Penobscot, W. Branch

I'm more that a little confused by some of the information given here, and having rafted the West Branch for more than twenty years I know it pretty well. Most of the information provided in the main river description is current but some of it is decades out of date -- the road has been paved all the way from Millinocket to McKay Station since the 1980s and there hasn't been a gatehouse on the Golden Road since the mid-1990s. Some of it is just plain wrong -- Magic Falls is on the Kennebec River, not the Dead.

The put-in is at McKay Station, the dam itself is another 0.8 miles above this point and the upper section of the gorge carries only fish-flow water except during flooding.

Exterminator (Falls) is the top step of the Staircase; it is a genuine Class IV at 2200-2400 cfs and can increase to Class V as the flow level changes either up or down. Easy to scout from the cliffs above it can be run either left or right depending on the flow. Once you leave the put-in at McKay the next calm water is Dead Moose Eddy at the foot of the Staircase. The second drop of the Staircase is marked by Fist Rock (river centre) and this drop can also be run either left or right, just not too far left because of the pour-over, and not too far right because there are rocks that can trap a kayak.

The Heaters lead into the Little Eddy, which usually has several fishermen, and from which you leave through Little Eddy Rapids. Troublemaker is a large diagonal wave from river right to river centre caused by a granite shelf located about halfway between Little Eddy and the Cribworks.

The Cribworks is a great Class V run. As advised in the main river description scout this rapid carefully from Vulture Rock before you commit to run it. Once you've passed under Telos Bridge and skirted Telos Hole there are two routes open to you, Turkey Chute/Shoot (left) and S-Chute (right). The two chutes are split by Pelican Rock. Turkey Chute is the intelligent choice -- look for the marker wave at its top. Once below Turkey Chute if you can't make it to river right for Final Drop, go left through the Chicken Run. Do not stay in river centre because that is where the Boulder Pile waits and I once saw a kayak trapped in it for the better part of a day before it finally popped out.

Below the safety eddies at the Cribworks watch out for Bonecrusher (river right) as you carry on downstream to Big Eddy Rapids. The public take-out at Big Eddy is well described in Gary Bamberger's note on the main entry.

Well below Big Eddy you find the ninety degree left which marks the long slide down to Big Ambejackmockamus Falls. The first drop at Big A can be run either tight left or tight right -- avoid the middle, it is a drowning pool. Second and third drops at Big A provide good surfing spots where the main flow goes to river left. Take-out is river right below third drop or continue downstream through the Horserace -- 1.3 miles of Class II -- it doesn't have much to offer but you can find something to do on the small waves.

Below the Horserace is 2.1 miles of the Nesowadnehunk Deadwater before you round a bend to the left and find yourself in the shallows at the brink of Nesowadnehunk Falls -- follow the main flow over the flume river left and be ready to roll. Below the falls is 0.4 miles of shallows before you get to a great stopping place at Nesowadnehunk Stream (river left) and the start of the Abol Deadwater. Three miles downstream Abol Bridge crosses the West Branch -- there is a store at this location, lunch time.

Below Abol Bridge is 0.6 miles of moving water before you get to the top of Abol Falls -- run it right down the centre, both sides have large bones. Another 0.6 miles brings you to Little Pockwockamus, followed immediately by Big Pockwockamus Falls. Run Big Pock down the centre. There is a great play spot at the bottom. The main public take-out is river left 0.6 miles below Big Pock.