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 East Branch begins below this dam. |
| 4 | Reach boundary - Grand Lake Road bridge MDIFW reach boundary at the first crossing below the dam | Regulation section limit | 46.13409, -68.79390 | Boundary of a reach listed under this river in the MDIFW special fishing laws. The rules themselves are not restated here - check the current law book. |
| 5 | Matagamon Wilderness Private campground at the Grand Lake Road crossing | Campsite | 46.13362, -68.79369 | |
| 6 | Stair Falls West Riverside campsite above Stair Falls | Campsite | 46.08721, -68.77772 | |
| 7 | Stair Falls Ledge drops | Dam / hazard | 46.08706, -68.77643 | First of the East Branch pitches. |
| 8 | Haskell Deadwater Riverside campsite | Campsite | 46.07273, -68.76849 | |
| 9 | Haskell Rock Pitch Pitch - carry | Dam / hazard | 46.07291, -68.76433 | One of the big drops on the East Branch; scout and carry. |
| 10 | Pond Pitch Pitch - carry | Dam / hazard | 46.06390, -68.75472 | |
| 11 | Pond Pitch Campsite Riverside campsite at the pitch | Campsite | 46.06366, -68.75518 | |
| 12 | Grand Pitch Pitch - carry | Dam / hazard | 46.05775, -68.74572 | The biggest drop on the East Branch. |
| 13 | Bowlin Camp Road Woods-road crossing | Bridge crossing | 46.03622, -68.72704 | |
| 14 | Bowlin Camp Private sporting camp at the Bowlin Road crossing | Outfitter / canoe rental | 46.03511, -68.72513 |
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Spencer Rips Rips | Dam / hazard | 46.01742, -68.72389 | |
| 16 | Elbow Riverside campsite | Campsite | 45.98451, -68.68443 | |
| 17 | Fiske Brook Riverside campsite | Campsite | 45.96787, -68.65419 | |
| 18 | Lunksoos Boat Launch Katahdin Woods & Waters reach | Access / boat ramp | 45.90834, -68.61514 | |
| 19 | Lunksoos Campground Campground at the launch | Campsite | 45.90832, -68.61364 | |
| 20 | Whetstone Falls Falls and rapids | Dam / hazard | 45.86143, -68.62421 | |
| 21 | Reach boundary - Swift Brook Road bridge MDIFW reach boundary at Whetstone Falls | Regulation section limit | 45.86111, -68.62383 | Boundary of a reach listed under this river in the MDIFW special fishing laws. The rules themselves are not restated here - check the current law book. |
| 22 | Whetstone Falls Day Use Area Day-use area at the falls | Park / conservation area | 45.86135, -68.62322 | |
| 23 | USGS gauge 01029500 - East Branch Penobscot River at Grindstone Live stage and discharge | USGS gauge | 45.73028, -68.58944 | |
| 24 | Grindstone Falls Ledge drop | Dam / hazard | 45.72486, -68.58950 | |
| 25 | Ledge Falls Ledge drop above Medway | Dam / hazard | 45.63941, -68.54526 | |
| 26 | Katahdin Shadows Campground Private campground near Medway | Campsite | 45.61690, -68.55024 | |
| 27 | Medway Recreation Area launch Town launch at the West Branch confluence reach | Access / boat ramp | 45.61481, -68.53904 | Unnamed slipway in OSM, inside Medway Recreation Area. |
| 28 | Medway Road Route 11/157 crossing, Medway | Bridge crossing | 45.61336, -68.53741 | Downstream end of the East Branch listing in the MDIFW law book. |
Gauge: USGS 01029500 — East Branch Penobscot River at Grindstone, Maine. Live flow on the web page.
Species: Brook Trout, Chain Pickerel, Lake Trout, Landlocked Atlantic Salmon, Smallmouth Bass
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.
Grand Lake Matagamon and the Matagamon dam: the top of the river at the Baxter State Park boundary.
Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument: access roads reaching Haskell Rock and Whetstone Falls.
Whetstone Falls Bridge: mid-river access with parking.
Lunksoos and Stacyville: eastern access from Route 11.
Grindstone: access near the gauge on the lower river.
Medway: the confluence with the West Branch and the takeout for long trips.
April and May: very high cold water, ice-out fishing on the lakes, difficult river access.
June: blackfly season and the best brook trout fishing of the year as flows drop.
July and August: warm afternoons, cold spring holes, mixed trout and smallmouth on the lower reaches.
September: the strongest month for salmon and big brook trout before the season closes; check current Maine rules.