Duckpuddle Pond and Pemaquid Pond

By Michael Perry

Find more paddles

Reader Reviews

Paddle name: Duckpuddle Pond to Pemaquid Pond Nearest town: Nobleboro Region: Midcoast Water type: Pond Difficulty: Beginner Length: A paddle from the top of Duckpuddle Pond to the bottom of Pemaquid is approximately 7.5 miles. Put-in: Boat launch at Bremen Road in Nobleboro. To get there, follow Route 1 north to Nobleboro from the Bath-Brunswick area. At the northern end of Pemaquid Pond, approximately 5 miles north of Damariscotta-Newcastle, turn right onto a side loop road. Look for a blue sign for Duckpuddle Campground at the turn. Take the next right onto the Duckpuddle Road and follow south for 1.3 miles to the Bremen Road. The road is narrow and winding, and overhung with shade trees. Turn right onto the Bremen Road and follow 0.3 miles to the boat launch site on the left just after a small bridge. Park in the parking lot on the right side of the road. Consult Delorme's Maine Atlas and Gazetteer maps No. 7 and No. 13 for help in getting to the area. Take-out: Same launch. Other: Be prepared for narrowing channels and watch out for boats on Pemaquid Pond. Maps: Get driving directions from MapQuest. View a topo map from Maptech MapServer. Staff art

Route 1 might be the pipeline to Acadia for many, but for the paddler looking for wilderness solitude close to home, there are a surprising number of options just off the highway in the Waldoboro-Bath corridor. One of the finest is a two- to three-hour exploratory on Duckpuddle Pond and its outflow down to Pemaquid Pond.

Once you put in, you have a couple of options; paddle north up into Duckpuddle Pond, or south down the connecting stream into Pemaquid Pond. On a recent outing we first paddled up into Duckpuddle Pond, exploring along the southern part of the pond. A narrow channel leads a quarter-mile out to the pond from the launch site. There are a few cottages tucked into the white pine and hemlock forest lining the shoreline, but there is very little activity on the lake. On weekends you may see the occasional bass fisherman along the margins of the pickerelweed. As you might expect from the name, we saw a number of ducks, and were surprised by a bald eagle circling over us in search of its next meal. On the western side of the bay there is a conspicuous ledge outcropping providing a good spot to land and go for a swim off the rocks.

After an hour of exploring and swimming, we headed back to the launch site, paddled through the culvert under the road, and started out on the 2-mile paddle down to Pemaquid Pond. The channel widens slowly as you head south. Marsh grasses and cattails line the stream at first, with the forest a few hundred yards away filtering out any traffic sounds from Route 1.

Halfway down the channel, the passageway widens up into a maze of dead-end channels and floating pickerelweed islands. On a banking far to the right sits a cottage, the only one you will see until you get to the lake. Follow the widest part of the channel to the right, then meander back to the left. If you reach a dead end just back up and try again. It is all part of the fun.

Soon you enter the shadowy confines of a dense grove of buttonbush, rising eight feet up above the water. If you have ever paddled Florida's Everglades, you will think you are right back in the mangroves. The buttonbush sports showy white seed balls in August, which by September have turned into button-sized brown nuts. Through the gnarled and twisted branches you will see muddy paths used by beavers hauling home construction materials to the water. You will pass a number of beaver houses along the way, plus scrape over one beaver dam under construction as you near the lake.

We saw a number of great blue herons rise up out of the marsh grasses around us. They looked huge in the confines of the channel. Wide gray wings beat the air in powerful, rhythmic strokes as they veered away from us in pursuit of more solitude.

Turtle heads poked up out of the water, and at our passing, plopped back down into it. We could see them furiously swimming for the bottom right under our canoe. As we entered the lake, a flock of Canadian geese greeted our arrival with plaintive honks as they moved deeper into the lakeside grasses.

Pemaquid Pond is a mile wide and 6 miles long. There are many cottages dotting the shoreline, and you will see the occasional power boater, especially on the weekends. After enjoying the peaceful seclusion of the paddle down from Duckpuddle Pond, we decided to poke about the area around the inlet for just a few minutes, then head back. We paddled a half-mile south to two islands adjacent to the shoreline and stopped for a swim before heading back into the confines of the stream.

In September, the red maples dotting the marsh and forest are brilliant in their autumn splendor. There are a number of tamaracks along the stream as well which will reach a brilliant golden glow by late fall. Add in the wealth of songbirds stopping over on their flight south and you have a wonderful mix of wildlife, interesting marsh plants, and mixed forest habitat to enjoy. We kept marveling at how close we were to all the hustle and bustle of Route 1, and yet how far we really were removed from it.

On the way home you have some great gastronomical possibilities. If you enjoy the nostalgia and colorful history of Route 1, consider two classic options. A few miles to the north is Moody's Diner in Waldoboro, where the locals go to study the tourists and the tourists go to study the locals, a sort of clashing of cultures. Or head south to Wiscasset and stop at the end of the Sheepscot River bridge at Red's Eats, whose claim to fame is that it is home to the largest lobster rolls in Maine. Time-honored dining to end a day of exploring by canoe will provide the opportunity to go over all the wonderful things you saw, and to plan your next paddling excursion along Route 1.

Michael Perry is the former director of the L.L.Bean Outdoor Discovery Program and founder of Dreams Unlimited, specializing in outdoor slide programs for businesses, schools and civic groups.