This is a surprisingly high quality run tucked away in a little valley near the confluence of the
Carrabassett and the Kennebec. The nature of the river is smooth granite bedrock slides and falls,
of which there are many, separated by pools. There are some big drops on the section including a
near vertical 15 footer with a shallow landing and a few other bigger sliding falls. Everything was
run in my one descent of the river. Most drops are Class IV, but there are maybe 10 or so Class V
rapids. Portaging and scouting is very easy and the scenery is quite good with only an occassional
glimpse of a seldom traveled dirt road that parrellels the river for the entire run. Shuttle: The
dirt road to the take out is obvious on a Maine gazatteer. I believe it is called Sandy Stream
road. Leave a car where the river turns to class 1 and 2. To get to the take out, it is wise to
head back to the paved road and continue a few hundred feet further to a second dirt road that is
much better than the take out road. This road looks steep and rocky initially but quickly becomes
more gentle and well maintained than the take out road, which was in very bad shape at the time of
this writing. The two roads in question join together approximately one mile above the take out.
Follow upstream five miles to a T in the road, go right, over a bridge, and then put in at the next
bridge. Water Levels: We ran it when the Carrabassett was 2000 and dropping. Supposedly ideal
levels are in the 2400 range. 2000 was still quite fun, and although low, all the drops were still
very fluid.