Kayak Review for Camden Harbor

Camden Harbor is, to me, the quintessential image of coastal Maine. It's a place we go to often for breakfast, shopping, and just because it's a nice place to be. While there is a public boat launch, the parking is quite a distance from it, and there are no facilities. But for kayakers, that's no problem; just go to the public beach a few minutes from the town center. There are restrooms by the parking area.

(Oh, and might it be appropriate to mention here that ever since we started kayaking, there's been a steady refrain of "I want to kayak in Camden Harbor"? -D)

Here are two views of the beach/launch area:

It's a steep drop to the beach and for this reason we have to take off a half kayak in the rating.

The interior of the harbor is to the left which opens to Penobscot Bay to the right.

Heading into the harbor.

The outer harbor area.

That's the library in the background.

There are always 2 or 3 masted schooners at dock.

There are some massive yachts here.

Not a bad cottage!

The homes are are quite beautiful.

Heading out into the bay.

Better not start a fire in that fireplace!

 More photos are posted in the Pages section of the blog. Clearly, this is a beautiful place to visit. You can dock and take in the wonderful restaurants and shop the quaint stores. Of course, many things here are pricey, but most of the shops carry high quality, often locally made, items.

KAYAK RATING FOR CAMDEN HARBOR: 4.5

NOTE: The video is a little shaky. Waves will do that.

Kayak Review for Lower Damariscotta Lake

There is a public boat launch off Rte 213 in Jefferson, maybe 10 miles south of the state park on the west side of the lake. Plenty of parking, but, as of this writing, anyway, there's no toilet facility on site. There is a pad where one might have been located, but it stands empty. Hopefully, this will be corrected, as it is the only negative we can find to this location.

Quiet, peaceful, and picturesque are the words that come to mind. There are power boats on the lake, but they are not any kind of nuisance. This end of the lake is narrower than up by the park, making it easy to get from shore to shore. There are lots of little "nooks and crannies" to explore.  This is a location worth several visits because it's just a pleasant place to be.

KAYAK RATING: 4.5 KAYAKS

It really needs a toilet facility!