The paddle begins on Round Pond, the smallest of the three ponds. There are two culverts on the east side of the pond that lead to the other two ponds. The more northerly culvert (to the left) leads to North Pond and more southerly culvert (to the right) leads to South Pond. This is the only connection between the ponds. You must pass through Round Pond to go between North and South Pond.
North Pond is smaller than South Pond, and offers often calm and always beautiful waters. Spend some time here paddling around, but don’t land on the shore or the islands with houses on them as they are private property. There is a large rock in the middle of the pond, known as “Rock Island” that is a great place to land and enjoy lunch.
To get to South Pond, return to Round Pond through the same culvert, then proceed through the second culvert. South Pond is the largest of the ponds and its shore is lined with private cabins. After going through the culvert, continue to the left of the island to get to the main body of the pond. South Pond features open water and pretty views of mountains in the distance.
A downloadable map of the route is available at the Northern Forest Canoe Trail website (free for members!).
For more information, contact:
Put-in/Take-out: Howe Hill Road Public Boat Access. From Bethel, drive southeast on ME-26 for 5 miles. Turn left onto Howe Hill Road just past the Local Hub. Before a set of train tracks, there is a large gravel parking lot on the left with a boat ramp that is open to the public.
Note that there are not many access points on the ponds. The Howe Hill Road Public Boat Access is the best place to put in and take out.
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