Staying Home Sucks, home
Closely spaced mill-era homes in Millinocket, Maine
Millinocket, the nearest town, 14 km away. Photo: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

East Branch Penobscot River

Kayak spot · United States

Flat water: a lake, canal or slow river

Is it worth the trip?

91Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

2 days tie for best

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Wed 4 · 96 out of 100

Wind
5 kn
Gusts
13kn
Air
18°C
Rain
2.1 mm

Thu 5 · 97 out of 100

Wind
7 kn
Gusts
17kn
Air
18°C
Rain
0 mm

Fri 6 · 97 out of 100

Wind
4 kn
Gusts
10kn
Air
19°C
Rain
0 mm

Sat 7 · 72 out of 100

Wind
9 kn
Gusts
20kn
Air
7°C
Rain
20.1 mm

Sun 8 · 85 out of 100

Wind
7 kn
Gusts
16kn
Air
11°C
Rain
0.9 mm

Mon 9 · 84 out of 100

Wind
10 kn
Gusts
21kn
Air
10°C
Rain
0 mm

Tue 10 · 79 out of 100

Wind
6 kn
Gusts
18kn
Air
7°C
Rain
2.4 mm

Tap a day for wind, gusts, air and rain. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Tue 386, good
  2. Wed 496, good
  3. Thu 597, good
  4. Fri 697, good
  5. Sat 772, good
  6. Sun 885, good
  7. Mon 984, good
  8. Tue 1079, good
  9. Wed 1178, good
  10. Thu 1279, good

The spot in one fact

  • Flat waterthe water

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know the river level, weirs or your skill.

Wind and weather forecast and score for each day at East Branch Penobscot River
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Tue 3Nov86, good5 kn11kn12°C3.2 mm
Wed 4Nov96, good5 kn13kn18°C2.1 mm
Thu 5Nov97, good7 kn17kn18°C0 mm
Fri 6Nov97, good4 kn10kn19°C0 mm
Sat 7Nov72, good9 kn20kn7°C20.1 mm
Sun 8Nov85, good7 kn16kn11°C0.9 mm
Mon 9Nov84, good10 kn21kn10°C0 mm
Tue 10Nov79, good6 kn18kn7°C2.4 mm
Wed 11Nov78, good9 kn29kn8°C0 mm
Thu 12Nov79, good8 kn20kn6°C0 mm

Wind and gusts are in knots, rain in mm. The river's level is under In the water. More

Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.

Map

the spot and its town

Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

More kayaking near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About East Branch Penobscot River

A launch on the East Branch Penobscot River. No grade stated: ask locally before you paddle. OpenStreetMap marks the water open to canoes and kayaks. None within 10 km, the nearest 26 km away. The town to stay in is Millinocket.

  • River East Branch Penobscot River
  • Grade No grade is stated.
  • Who it suits No grade stated: ask locally before you paddle.
  • Access OpenStreetMap marks the water open to canoes and kayaks.
  • Schools, hire None within 10 km, the nearest 26 km away.

Spots and rivers: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Whitewater sections © Rivermap (rivermap.org), Riverzone and Jonathan Riddell, ODbL.

The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).

Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,230–US$2,230 each

about US$1,230–US$2,230 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, kayak hire.

Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 2 November 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to BGR, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bagabout US$181–US$376
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$154–US$255
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$349–US$584
Food7 days eating outabout US$342–US$637
Kayak hire5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$201–US$376
Totalabout US$1,230–US$2,230

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Millinocket

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Millinocket

about 25 min by car · 22 places to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 22 places to stay in Millinocket · Booking.com

About Millinocket its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$134 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 2 November 2026.

Getting there: about 6h 35m

About 6h 35m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → BGR, direct, then 1h 55m by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.

On the water

River level

Gauge at East Branch Penobscot River at Grindstone, Maine, 15 km upstream: 7.99 m³/s, very low for November (updated 3 h ago). Low.

Bands are this gauge's own record: under its usual low, running, high, and in flood on its few highest days a year. Not a runnable range for the section: check before you go. River levels in the United States: U.S. Geological Survey (public domain). Credits

Paddling schools, clubs and hire nearby

No paddling school, club or hire mapped within 25 km.

Schools, clubs and hire: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits

Saved: this link opens the same trip

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The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.