Print it. Bag it. Bring it.Phones die, screens crack, and most of this water has no signal. Print this map, fold it into a zip-top bag or dry bag with your license, and you have a backup your electronics can’t give you. Every marker is numbered so you can say exactly where you are.
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grand Lake Matagamon boat launch Launch above the dam | Access / boat ramp | 46.14193, -68.79035 | Unnamed slipway in OSM. |
| 2 | Baxter State Park: Matagamon Gate Baxter State Park north entrance | Agency / conservation office | 46.15493, -68.80558 | |
| 3 | Grand Lake Matagamon Dam Outlet dam | Dam / hazard | 46.14113, -68.79053 | The tailwater starts immediately below this dam. |
| 4 | USGS gauge 01029100 - East Branch Penobscot River below Grand Lake Matagamon Live stage and discharge | USGS gauge | 46.13436, -68.79391 | |
| 5 | Grand Lake Road First crossing below the dam | Bridge crossing | 46.13390, -68.79385 | Also the boundary of a reach in the MDIFW special fishing laws. |
| 6 | Matagamon Wilderness Private campground at the Grand Lake Road crossing | Campsite | 46.13362, -68.79369 | |
| 7 | Stair Falls West Riverside campsite above Stair Falls | Campsite | 46.08721, -68.77772 | |
| 8 | Stair Falls Ledge drops | Dam / hazard | 46.08706, -68.77643 | First of the pitches below Matagamon. |
| 9 | Haskell Deadwater Riverside campsite | Campsite | 46.07273, -68.76849 | |
| 10 | Haskell Rock Pitch Pitch - carry | Dam / hazard | 46.07291, -68.76433 | Scout and carry. |
| 11 | Pond Pitch Pitch - carry | Dam / hazard | 46.06390, -68.75472 | |
| 12 | Pond Pitch Campsite Riverside campsite at the pitch | Campsite | 46.06366, -68.75518 | |
| 13 | Grand Pitch Pitch - carry | Dam / hazard | 46.05775, -68.74572 | The biggest drop in the tailwater reach. |
| 14 | Bowlin Camp Road Woods-road crossing | Bridge crossing | 46.03622, -68.72704 | |
| 15 | Bowlin Camp Private sporting camp at the Bowlin Road crossing | Outfitter / canoe rental | 46.03511, -68.72513 | |
| 16 | Spencer Rips Rips | Dam / hazard | 46.01742, -68.72389 | |
| 17 | Elbow Riverside campsite | Campsite | 45.98451, -68.68443 | |
| 18 | Fiske Brook Riverside campsite | Campsite | 45.96787, -68.65419 |
Gauge: USGS 01029100 — E. Br. Penobscot River below Grand Lake Matagamon. Live flow on the web page.
Species: Brook Trout, Chain Pickerel, Fallfish, Landlocked Salmon, Smallmouth Bass, White Sucker
Regulations: www.maine.gov/ifw/fishing-boating/fishing/laws-rules/index.html
Emergency: call 911 and give the number of the nearest point on this map plus its coordinates.
Matagamon Gate - the north entrance to Baxter State Park, the main access point to the river below the dam.
Grand Lake Matagamon - the impoundment above, a fishery in its own right for salmon and brook trout.
Matagamon Wilderness - the private campground and store just outside the gate, with supplies and canoe access.
Trout Brook Farm - the Baxter campground on the park's north end, giving access to Trout Brook and the upper river.
Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument - the federal land downstream, with access to Haskell Rock Pitch and Stair Falls.
Whetstone Falls - a notable drop further down the East Branch, reached from the monument road.
Patten - the nearest town, with fuel, food
Spring: high cold water after ice-out, with landlocked salmon in the fast water and brook trout feeding as it drops.
Summer: the main season, with good dry-fly fishing in June and early July and the temperature record worth watching in August.
Fall: excellent fishing as brook trout colour up and move to spawn, with cold water and very few anglers on the river.
Winter: closed or effectively inacces