not up to the standards of the rest of the trip. I in no way would avoid the trip due to it but I think most folks would prefer to skip it and head back to town and pick up a meal at a restaurant. I will give them that feedback.
Overall a nice break from hiking in the hot summer weather
I had been worried that they may not have a large enough number of folks participating, this wasn't a problem when I got there. Thirty nine folks were all ready and waiting. The check in and equipment supply was fast and they seemed to have adequate gear and sizes and the process went quickly. After an initial safety talk we hopped on the bus and headed north. The ride up is where the remoteness of the river is apparent. With one stop in Errol for a break, it was about 1 hour and 45 minutes to the put in. Its very scenic drive but the last 15 to 20 minutes is on logging roads. Once we got out of the bus we met the guides and hauled the rafts the last 100 yards to the put in. This is where the difference with the more publicized white water trips in Maine was apparent. Our group of seven rafts was all the rafts at the put in compared to the vast lines of boats on the more popular rivers. (there were two other rafts behind us that had put in up river) We then paddled across the Pond in the River and then headed down the rapids. The rapid is a smaller river but it has plenty of interesting water and a lot of opportunities to go swimming. The guides were all friendly and well experienced and basically told us when to paddle and when not to, skill wasn't required. Our boat had the first swimmer of the day when he got lifted out of the boat on a steep wave. We all remembered our initial training and I pulled him back in the boat complete with paddle in hand. The Rapid doesn't have huge drops, its just several near continuous stretches of white water with ledges and holes to make it interesting. After going through rapids of increasing challenges we then stopped at popular drop which has a contingent of white water boaters surfing a standing wave. We pulled over and tried to get the rafts to surf the wave but water conditions just weren't amenable. After taking a long break at the wave, we headed down the river for a few more stretches of water and then came out on the dam impoundment. Overall with 7 boats we have several folks go in the water but everyone stayed with the boats and were pulled in by the other folks on the boats. No one went for an extended swim down rapids and throw ropes weren't needed except when playing around at the wave. One benefit of the recent warm stretch was warm water.
The rafts were then tied up and we got towed by a pontoon boat across Lake Umbagog to the Errol Dam take out. As we went, the outfitter supplied beer, bananas and fruit. This section of the trip was quite scenic but I expect many folks would have preferred a faster out, unfortunately there aren't a lot of good options, other than what they use. We then loaded onto the bus and after a long drive back down the river stopped in Berlin for a quick meal before heading back to Gorham.
Overall it was a great day and I considered a great trip and worth the price. The minimum age is 14 and given the long transit to and from the river I don't think it would be great for some kids and even some adults who aren't in to long rides. I think it would a great thing to do on a weekend in the whites with a hike one day and rafting the next.
The following caveats apply. The Rapid is only run limited times a year when the recreational dam releases are adequate, if you want to go this year, book soon. They offer other trips on the Magalloway River somewhat more often and have other offerings. The outfitter who also runs sled dogs in the winter in the area is growing rapidly from its start last year, there are still some growing pains associated with an expanding business and they have plans in place to address them. If they have weak spot, its the post event meal. Due to the timing, there is no lunch stop and not an easy way to set one up so by the time they stop near the end of trip folks are hungry. They are having a tough time finding a local firm to support them and their current choice is not up to the standards of the rest of the trip. I in no way would avoid the trip due to it but I think most folks would prefer to skip it and head back to town and pick up a meal at a restaurant. I will give them that feedback.
Overall a nice break from hiking in the hot summer weather
