Tubing the Kennebec River in Maine

The tubing adventure begins at The Forks, Maine

The Kennebec River is probably best known for its exceptional white water rafting and there are many companies in The Forks, Caratunk and Greenville that offer trips throughout the summer.  I've rafted both the Kennebec and Penobscot Rivers and found that both offered some great whitewater adventures, but this time my family opted for the more casual tubing trip.

Our decision was prompted by a tubing trip on the White River in Stockbridge, Vermont last summer.  We thoroughly enjoyed the trip with Vermont River Tubing, but thought we'd like something a bit closer to home.  Thanks to Google, we found Bullfrog Adventures in Caratunk, Maine.  It was only about two hours from our home in the Lewiston/Auburn area, and a very scenic drive.  After all, for part of the trip, you're on the Old Canada Road National Scenic Byway (Route 201), which is also the Kennebec Chaudiere Heritage Corridor.

A rest stop overlooking Wyman Lake on the Old Canada Road National Scenic Byway

Our Guide for the day was Tammy Toothaker who helps here husband Steve with the tubing trips for Bullfrog Adventures.  When not guiding tubers down the Kennebec River, she's a kindergarten teacher, so she is very experienced in dealing with children and keeping them interested.

The trip began at Bullfrog's headquarters on Route 201 in Caratunk.  They had us sign the standard liability release form and fitted us with PFDs (Personal Floatation Devices) for the 8-mile trip down river.  Steve had taken our reservation a few days before and told us that we could do the trip if we didn't mind tagging along with a group that was having a birthday party for their 9 year old.  That worked out well for us, because our son is going to be nine in about a month, so we were pleased that there would be kids his age of the trip.  Then by sheer coincidence, it turned out that one of the families at the birthday party was a family that lived a half mile away from us for a few years.  Our kids used to play together a lot, but several years ago they moved about two hours away and we hadn't seen them for a couple years.  As our friend said, "It's amazing who you can meet in the woods."

From Bullfrog, it was about an eight mile drive up to the put-in spot at the bridge at The Forks.  Steve Toothaker gave us a few pointers as he shuttled us up river, explaining things like how The Forks got its name, and how the water will rise when the dam is released and he also gave us some pointers about where the fun spots were on the river.

The trip down river took us about 3-1/2 hours.  Normally it's about a two hour trip, but the birthday party stopped for about an hour for lunch, thereby slowing things down a bit.  Since we were "riding the bubble" (meaning, catching the beginning of the water that was released from the dam), the tubes drifted briskly down the river, but it was a very comfortable speed.  There were  three or four rapids that made it extra fun, the challenge was steering yourself into them.  We rented one of Bullfrog's floating coolers for $10 which held our lunch, water and sodas that we brought for the trip.  It was also a dry place to keep our camera.

Relaxing on the Kennebec River somewhere between The Forks and Caratunk, Maine

The weather was perfect with temperatures around 80.  It was mostly sunny, low humidity and a bit of a breeze.  Plus, the water temperature was great.  Much warmer than I anticipated.  The trip itself was $20 each for my wife and I and $15 for our son.  It included the tube and shuttle services to the put-in point and from the take out point.  Since Bullfrog has a few campsites on their property, they also have bathrooms and showers, for those who wish to use them after the trip.

All in all we had a wonderful trip.  My 8 year old enjoyed it, although a 2-hour trip would have been better.  At no time were we ever concerned about safety.  It was just fun all the way down.  Tammy even said she had three 75-year-old grandmothers who did the trip a few weeks ago and they had a nice time, so the trip is great for all ages. 

If you go, be sure to bring sunscreen and drinking water as there is almost no shade along the way.  Also, you must have a good water shoe.  We wore our Keens and that was perfect for the river given the rocky bottom.