Wilson, Alex & Hayes, John. 2005. (2nd edition)
Quiet Water Maine.
Boston: Appalachian Mountain Club Books.
336 pages, paperback. $18.95
ISBN 9781929173655.
Format: guide
Rating: 5.0/5.0 stars
Breaking the state of Maine into its six most recognizable regions, Quiet Water Maine offers 84 spectacular calm-water trips with directions, parking, and put-in details. It offers detailed descriptions and maps of each body of water, photos, summaries of their experiences there, and best times to paddle. Beginners and experienced alike can enjoy the serene hidden gems Maine has to offer. Also great for anglers, birdwatchers and families of all ages and sizes.
Each destination begins with reference to the Maine Atlas & Gazeteer USGS quadrangle numbers, provides size/length of the body of water, habitat type, fish, what to expect, and extra notes or words of wisdom.
Critical Evaluation
Sales of AMC books help to protect the great outdoors of the northeast. I appreciate the way the state was divided and found the alpha index for the bodies of water to be extremely helpful. The directions are concise, and having referred to this guide last summer, I can attest to and appreciate the nature essays and tidbits that were spot-on accurate. I especially appreciated their extensive research and their not choosing waterways that were surrounded by housing developments, crowded shorelines, and they only included those with limited personal watercraft or high-speed boat access. While in production, they even removed a trip explaining why, and so we skip from page 5 to page 8 without missing a beat.
I would have preferred color photographs, but the quality of the b/w photos do not hinder the majestic beauty and does reduce excess production pollution. The assistance of registered Maine Guides and professionals who provided advice allowed this revised edition to be even more accurate and valuable to its readers.
Reader’s Annotation
The perfect calm-water canoe trip planning and take along guide for one wanting to experience Maine: the way life should be, as promoted on signage as one enters our vacationland state.
Information About the Authors
Alex Wilson is an avid paddler and naturalist, who is also a widely published freelance writer who lives in Vermont.
John Hayes currently lives and explores the quiet waters of Oregon.
Together, Wilson and Hayes have spent years exploring the quiet waters of New England, and have written and published paddling guides for New Hampshire/Vermont, Massachusetts/Connecticut/Rhode Island, and New York.
Genre
Non-fiction: Travel/Maine Outdoors
Read-Alikes
Quiet Waters New Hampshire & Vermont by AMC Books
The Northern Forest Canoe Trail: Enjoy 740 miles of canoe and kayak destinations in NY, Quebec, NH, and Maine by The Northern Forest Canoe Trail
Curriculum Ties
This guide provides a wide variety of near and distant bodies of water that students in both Outdoor Studies and Maine Guides courses can gain experience at, as well as improve their trip planning.
Reading Level/Interest Age
Awards
N/A
Why Title Included & Selection Tools
Quiet Water Maine is the perfect addition to a school library that supports outdoor recreation in western Maine and, being the endpoint for the Appalachian Trail, our children are raised to live, play, hike and enjoy (for free) all that our region has to offer. In winter, a number of students arrive at school via a snowmobile and come spring, the canoes are on racks on their trucks, ready for "ice out" or April 1st, to use them as a means to go fishing. Even of our staff, nearly 40% canoe or kayak.
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