Nothern Outdoors--we've been with you every step of the way. It started when my Aunt asked us to go white water rafting with her, pre-helmets and pre-kids. Weeks before we arrived, she found out she was pregnant-LOL-her Dr. told her it was OK--so off we went on our camping-White Water adventure at the Kennebec. We were hooked.
As a combined family, we've made about 8 trips enjoying the Kennebec, Penobscot, and Dead Rivers. We've also experienced lots of different lodging opportunities, from camping to large house/cabin on the lake, to lodge living at the resort. All have been great.
This past trip we shared with our kids--first time two were able to row with us---best time ever. It started with a great dinner with Emily as our waitress. It was unanimous, we loved Emily and the food. The next day we went rafting with Victor as our guide. We love you Victor--knowledgeable, fun, and yes strong (thanks for helping two old ladies back in the raft).
Next time we plan to do two rivers. We can't wait.
Thanks Northern Outdoors for providing us with a lifetime of memories. You rock.
The one comment we continued making to each other for a couple weeks after our rafting trip was how glad we were that we booked our trip with your company and how well everything runs at your company. We checked in after dark one night, so finding the place in the dark with a on-again, off-again GPS was interesting.
But from the moment we arrived, everything went great. You guys really have everything planned out well, from the daily schedule to the transportation to the river to the fantastic lunch we had during our rafting trip! Our guide was Brent, who was awesome! This is our family's second rafting trip, and it far surpassed our first trip. So glad we found your company on line and decided to book our rafting trip and two night stay in your lodgominiums.
Also worth mentioning, was the awesome slide show and VIDEO that followed. We ordered the video which was at our house by the time we got back from our vacation. It was a really well made and entertaining video!! Great special effects and editing!!!!
I came up from MA with a group of six. Some seasoned rafters and some new. Our guide was Zach and from the start we all felt really comfortable as he seemed like a very seasoned guide. We expected a professional and safe experience due one member of our group being a former employee and Kennebec rafting vet (She recommended Northern).
What we didn't expect were all of the little added extras that really put this trip over the top. My first impression was the staff and guides all LOVE what they do and they have FUN doing it. All of the male guides growing mustaches as a goof is just one small example. I understand that they raft this river daily, but their fun spirited nature made is seem like this was their first time on the Kennebec as well. Their professionalism and excellent rafting ability of course leads one to believe otherwise.
Zach was an excellent guide. He had a great knowledge not of just the Kennebec but of all of Maine and rafting / kayaking. The pictures for the slide show and the video that is put together is excellent and hilarious. One of the guides does a bit of a comedy routine while all of the rafters watch once back at Northern, and he had me doubled over a few times with laughter. Lunch on the Kennebec offered fresh grilled Salmon that rivals most restaurants.
Great time and great memories; the smiles on our faces in the attached photos should say it all. We'll be booking our trip for next year in the near future!
I had rafted the Kennebec with Northern last year and decided to put together a trip with my extended family this year and I am so glad we did. There were 17 of us total and we had so much fun. Northern Outdoors simply has everything you need for a perfect trip, good food, great guides, accommodations, pool, hot tub, and their own beer... can't forget that!
The staff is always willing to help and came to our campsite and asked us if we needed anything which we really appreciated!
Thanks again to everyone at Northern... I'll definitely be back again soon!!
I came through the area in 2009 on my southbound thru hike of the AT and swore I would return to enjoy all that the resort had to offer.
On this trip I brought my girlfriend , we rented our own cabin which was awesome. We went on a float trip down the Kennebec, the staff were awesome and treated us like a king an queen for the day as we were the only ones going out on the river that day. The supper in the restaurant was awesome and the beer from the brewery was second to none.
I have already recommended the resort to many of my friends, couples, families and the adventurous few. Everyone will enjoy their stay at NO.
We wanted to thank you for the fantastic time we had rafting the Kennebec River on July 18th. It was a first for all of us and we definitely want to go again one day. Kris was an amazing guide, Trevor was highly entertaining on the bus, Zach took great photos, Shamus’s commentary of the photos was hilarious, the lunch was delicious (in fact, my daughter said it was her favourite meal of our whole trip), and you were very accomodating of our daughter's peanut allergy.
Again, thank you for the wonderful experience. We will always remember it as the highlight of our trip to Maine.
My family (six adults and four children) spent July 16th on the Kennebec River with Seamus and Dawn. It was the highlight of our vacation. The young teens actually enjoyed spending time with the "older members" of our family. We'll be back in four years when the younger ones (who couldn't join us this year) will be old enough to paddle the Kennebec. The pictures are fabulous. The guides went above and beyond to make sure everyone had a great time.
I did the Dead River about 29 years ago and it has always been one of my fondest memories.
My father and I participated in the 1/2 Day Guided Fishing Trip, rafting on the Kennebec River. After a top notch breakfast at the lodge we set out for the well planned shuttle. The weather was the perfect fall day. Our guide Greg was as pleasant as a person could be and worked the raft and tackle as an expert.
We caught a few late season small mouth bass. We created memories than we will always crerish. An excellent value.
To sum up my experience....FANTASTIC!!!!' I have rafter in the Canadian Rockies before, but the overall experience and quality of outfitter far exceede my earlier experience! Nick was an excellent who took us on every wave! Where else do you finish your weekend by blowing up a 400lb Pumkin? Northern Outdoors... Job well done!!!
Cheers
Bryce
It started 4: 30 am on July 31st. It was a surprise for Jim's birthday. I got him and our son Michael and his best friend David in the car and off we went. It took over 3 hours. As we approached The Forks he guessed it. Are we going White Water Rafting? I had a big smile! We started our trip with Nick as our guide. The weather couldn't of Been any better! Our guide was great and we felt very safe. We were in the boat with us four and a mother and her three daughters. The whole day was so much fun and so interesting. We made some new friends and loved being so close to nature with such a great group of people. Oh ! Lunch was very good too :)
Recently I celebrated my wedding at Northern Outdoors Lakeside Cabins site. We met with the Event Planning team on New Years Eve, and got married in September 2012.
The past nine months of planning with Dawn and her team was amazing. Being from Maine and familiar with Northern Outdoors as a rafting and hunting outfit, I wasn't sure what to expect from them in terms of wedding planners. But in the end, ALL of our expectations were met, and often exceeded.
The staff was very warm and fun to work with. The food was great as was the beer we chose from the Kennebec River Brewerey which is located at Northern Outdoors main lodge. Kevin and his staff never said NO.
Our guests will be talking about our wedding for a long time. They couldn't get over the hospitality that Northern provided, from shuttle services, food service and overall positive attitudes. I have received so many compliments on the food offering. The food presentaion was clean and visually stunning. The beer was also a focal point of the wedding as our guests got to try many different flavors responsibly. It isn't very often a couple can reflect on their wedding and be 100% satisfied, but I can honestly say Northern Outdoors will not dissappoint. I would reccomend them to anyone that wants to experience a Maine destination wedding!!
Our GoPro camera team captures the CLOSEUP Fall rafting action on high water Kennebec and Dead River rafting trips Sept 15th and 22nd. This week's video of the week includes both rivers, video boater kayaking (underwater) action, and some tasty Octoberfest brew tasting at Northern's own Kennebec River Brewery post-rafting.
There's still space on the Oct 6th final Dead River and Oct 7 final Kennebec River trips of 2012! For more info on the October 6th Raft n Brews weekend with the last release of the season on the Dead River at 6000CFS and the Kennebec River at 4800CFS, see here:
I would like to thank Suzie, Jim Yearwood, Sue Bruce (Suzie and the Smelts), Emily Yearwood and the staff of Northern Outdoors.
We had such a good time at Northern Outdoors from our cabin to the food and drinks at the Lodge. Everyone was wonderful, I would especially like to thank Jim Yearwood for the tour of the Brewery. One of the girls said that if I moved back to The Forks, her and her husband were moving with me because she loved the people here so much.
Thanks again everyone for making this such a wonderful weekend. Brenda and the Girls from Fairpoint
We visited the Northern Outdoors resort the end of July for 3 nights. We camped and rafted the Kennebec river, we had 21 family members in total camping and 16 of those rafted. We ranged in age from 1yr to 80yrs and everyone had a GREAT time. Even my 80yr old mother-in-law rafted the river with us. We were also celebrating her birthday and the staff was wonderful about acknowledging it and had everyone sing to her at lunch. Our river guides, Dave and Liz were great! They were very attentive and friendly, Dave even did a great job of resucing me and pulling me back in the raft when I was thrown out. The staff worked hard to prepare us lunch on the river side and it was very good. I can't say enough about how great the resort and staff at Northern Outdoors are. We used both tent sites and cabin tents and they were all very well kept. The bathroom facilites were also clean and well kept. All our family members enjoyed the pool and hot tub, especially after a day of rafting. This is the second time I have rafted and stayed at Northern Outdoors and several of my family members have been there multiple times. We are already talking about when we can do it again. Both my 10 and 11yr old kids had a blast and want to do it again.
Norhern Outdoors is the best rafting company in Maine!
On first Arrival, after an 8 1/2 hour drive from Cape Cod, we encountered a stress test... Kudos to front desk for professionally dealing with a potentionally awful situation. I made reservations weeks ahead for a definite 5, stating at the time I could bring 3 to 5 more who were trying to get time off work. We brought 3 more...all raft virgins. Figured it would be no problem since it was a week day. Wrong. I was told "sold out". This was my 14th year rafting, my daughter's 7th, her boyfriend's 1st.... PROBLEM....
The front desk asked me to be patient and made some calls... 20 mins of hell later... Smiles across 8 Faces! A new raft located! Dinner N beer ordered up ASAP! Camp set up for 3 days of fun! Trevor was guide -host with the most for the white-water rips! Fun dude! Our 2nd trip wth mr. Hip!
Northern Outdoors Deserves a big congratulations for making my party of 8 whitewater adventure a MAJOR SUCCESS!
The trip was so fun we have already expanded our next trip to several rafts.... More people more fun right?
The trip was amazing and a true delight. The shore lunch was out of this world and way beyond expectations! Our river guide "DAWN" was a absolute professional and the best river guide I have ever went white water rafting with, kudos to DAWN!
Loved the trip, well organized and exceeded expectations by 3
A big THANKS to Northern Outdoors for sharing this awesome experience with the best staff and services.
As a kid, my husband starting rafting with Northern Outdoors when you first opened in the mid '70's! This was our 3rd rafting trip with you as a family, with our friends and their kids. WE LOVE IT EVERY TIME!
We requested Chad as a guide since he is a completely awesome person and guide. We put the kids in the boat with him! Adults had Nick as a guide who was FANTASTIC-a true professional who clearly loves his job.
We love the overnight experience: the beer, the food and your amazing staff. Thanks for helping us to make such special family memories.
Kathleen K
Hopkinton, Massachusetts Rating: 5 *****
We have been up to Northern Outdoors three times now. We have done everything from camp with Tents, used our RV/Horse Trailer, and rented their beautiful Town Houses overlooking a private pond. The Facilities are as good as they get for a adventure-focused operation. The main lodge has a HUGE hot tub, heated swimming pool (with indoor in-out for wintertime), and their own Brewery! (We love the whitewater-wheat). The staff is talkative and willing to help in whatever way they can.
The rafting itself could not be any better. The guides are trained and vetted and know the rivers well enough to direct the raft without help of the paddlers at all. The lunch on the Kennebec is outstanding. They cook your steak, chicken, salmon, or Veggie burger right there along with rice and pasta salad. Hydration in the form of water, ice tea, lemonade, hot cocoa and cowboy coffee are also available while on the river.
This is a top-notch operation, and any adventure-seeking family will find all they want at whatever price-level.
We plan on returning to this great week-end getaway (for us) multiple times.
I visited Northern Outdoors facility in the Forks, ME with a friend in July 2012 for a few nights of camping and a day of rafting on the Kennebec. Let me start by saying that I have never been whitewater rafting before so I have no other experiences to compare to, but we had a fantastic time! I don't have a single negative thing to say. Northern Outdoors has a great reputation for being the best and I believe they lived up to that.
Our time on the river was great, we had a blast, lunch on the river oustanding, the whole day was handled beautifully by the staff at NO. We were impressed at how efficiently the staff managed to feed 100 people on the river in 45 minutes, nicely done! The staff there is fantastic, very accomodating and friendly, great with kids.
I was drawn to Northern Outdoors because of their on-site brewery, I am a homebrewer and appreciate good craft beer. Every beer they had on tap was excellent, especially the nut brown ale! The food was very good too. Great atmosphere at the restaraunt as well.
Overall, we had a great experience at Northern Outdoors and will definitley be back with a bigger group! Thanks again!
Name: Shawn McGillveary City: Agawam State: MA Activity: Kennebec River Rafting Activity2: Camping Rating: 5 *****
Growlers' popularity is growing gangbusters over the last 3 years since Maine loosened up it's Growler law. The Maine Growler Bill passed on September 12, 2009, creating much happiness for local breweries and brewpubs and their devoted patrons. A Growler is half-gallon (64 ounces) glass jug that consumers buy upfront and then refill for a relatively nominal fee. Not only are Growlers a financially fit method of buying and selling your favorite brew, but, they are eco-friendly and a fantastic means of buying local.
So, how do you keep a Growler clean?
To keep your Growler fresh for the next “filler up please,” upon pouring your last savory drop of brew, rinse the thick glass jug with hot water – give it some sturdy swirls – and then dry upside-down. It’s a good idea to wash the cap with hot water as well.
We are pretty big here at KRB at telling our guests to avoid using dish detergent, as it contains surfactants, which are non-biodegradable components that leave behind particles which can (and do) accumulate over time. If you find funkiness (ie: organic matter) in your Growler, don’t fear – but, don’t ignore it either. Give your bottle another hot soak and use a bottlebrush to scrub away the matter.
Growlers come in different styles, and can be clear glass or brown glass. Northern Outdoors had clear glass Growlers initially, and we switched over to Brown Growler jugs this season. (Look at our KRB page on FB for more pictures.)
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