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 | Reach limit - Maine / New Hampshire border, Fryeburg upstream end of the Maine reach | Regulation section limit | 44.00439, -70.99661 | Where the centreline crosses the state line into Fryeburg. The state’s single Saco reach runs from here down to the Cataract Dam in Saco; the New Hampshire river has its own sheet. |
| 2 | ME 113 bridge River Street, Fryeburg | Bridge crossing | 44.01689, -70.98987 | |
| 3 | Westons Beach Fryeburg | Park / conservation area | 44.01789, -70.99121 | |
| 4 | Swans Falls Dam NID ME00038 | Dam / hazard | 44.03807, -70.98276 | |
| 5 | Swan’s Falls Campground & Saco River Access Facility Fryeburg | Campsite | 44.03861, -70.97880 | The main managed put-in for the Fryeburg canoe reach. |
| 6 | Canal Bridge Campground Fryeburg | Campsite | 44.06506, -70.95058 | |
| 7 | Nathan Desjardins Memorial Bridge Fryeburg | formerly Canal Bridge | Bridge crossing | 44.06417, -70.94714 | |
| 8 | Menotomy Preserve Upper Saco Valley Land Trust | Park / conservation area | 44.06005, -70.90883 | |
| 9 | Walkers Bridge (US 302) Fryeburg | Bridge crossing | 44.02906, -70.92044 | |
| 10 | Walkers Bridge canoe access US 302 | Access / boat ramp | 44.02895, -70.92020 | |
| 11 | Pleasant Pond Floodplain Forest Upper Saco Valley Land Trust | Park / conservation area | 44.00872, -70.90356 | Three OSM polygons carry this name on the same reach; one point shipped. |
| 12 | Woodland Acres Campground Brownfield | Campsite | 43.95612, -70.88847 | OSM spells it "Woodland Acrs". |
| 13 | Brownfield Bridge canoe access Brownfield | Access / boat ramp | 43.95513, -70.88343 | Tagged leisure=park in OSM; re-typed to access on the name. |
| 14 | Charles E. Hill Bridge (ME 160) Brownfield | Bridge crossing | 43.95553, -70.88219 | |
| 15 | River Run Canoe and Campground canoe livery and campground, Brownfield | Outfitter / canoe rental | 43.95511, -70.87608 | |
| 16 | On The Saco Family Campground Brownfield | Campsite | 43.96339, -70.87194 | |
| 17 | River Run Saco canoe access Hiram | Access / boat ramp | 43.88093, -70.80391 | |
| 18 | ME 5 / ME 113 bridge Pequawket Trail, Hiram | Bridge crossing | 43.87870, -70.80432 | |
| 19 | Merrill Park Hiram | Park / conservation area | 43.87681, -70.80689 |
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Hiram Falls Dam NID ME00037 | Dam / hazard | 43.85265, -70.79708 | |
| 21 | ME 5 / ME 117 bridge Cornish - Limington | Bridge crossing | 43.80716, -70.78119 | |
| 22 | Saco River Access, Cornish | Access / boat ramp | 43.80638, -70.78268 | Tagged leisure=nature_reserve in OSM; re-typed to access on the name. The Cornish gauge 01066000 sits at this crossing. |
| 23 | Jagolinzer Preserve Francis Small Heritage Trust | Limington | Park / conservation area | 43.78895, -70.76120 | Permissive access. |
| 24 | Goulds Island Francis Small Heritage Trust | Park / conservation area | 43.79549, -70.72144 | |
| 25 | Cold Bowling Spring Limington | Spring | 43.78238, -70.66049 | Untreated - treat before drinking. |
| 26 | ME 25 bridge Ossipee Trail, Standish - Limington | Bridge crossing | 43.73352, -70.65261 | |
| 27 | Bonny Eagle Recreation Area Standish | Park / conservation area | 43.73115, -70.65508 | |
| 28 | River Road landing, Standish unnamed in OSM | Access / boat ramp | 43.70394, -70.64067 | Named from its access road by reverse geocode. |
| 29 | New River Channel Dam Bonny Eagle | NID ME00036S001 | Dam / hazard | 43.69202, -70.60993 | |
| 30 | Bonny Eagle Road bridge Standish - Buxton | Bridge crossing | 43.69006, -70.60768 | |
| 31 | West Buxton Dam NID ME00035 | Dam / hazard | 43.66692, -70.60306 | |
| 32 | West Buxton Bridge Buxton - Hollis | Bridge crossing | 43.66629, -70.60292 | |
| 33 | Bar Mills landing Hollis | unnamed in OSM | Access / boat ramp | 43.61288, -70.55406 | Slipway above the Bar Mills Dam; reverse geocode returned only the snowmobile trail that reaches it, so it is named for the village. |
| 34 | Bar Mills Dam NID ME00034 | Dam / hazard | 43.61236, -70.55293 | |
| 35 | ME 4A bridge Bar Mills, Buxton - Hollis | Bridge crossing | 43.61276, -70.55180 | |
| 36 | US 202 / ME 4 bridge Narragansett Trail, Buxton - Hollis | Bridge crossing | 43.59647, -70.55374 | |
| 37 | Pleasant Point Park Town of Buxton | Park / conservation area | 43.59060, -70.55321 | |
| 38 | Skelton Dam boat ramp - above the dam Dayton | Access / boat ramp | 43.56927, -70.56167 |
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 39 | Skelton Dam NID ME00033 | Dam / hazard | 43.57110, -70.55785 | |
| 40 | Skelton Dam boat ramp - below the dam Dayton | Access / boat ramp | 43.56804, -70.55318 | |
| 41 | Homestead By The River Family Campground Dayton | Campsite | 43.54272, -70.51509 | |
| 42 | ME 5 bridge New County Road, Dayton - Buxton | Bridge crossing | 43.54004, -70.51488 | |
| 43 | Maine Turnpike bridge (I-95) Biddeford - Saco | Bridge crossing | 43.49888, -70.48806 | |
| 44 | Rotary Park boat ramp Biddeford | Access / boat ramp | 43.50078, -70.47802 | |
| 45 | Irving Street boat ramp Saco | Access / boat ramp | 43.49925, -70.46014 | |
| 46 | Diamond Riverside Park City of Saco | Park / conservation area | 43.49999, -70.46043 | |
| 47 | US 1 Elm Street bridge Saco - Biddeford | Bridge crossing | 43.49862, -70.45169 | |
| 48 | Bradley-Springs Island Dam NID ME83030 | Dam / hazard | 43.49829, -70.45160 | |
| 49 | Pearl Point Park Saco | Park / conservation area | 43.49617, -70.45328 | |
| 50 | Cataract West Dam Saco - Biddeford | Dam / hazard | 43.49557, -70.45239 | The Cataract Dam is the downstream end of the state’s single Saco reach, which begins at the Maine/New Hampshire border in Fryeburg. Below here the river is tidal. |
| 51 | Mechanics Park Biddeford | Park / conservation area | 43.49243, -70.44870 | |
| 52 | Front Street boat ramp Saco | Access / boat ramp | 43.49478, -70.44288 | |
| 53 | Edgewater Lane landing, Saco unnamed in OSM | Access / boat ramp | 43.48029, -70.41282 | |
| 54 | Marblehead boat launch Maine Dept. of Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry | Access / boat ramp | 43.47421, -70.40987 | OSM spells it "Marrblehead". |
| 55 | Camp Ellis landing Bay Avenue, Saco | unnamed in OSM | Access / boat ramp | 43.46281, -70.38206 | |
| 56 | USGS gauge - Saco River at Camp Ellis site 432742070225401 | USGS gauge | 43.46163, -70.38170 | The tidal station this water page reads. The freshwater gauge upstream is 01066000 at Cornish. |
Gauge: USGS 432742070225401 — Saco River at Camp Ellis near Saco, Maine. Live flow on the web page.
Species: American Eel, American Shad, Bluefish, Brown Trout, Striped Bass
Regulations: www.maine.gov/dmr/fisheries/recreational
Emergency: call 911 and give the number of the nearest point on this map plus its coordinates.
Camp Ellis - the gauge site, with the jetty, pier and beach access at the river mouth.
Camp Ellis jetty - the long breakwater, the central structure of the fishery.
Saco River tidal reach - the estuary above the mouth, boat and kayak water.
Ferry Beach State Park - shoreline access north of the river mouth.
Biddeford Pool - the tidal pool and shoreline south of the river.
Hills Beach - the south side of the river mouth at Biddeford.
Cataract Falls - the head of tide at the Saco and Biddeford dams.
Spring: American shad run the river and the first striped bass arrive in late May.
Summer: the peak, with stripers on the jetty and bluefish around the mouth.
Fall: strong fishing into October as bass stage before moving south.
Winter: the estuary is done, with no meaningful fishery until spring.