Open Boat, Moving Water - A Paddler's Journal: Upper West Branch of the Penobscot/Lobster Lake

Monday, May 25, 2026

Upper West Branch of the Penobscot/Lobster Lake - May 19-24, 2026

Checking in at Telos Checkpoint

Back in March, Jonathan and I started planning our spring camping trip. We decided on a Maine classic – the Upper West Branch of the Penobscot. Unfortunately, Jonathan had to bow out due to family obligations, but Bill, Aaron, Matt and I had a great time on the trip. I paddled tandem with Bill in my Spirit II.

The Penobscot River drains much of vast wilderness area known as the North Maine Woods. With is four branches (North, South, East and West), the Penobscot is the second largest river system in Maine (behind the St. John) and the longest entirely in the state. The North Branch and South Branch converge to form the West Branch at Seeboomic Lake. The West Branch and East Branch converge in Medway to form the main stem of the Penobscot

Paddling down Lobster Stream

There is a popular whitewater run on the Upper West Branch from Seboomook Dam to the Roll Dam, but the classic canoe camping trip is to put in below Roll Dam and paddle about 7-miles to Lobster Lake. After a night or two on Lobster Lake, paddle 15-miles to Chesuncook Lake, and then 19-miles down the lake enjoying the great views of Mount Katahdin to the east.

We didn't do anything that ambitious. We put in at Lobster Stream and took out at Umbazooksus West on the northeast corner of Chesuncook Lake - 5 days, 4 nights with a stop at Lobster Lake.

Sandy beach at Ogden Point Campsite

We met on Tuesday night at Matt’s house on Cousin’s Island in Yarmouth, ME. Matt treated us to a great chili dinner, and we enjoyed the great views of Casco Bay until it was time for bed.

We were up early on Wednesday for the drive to Northwoods Outfitters in Greenville for the shuttle. We had our boats and gear loaded by 9:00, and we were on our way. It was a 3-hour drive to Lobster Stream on dusty, dirt logging roads. After unloading our gear and a quick break for lunch we were on our way down Lobster Stream to our first campsite - Ogden Cove on Lobster Lake.

Paddling down the Penobscot River

As its name suggests, Lobster Lake is shaped like a giant lobster claw. It is known for its white sand beaches and great mountain views. The wind was out of the northwest as we began our crossing from Lobster Stream toward Ogden Point, giving us a tricky tail wind. Everyone arrived fine, and we begin setting up camp and gathering fire wood.

The winds continued to pick up over the afternoon, with significant gusts in the late afternoon and early evening. We found whatever shelter we could, and had to rebuild the firepit with a larger wind screen in the back before lighting a fire. We cooked dinner, enjoyed a beautiful sunset and sat around the fire until around 10:00 when we called it a night. Total paddling for day 1 – about 3-miles.

Pine Steam Campsite

The winds were still blowing when we got up on Thursday. The original plan was to take a lay-over day to explore Lobster Lake, and perhaps hike up Lobster Mountain, but we were concerned about winds forecasted for the next few days. Instead, we decided to head back to the river while the wind was still manageable. With the decision made, we packed up camp and were crossing back over Lobster Lake into a strong headwind by 9:00.

Once again, everyone crossed with no problem. We took a quick break at the Lobster Stream put-in before continuing down the Penobscot River. Our objective was to get to the campsite at Pine Stream, which is one of the most popular on the river. We passed numerous empty sites along the way, and we were surprised that there weren’t more people on the river on the lead-up to Memorial Day weekend.

Exploring Pine Stream

The river is mostly flatwater, with the exception of some easy rapids along Big Island. Unfortunately, Bill and I ran up on a rock and dumped into the river. I was able to grab the boat, get it turned over (good thing everything was strapped in), and wade it over to shore. Bill had a little rougher time on the slippery rocks, but he eventually got to shore and into some dry cloths.

We were back on our way, and made it to Pine Stream at around 3:00. We set up camp, gathered wood, prepared diner, and enjoyed another amazing sunset. After the long paddle, much of it against the wind, I was in bed early – around 9:00. Total paddling for day 2 – around 18-miles.

Gero Island 1 Campsite

Friday was a lay-over day so we slept late, enjoyed a nice breakfast and took it easy napping (Matt and Bill), reading (me) and painting (Aaron) until around 2:00 when we headed out to paddle Pine Stream, a slow moving tributary of the West Branch. It started off as woodlands, and eventually became a large marshland. After about 5-miles a blowdown blocked our way, so we decided to turn around and head back to the campsite.

Back in camp we cooked dinner and apple crisp for dessert in the reflector oven. We enjoyed another great sunset before heading off to bed. Total paddling for day 3 - around 10-miles.

View of Mount Katahdin

The wind was calm when we got up on Saturday. We prepared breakfast and headed off for the short trip to Chesuncook Lake. When we arrived at Chesuncook, the lake was calm and we crossed over to campsite 1 on Gero Island. We set up camp, had lunch and did a second afternoon paddle to a pretty cove on the northeast corner of Chesuncook with great views of Mount Katahdin. Back in camp we cooked dinner, and Matt baked orange-cranberry scones for dessert in the reflector oven. We enjoyed and other great sunset before heading off to bed. Total paddling for day 4 - around 10-miles.

We got up early on Sunday for the short trip to Umbazooksus West to meet the shuttle. We arrived around 10:00, and the shuttle arrived around 10:30. We were back in Greenville at around 2:00 and got on the road after a quick lunch. Total paddling for day 5 – about 5-miles. No rain on the trip, but it poured on the way home – that’s the way it should be.