Daytrip Down the Saco River
The perfect spring day doesn’t exist… or does it? We didn’t realize we were striking gold when we put our May Daytrip on the calendar. With budding leaves finally on *most* trees and longer days upon us, we opted for an inland trip to enjoy the flowing snowmelt on the Saco River. Little did we know, we’d be out there on the first warm and sunny day of the season, yielding us a swim and much more — enjoy!
With the boat (& bike) on the car and lots of layering options inside the car, we hit the road! The day began as they always seem to — finding a spot for coffee and brekkie before hitting the road. We had tried Norimoto’s baked goods before, but hadn’t yet ventured to their location on Steven’s Ave. They had a delicious looking selection of pastries in the window, of which we tried their quiche, strawberry rhubarb ricotta cake, and the Kouing Amann — a pastry we recently tried in Montreal and fell in love with. Next door, we popped into Rwanda Bean and filled our mugs with some iced coffee for the drive.
The thermometer creeped up throughout the hour and change drive up to Fryeburg. Before we pulled into town, we dropped a bike off at the takeout so we could easily loop back to pick up the car after the paddle. We picked up Italians in town, then made our way to the put in just below Swan’s Falls.
The water felt pretty cold on my ankles as we pushed off the shores for the day. We popped up river to check out the falls, but were more impressed with the large trout we could see through the clear water swimming in the pools beneath us — gotta bring fishing rods next time! This section of the Saco River has a beautiful sandy bottom, so it was easy to spot fish! We spun our boat around and headed downriver. The current had a nice flow to it, winding us around the bends in the thalweg. The curves in the river create awesome “fluvial deposits” or sandy beaches, that make for a great picnic spot. We rounded a few bends until we found a nice sunny beach to pull up on and munch.
Not a cloud in the sky, we pulled out our Italians, cracked open some chips, and soaked in the view of a peaceful river, budding trees, and mountains in the distance. This river is pretty busy in the summertime, so it was extra lovely to have it to ourselves for the day. We started to heat up as we sat on the riverbank, but not enough to take a swim… yet.
We hopped back in the canoe and continued with the current. Between the breeze, the air was getting quite warm by our standards for spring in Maine. I sensed it was going to be a beautiful day, but forgot how to handle the heat. It was validating to see my phone’s thermometer read 77º, so when we approached another beautiful sandy point, we suited up to cool our body temperature down. The plunge was chilly, but so worth it.
With only a few miles left in the river at this point, we put some power behind the paddle and worked up an appetite. The final stretch of the day was just as gorgeous as the rest of the river, lined with lime green budding trees and happy spring songbirds. At the takeout, we pulled the boat up the riverbank. I unloaded and organized the gear while Cam powered up the road to grab the car. Sad to leave the Saco for the day, Cam took one last swim before our last stop: dinner.
We made our way to Krista’s — a delicious restaurant in Cornish that has become a staple spot after a big day of adventuring in this part of the state. Everything we’ve tried is so tasty and they always seem to have what I’m craving. This time I tried their big salad, loaded with goodies like artichoke hearts, frizzled onions, feta, and more, while Cam enjoyed a BBQ mushroom burger. If you’re able to save room for desert, that’s what they’re really known for! With the lingering light of dusk in the sky, we drove back to Portland.
Unexpectedly, this was one of our favorite Daytrips yet! The pace of a river trip is always so lovely and, paired with a perfect spring day, there was nothing to complain about. We hope this inspires you to get on (or in!) a body of water near you. We love Maine in every season, but something about these warm sunny days puts an extra cherry on top!