Mousam
Rte. 1 to Roger’s Pond
| Difficulty | II-III |
| Length | 0.38 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 50 fpm |
| Gauge | Mousam River Near West Kennebunk, Maine |
| Flow Rate as of 1 hour | 177 cfsbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | March 23, 2025 |
River Description
This is a great, easily accessible, ledgy run in an area of Maine where whitewater is not very common. Shuttle can be walked or driven. The Mousam only runs in spring or after a heavy rain but provides a short but fun section of whitewater.
Put in on river left under the Route 1 overpass, in Rotary Park. (It is also possible to put-in from the opposite side, owned by Kennebunk Land Trust, on river right. There are multiple options along the walking path to put in if you wish to avoid the larger holes at the start of the run.)
Take out is adjacent to Rogers Pond off Water St.
previous descriptions of flow have been removed, the following are approximate, please use your best judgement and remember the entire river can be easily scouted from the bridge and the area just above the takeout.
Below 400 is *approximately* class 2
Below 900/1000ish is *roughly* class 3
Above 1000 is *probably* class 4
River Features
Put In
You can put-in on either side of the Rt 1 bridge in Rotary Park, and there are also additional options further down on river right.
On river left, to the right of the gazebo and sign, between two granite posts, are stairs down to the rivers edge. Eddies are lacking so it can be a bit sketchy at higher levels.
On river right, one can put on underneath the bridge from the front parking area of the gas station, or go further down Brown St, behind the Cumberland Farms and before the office building for Kennebunk Land Trust, to a dirt access road which leads to a myriad of put-in options for anyone wishing to avoid the initial drops.
Take Out
Take out is on river left, at the far corner of the dirt road that runs around Roger's Pond. Cut left as soon as the whitewater ends and the river opens up- center left/center can be extremely shallow. There are a couple benches and usually a few dinghies moored on either side.
Level here varies greatly depending on the tides. It is possible- but unconfirmed- that tidal bore could have an affect on this stretch of river.
quiet as a…
Super fun play wave at 450-900cfs. Access by walking down the steep embankment on river right and putting in directly under the bridge. Eddy service on river right. Further down on river right are some undercut rocks at fluffy bunny death hole.
fluffy bunny/death hole
Depending on the level this river-wide hole is either a fluffy bunny or a mega death hole. Be wary of the undercut rocks river right. There is also a large sharp metal object in the bottom of the river right eddy just above this that can be used to service 'quiet as a...'
fluffy fun bunny of a play wave from 400-700cfs
above 900cfs the undercut rocks truly become a mega death hole.
Careful of what appears to be a sneak line far river left- there's an overhanging tree/strainer that tends to catch a lot of large debris- also known as 'office chair'
at flows in excess of 1000cfs it becomes a significant class IV hole to punch.