2023 Kennebec River Ferry Schedule

[Kennebec]

Greg Caruso of Maine Guide Service, LLC will return this year to run the Kennebec Ferry service. He has a great crew working for him and continues to improve upon success. He may be reached at (207) 858-3627 or [email protected].

For more information, please see: https://www.matc.org/kennebec-river-ferry-service/ (https://www.matc.org/index.php/kennebec-river-ferry-service/)


The operational hours for the 2023 season are as follows:



May 26 – June 30 ......................9 a.m. – 11 a.m.
July 1 – September 30 ...............9 a.m. – 2 p.m.


As usual, your constructive suggestions and comments are appreciated in this forum.

Have a great hiking season, and, if your travels bring you to the Kennebec, please enjoy a safe and pleasant crossing via the white-blazed canoe!

-David Dore MATC Kennebec Ferry Manager

[TJ aka Teej]

Thanks, David. And thanks Greg!

[somers515]

Agreed - thank you it is appreciated!

[wornoutboots]

Curious, what are the option in early October? Do the water levels drop and you can ford or do you have to do a road walk around it? If the later, how long?
Thanks!

[Slugg]

Curious, what are the option in early October? Do the water levels drop and you can ford or do you have to do a road walk around it? If the later, how long?
Thanks!
The water level isn’t inherently lower in October, but you can monitor the dam release schedule/corresponding water levels to ford at a safe time, after or before October. Of course this is a judgement call and not without risk and you should have experience assessing water crossings. Depending on recent rain it may not be safe/feasible. I’m sure others can advise alternative options.

[TJ aka Teej]

You can call from Harrison's for an off season ride from the ferry service and there's always other contacts. A few years back there was an older lady with a power boat taking people across.
Fording is never safe.

[wornoutboots]

You can call from Harrison's for an off season ride from the ferry service and there's always other contacts. A few years back there was an older lady with a power boat taking people across.
Fording is never safe.

Thanks everyone!

[Daybreak]

The water level isn’t inherently lower in October, but you can monitor the dam release schedule/corresponding water levels to ford at a safe time, after or before October. Of course this is a judgement call and not without risk and you should have experience assessing water crossings. Depending on recent rain it may not be safe/feasible. I’m sure others can advise alternative options.
There is never a safe time to ford this river. A high flow release can happen at any time. The water rises too fast to get across the river safely.

To be clear for a wider audience, the New England power dams can generally release water (or change the flow rate) at any time independent of the schedule without notification. Unscheduled releases can happen because of high upstream water levels due to rain, unscheduled (and scheduled) shutdown of major power plants, peak power needs in the evenings, and during high periods of electric use...

When these dams was last relicensed, specific scheduled released times (and low flow times?) were guaranteed to support commercial rafting, fishermen and perhaps minimum flow levels but they are only a guideline.

FWIW, In recent years 2 PCTers died crossing constant flow rivers that were maybe 1/10 as wide.