Sandy River - New Sharon, ME
The Sandy River flows for 73 miles from the Sandy River Ponds out near Rangeley, to the Kennebec River in Norridgewock. One of its best know features is Smalls Falls, a series of gorgeous waterfalls with vertical drops and the site of Smalls to the Wall, a steep creek paddling race held annually in the spring.
A prominent section of the Sandy flows through Farmington and New Sharon, a short drive from the Belgrade Lakes region. On Route 2 there are multiple state owned carry-in access points for paddlers. One of the most accessible is right on the New Sharon Farmington Falls line and it gains access to a six mile stretch of river between the rapids of Farmington Falls and New Sharon at the Rt. 2 bridge. Both of these rapids are extremely rocky and get boney by late spring, but the section between them is perfect flat water paddling.
I like to paddle this section a few times a year because it offers up wildlife, quietness and privacy. This section has no boats, no docks, few houses and tall river banks that make you feel alone. It's a great place for a workout or just an exploratory float and it always makes me feel like I'm stepping back in time, in a way.
The section is perfect for standup paddling, canoeing or kayaking. This summer my goal is to make it out to the Sandy once a month from spring until fall, in order to get a more complete glimpse of this river throughout a year.
For this first trip of the season, I opted for a 14' touring board and a Black Project Lava paddle - a great combo for fast touring.
