Check out our video on our Youth Wilderness Trips! We offer fully-funded multi-day wilderness trips on the Allagash Wilderness Waterway to youth from the gateway communities of the St. John River Valley and from immigrant, BIPOC, and other underserved communities throughout Maine. Participants learn canoeing and camping basics and leave-no-trace...
Read moreCheck out our video on our Leadership Trips. The AWWF Advanced Leadership Trips provide a week-long canoe camping experience on the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. Participants expand their outdoor leadership and stewardship skills, learn the basics of wilderness survival, and explore wilderness stewardship career pathways through campfire chats with Registered...
Read moreThe Board of Directors of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation is pleased to announce the opening of the job of Executive Director. The AWWF was established in October 2011. The AWWF works collaboratively with the staff of the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands and the Allagash Wilderness Waterway to support...
Read moreThe successful AWWF Youth on the Allagash (YOTA) trips were expanded in 2023 to include an Advanced Leadership Wilderness Trip. Guided by Canoe the Wild, the leadership trip was a fully outfitted multi‐day paddling and camping trip for high school students from the St. John Valley. Priority was given to...
Read moreDear Friends, At our Annual Meeting in June, Don Hudson was elected President of the AWWF. As many of you know Don is a known entity in the north woods. Along with Don Nicoll, he was a founding member of the AWWF and in fact, he is the only person to...
Read moreAn excellent article on The Telos Cut was written by Elizabeth Bennett and published in the Memories of Maine Magazine Winter 2022 edition. Excerpt: In the 1840s, the need to drive logs down the Penobscot River and into Bangor was so strong it motivated wheeling and dealing, sparked violence, pushed innovation,...
Read moreThe AWWF is pleased to introduce Chafee Emory as the new AWWF coordinator. Chafee is replacing Denise St. Peter who served in that role since 2019. Denise’s skills and contributions over the last three years have elevated the Foundation to a whole new level. Her support has boosted our number of...
Read moreA devastating threat is bearing down on New England’s oldest documented artistic tradition. Emerald ash borer, an insect native to Asia, has barreled through ash stands in at least 35 states and three Canadian provinces since it was first documented in Michigan and Ontario in 2002. Brown ash (Fraxinus nigra), the...
Read moreJordan Parks has a deep passion for creating art that she describes as inseparable from her being. For as long as she can remember, art has been a form of expression for Jordan. But it was not until middle school, at ten years of age, when she received an award...
Read moreStarting in 2016, Youth on the Allagash has connected middle school students in the St. John Valley with multi-faceted Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics (STEAM), project-based, learning units for a new generation of environmental stewards informed about the causes, impacts, and responses to climate change. The initiative also...
Read moreThis article was written by Matt LaRoche and first appeared in the January edition of the Northwoods Sporting Journal. Did you ever notice that some ice anglers seem to be luckier than others? I think you will find that these “lucky” fishermen have one thing in common - they are always...
Read moreAWWF President, Bob McIntosh, visits North Maine Woods, Inc offices in Ashland ME to congratulate Al Cowperthwaite on his pending retirement and to meet the incoming Executive Director, Tom Pelletier. Dear Al, I write on behalf of the Board of Directors of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation, the “Friends of the Allagash,”...
Read moreA year ago I wrote that the future is full of uncertainties. While uncertainties still exist, regarding COVID-19, our country and we are now in a much better place. Each of us has faced multiple challenges over the last year, yet collectively the AWWF has weathered the storm well. The...
Read moreOn Sunday, April 11, 2021, AWWF President Bob McIntosh and Board Member Jenny Ward presented Matt and Ruth LaRoche a Resolution adopted by the AWWF Board of Directors on the occasion of Matt’s recent retirement as Superintendent of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. From left: Jenny Ward, Bob McIntosh, Matt LaRoche, Ruth LaRoche...
Read moreAfter 44 years of dedicated service managing two of Maine’s most iconic rivers, I am calling it a career. I began my profession as an Assistant Ranger right out of the University of Maine as green as they come. As I move into retirement, I see myself as the mentor,...
Read moreBy: Kevin Brown, Chief Ranger of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway “You have the best job in the world,” the paddlers would tell me as we chatted on a flat calm Eagle Lake in the middle of August. “How do you get a job like this?” they would ask. As I motored slowly...
Read moreDear Friend of the Allagash, I hope our Annual Appeal letter finds you, family, and friends safe and well. We live in a time of health and economic uncertainty, and if this has struck you or anyone close to you, the board of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation (AWWF) wishes a...
Read moreGive the Gift of Allagash Explorer In summer 2020, the Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation released the pocket-size Allagash Explorer, A Take-Along Companion for Maine’s Wilderness Waterway, in collaboration with the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands. Guided by a schematic map of the Waterway, experience the Allagash through a series of stories that highlight the...
Read moreThe Bureau of Parks and Lands (BPL) recently installed new fire tower cabs on Allagash, Round Pond (T13 R12) and Deboullie Mountains. These projects have been in the planning stages for many years. I personally had wondered if it would actually happen in my lifetime. It seemed as though every...
Read moreFall fishing can be feast or famine depending on several factors. The most significant influences on stream and river fishing in the fall are water temperature and volume. Trout and salmon will usually gravitate towards the inlet of a lake or pond in the fall when the water starts to...
Read moreProperly masked and physically distanced due to COVID, (left to right) AWWF board member Don Hudson and board president Bob McIntosh presented an Allagash Canoe Paddle to the Allagash Brewing Company. The paddle was engraved to celebrate the Allagash Brewing Company’s 25th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway...
Read moreThe Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation (AWWF) salutes AWW Superintendent Matt LaRoche and all the AWW rangers on this international day of celebration. Their leadership and professionalism protect and enhance the Waterway, and deliver a safe and rewarding visitor experience that is of exceptional quality. We at the Foundation thank them, and...
Read moreThe Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation (AWWF) is pleased to announce the election of seven new board members. In making this announcement, Bob McIntosh, Board President, noted “The Foundation is well positioned to expand its board as it celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway’s designation as a National Wild...
Read moreFifty years ago today, July 17, 1970, the Allagash Wilderness Waterway was designated a National Wild and Scenic River by U.S Secretary of the Interior Walter Hickel. The Wild and Scenic Rivers System was created by the U.S. Congress in 1968, to “preserve certain rivers with outstanding natural, cultural, and recreational values in...
Read moreAllagash Brewing Company celebrates its 25th anniversary this year and has chosen to partner with us during their 25 Days of Giving series in July! On Friday, July 17, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the National Wild & Scenic River designation of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, Allagash Brewing is donating 100% of its...
Read moreAllagash Explorer is available at the following outlets: • Bogan Books (Fort Kent) • BookStacks (Bucksport) • Epic Sports (Bangor) • Green Hand Bookshop (Portland and online) • Gulf of Maine Books (Brunswick) • L.L. Bean Bike, Boat & Ski Store (Freeport) • New England Outdoor Center (Millinocket) • Sherman’s Maine Coast Book Shops • Shin Pond Village (Mt. Chase) • North Maine Woods gates to the Allagash • Online through the Northern Forest Canoe Trail.
Read moreBoard President Bob McIntosh provided the following to the Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation Board of Directors at the Foundation’s annual meeting held on June 15, 2020. We hope you will enjoy reading this message and thank you for your continued support of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway....
Read moreThe Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation is pleased to announce the release of the pocket-size Allagash Explorer, A Take-Along Companion For Maine’s Wilderness Waterway, created in collaboration with the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands. Designed for use in all seasons, Allagash Explorer differs from other guides that offer paddling and camping...
Read moreIf you are planning to visit the Allagash Wilderness Waterway this spring or summer, please visit the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands AWW Conditions and Alerts page for up-to-date information on Allagash access and overnight use. Click here for the latest information: https://www.maine.gov/dacf/parks/water_activities/aww-river-conditions.shtml
Read moreThe Allagash Wilderness Waterway (AWW) celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2016. In honor of this milestone, the AWW offered 500 signed and numbered prints of Mark McCollough’s painting of a family paddling below Allagash Falls. A number of these limited edition prints (24 by 20 inches) are still available from the Maine...
Read moreEven Henry David Thoreau stopped by in 1857 to buy four pounds of brown sugar About halfway up the eastern shore of Chamberlain Lake, nestled behind a point of land once called Apmoojenegamook Point (now Hog Point) sits an old farmhouse. The building is all that is left of a thriving...
Read moreSince 2017, the Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation has worked with partners to provide opportunities for local youth to build wilderness skills, explore the Waterway, and learn about its history. This fall, we again partnered with Chewonki and local schools to provide multi-day, fully funded guided river trips to 16 youth from the St. John...
Read moreCalling in a big bull moose during the rut is one of the most thrilling things I have ever done. When you get that answering grunt from your cow in heat call you know you’re in for some excitement. The bull will usually rake his antlers on some bushes and...
Read moreThe Allagash Wilderness Waterway: “… that most beautiful and wondrous wilderness area, the Allagash River, the greatest such remaining area in the Eastern United States.” — U.S. Senator, Edmund S. Muskie Congressional Record, May 27, 1965 Dear Friend, Let us introduce you to the Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation (AWWF). Now in our eighth year, we have...
Read moreAllagash Wilderness Waterway (AWW) is a spectacular 92-mile long river and lake area like no other waterway in the eastern United States. To those who are willing to get off the beaten path and unplug from technology it offers remarkable natural beauty, an opportunity to experience solitude and escape from...
Read moreCanoeing and camping go together like bacon and eggs. The canoe can transport you to some of the most wild and pristine places in relative comfort. Unlike backpacking where weight is a primary concern, canoeing allows you can bring plenty of good food, roomy tents and other equipment necessary to...
Read moreAs kids, my brother Mark and I would drive our bicycles around our hometown of Lisbon Falls fishing the local brooks and streams. We learned early how to thread a worm on a hook so that the small brookies would not be able to steal the bait without getting caught...
Read moreBy Ruth LaRoche (wife of Matthew LaRoche, Superintendent of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway). I have had this reoccurring dream over my lifetime. In this dream, I need to figure out how I am going to feed 20 guests with one can of evaporated milk and a small package of venison. And I can’t...
Read moreWhen I first arrived for work in the Allagash Wilderness Waterway- at the ripe old age of 19 years, I had the privilege of meeting some very interesting people. People that I didn’t realize would become Allagash legends. Milford and Dorothy (Dot) Kidney were two remarkable people that made their...
Read moreEdouard “King” Lacroix, a Canadian lumber baron, who had huge operations in the Allagash Region- left a legacy that remains in the heart of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway (AWW). He was born to humble beginnings, in Sainte-Marie, Quebec in 1889. He had little schooling, but did attend college for six...
Read moreIf you believe in conserving wildlife and open spaces, then the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund scratch lottery tickets are for you. The Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund (MOHF) conserves wildlife and open spaces through the sale of instant, scratch lottery tickets. With proceeds from ticket sales, grants are awarded twice a year, totaling...
Read moreMaine’s Allagash Wilderness Waterway holds a special place in the hearts and minds of all who have experienced its wonders. In “Discovering THE ALLAGASH– A Canoeing Guide to the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, North Maine Woods” Jeff Sims does an outstanding job of portraying the essence of the Waterway, and at the...
Read moreA partnership with Wicked Joe Organic Coffee is Born! Bob and Carmen Garver of Wicked Joe Organic Coffees have been giving back to Maine communities for years, most notably when they developed a special blend of coffee for the 75th anniversary of Maine’s 48 state parks and historic sites. Now, Wicked Joe has added...
Read moreWe all know people who just seem to know where to go at just the right time to see deer. They have that uncanny ability to bag a nice buck almost every year. These people have good hunter instincts — what I call “the sixth sense.” I don’t pretend to be one...
Read moreA good dog is certainly a pleasure to hunt with. I have had four dogs during my adult life and my fondest memories are of Chad, my first and best hunting dog. Chad could sniff out a grouse and put it up a tree like no other dog I have...
Read moreThe Storied Lands and Waters report was recently released by the Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation (AWWF). The report includes a heritage & cultural resource assessment, interpretive plan and sample lesson plans for educators to use in teaching about the Allagash. Storied Lands and Waters of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, was produced...
Read moreBob McIntosh, president of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation, announced release of the first heritage resource assessment of the famed Allagash Wilderness Waterway. The “Storied Lands & Waters” project marks a milestone in the history of the Allagash and offers a roadmap for action in the years ahead. The announcement...
Read moreI can remember my first day at Umsaskis Lake back in May of 1977, like it was yesterday. I was so excited to be in a more remote section of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway (AWW). I had a new area to explore, new people to meet and potential new fishing...
Read moreAllagash Brewing Company is gearing up for another fantastic Street Fair. This year it takes place, Saturday June 23 at their brewery in Portland. The Allagash Brewing Company Street Fair is an annual event that is filled with music, food, beer, performances, and fun events. Last year the Allagash Wilderness...
Read moreNorthern Maine’s resident wildcat- the Canada Lynx, is doing quite well along the shores of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. In fact, so well, that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service which currently lists the lynx as threatened, has started the process of delisting the lynx from the endangered species list. While...
Read moreMy first trip on the Allagash Wilderness Waterway was so powerful that I can say without question that it changed the course of my life forever. I was 23 years old. Having grown up in a beach town in Southern California, I was athletic (a surfer), but certainly not skilled...
Read moreIce fishing can be one of the highlights of a Maine winter. If the fishing takes place in the Allagash Wilderness Waterway (AWW) – it is more like an ice fishing adventure! Ice fishing traps, or tip-ups as they are often referred to, all use the same basic design- when...
Read moreThe Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IF&W) has adopted new, less restrictive length and bag limits for much of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway (AWW). These new rules take effect on January 1, 2018, for: Eagle, Churchill, Umsaskis, Long Lake and Chase Rapids. Fishing regulations have not changed for...
Read moreThis year, the Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation (AWWF) partnered with Chewonki of Wiscasset, Maine, to offer two all-expenses-paid paddling and camping trips on the Waterway for youth living in gateway communities of the Waterway. With the generous support of local partners, the Quimby Family Foundation, and the Defoe Fund, 18 students from the Katahdin...
Read moreLegendary Maine Wilderness Guide Gardner Defoe led groups of youth down Maine rivers for over 25 years. A recent film called, Defoe’s Way, produced by O’Maine Studios and funded by L.L. Bean, tells the inspiring story of Defoe’s life and his many journeys down the Allagash River. The alumni of these programs were profoundly...
Read moreAllagash Lake is the Holy Grail for fishing in Maine. With vehicular access limited to a mile or more from the shore, and motorized equipment off limits there, a trip to Allagash Lake is among the last of Maine’s true wilderness adventures. Spring, around the time of ice out, is a...
Read moreAlthough I had worked along different stretches of the Allagash starting when I was fresh out of college in 1979, my first canoe trip down the entire river was with my daughters, my husband, and a few friends in 1999. I’d paddled many rivers in Maine, but never the Allagash. It seemed like an ideal river...
Read moreI probably need to fact check the year, but if memory serves me, then I think 1979 or 1980 (age 20) was the year I made my first trip to the Allagash. I had done a lot of backpacking, some canoeing overnights, and some whitewater paddling, but this was my...
Read moreMost of my initial dealings with the Allagash Wilderness Waterway were work related. While I had read about and dreamed of a trip on the Allagash for years that didn’t really occur until after I went to work for the Department of Conservation as its Personnel Manager in 1984. It...
Read moreSince 1978, my connection with the Allagash Wilderness Waterway has been more work related than recreational, though I can confess to some very memorable days of fishing, both winter and summer, on Allagash and Chamberlain lakes. As a fishery biologist I was fortunate to have the AWW headwater lakes in my...
Read moreMy first encounters with the Allagash were by air, with limited time on the water. In June 1955, I accompanied Governor Muskie on a flight to Chamberlain Lake, where he met with Al Nugent of Nugent Camps to discuss Mr. Nugent’s concerns about clear-cut lumbering operations and the threat of...
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