We went on a family camping trip to hike and go white water rafting. This place surpassed expectations for so many reasons. 1. Location is very convenient to Moxie Falls. About a 10 minute drive away. 2. The camping offers many options from hotel rooms in the lodge, to cabins, to RV sites, tent sites and cabin-tents. We tried the cabin-tent and LOVED it. We are use to camping in tents so a cabin-tent felt luxurious. 3. The lodge offers a huge hot tub, a swimming pool, corn hole, billiards, and an arcade...complete with several claw games which all kids love. 4. The food and drinks are really quality. We're talking gourmet food, but good selection of classics and something for everyone. They have a great selection of craft beer. 5. The white water rafting is down to a science! They offer gear for staying warm even when wet...wetsuit parts (jackets, pants, booties), and of course life jackets and helmets. You literally just have to show up. 6. The guides and staff in the lodge are very knowledgeable, very friendly, and some of them are very funny. All of them are great to talk to. We rafted the Kennebec, and we can't wait to come back and do the Dead River and the Penobscot too! read more

Northern Outdoors - Corn hole area at the lodge - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - The Forks, Maine

This place is for anyone who loves the outdoors! White Water Rafting, Hiking, Tubing down the river, and more. What really stood out was the outstanding woodwork in the restaurant & bar. We rented the King Pine log cabin for a birthday party. It sleeps 14+! I do have pictures that I will share but the beds aren't made because we were leaving & housekeeping does all of that. We all went to breakfast at their restaurant. Delicious & huge portions. Reasonably priced as well. There's a large hot tub, game room, swimming pool & pool table. Nice cozy couches in this area as well. The staff were some of the nicest people I have ever met. This is an all season place. It is definitely worth the trip! read more

See all

Great tour guides and very fun time!! brought a large group and we all had fun with very good food half way through.

Stayed at the lodge for 4 nights and wasn't disappointed. Everything from the food to the quaint accommodations really felt like home and a great opportunity to relax while taking in local nature and let's not forget the WHITEWATER RAFTING that was absolutely AWESOME!! ***Highly recommend*** read more

See all

Food was good but service was terrible. Wrong food and drinks kept coming out. It was not busy at all and our waitress kept talking to the other waiters. We waited a hot minute to get our checks because she kept talking to them. read more

We visit West Forks Maine every year, and every year stopping in here for lunch, dinner or drinks is always a must! The food is out of this world excellent! And I will admit this year, the "Lumberjack Lemonades" went down a little too easily.... Imma gonna need those to stay on your menu please! The food is priced right, not cheap, but also not too expensive either. The staff are always a great pleasure to talk to. You won't be disappointed stopping in here if youre looking for some food! read more

Northern Outdoors - Some of the drink specials this past October - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - The Forks, Maine

Great experience. Cabins were beautiful as well. What made this even better was the staff. That Bunch really does work extremely hard. A special thank you to Grace, Connor, Drew, John (Bob) and anyone else who I may be missing. Make sure you visit Northern outdoors. You won't regret it read more

Northern Outdoors - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - The Forks, Maine

Absolutely incredible place and staff. Loved the lodge, the food and specially the service. Northern Outdoors team is truly amazing. The rafting was super fun and very professional. Don't think twice! Go stay with them and do all their activities. I can't wait to be back! read more

We had a team retreat at Northern Outdoors and it was the best time. There were so many amazing activities for us to participate in. The rafting down the Kennebec River was so much fun. The food and drinks at the Lodge were delicious, there was live music and a fun atmosphere. The cabins were clean and had everything we needed. Above all, the Northern Outdoors staff was so friendly and had excellent customer service. I would highly recommend Northern Outdoors as a family trip, family reunion, or like we did, a team retreat. We had the best team bonding time! Thank you Northern Outdoors for everything! read more

Well run, awesome staff, great experience. Will definitely visit again. Highly recommended.

Food and service were great, haddock basket, haddock sandwich and a burger. Our only complaint was they wouldn't let us sit on the patio with our dog even though we were the only customers. We were told that other dog owners left a mess so they don't allow them now. What do they do with children lol read more

Absolutely amazing place to stay. We stay at the campground in the fall. The river runs right by. The lodge has top notch meals and super staff members. read more

I'm pretty sure that Northern Outdoors evaluates their applicants on the basis of friendliness and good humor. Everyone I spoke to, from the restaurant servers (at the awesome restaurant) to our raft guide (in our awesome raft) were incredibly friendly or had a joke or two ready to go. This put us in a good mood as soon as we stepped in the door. The drive up to The Forks is incredibly easy and quite beautiful, making this a great escape option from Boston. Our group chose to stay at the cabins on the lake, which is separate from the main property, but much more secluded and peaceful. Our cabin was huge and had everything we needed to have a kickass weekend. We had a fire pit for s'mores and a fridge to hold some brews. Did I mention that Northern Outdoors has it's own brewery? Yep. The facilities were clean, the rooms were spacious and the lake was crystal clear. We didn't jump in, but I was told that you certainly could. There are plenty of interesting trails in the area, ranging from quick hikes to half-days. Moxie Falls is a nice stop as well, so be sure to bring your good shoes and a camera. The rapids themselves were a blast. With it being my first time, I was a little nervous about falling in and getting in trouble. Our guide, Brandi, made sure we felt safe and had fun the whole way. Aside from the sunburn I earned, there were no injuries to report. Oh, also, halfway down the river everyone pulls over for a big lunch on the shore. My favorite part of the lunch was that the guides introduced their own little campfood specialties, such as the ambrosia-like trail mix and "cowboy coffee". Don't ask, just try it. We're already thinking of planning our next visit and seeing how many more people we can drag along. If there are any Yelpers out there reading this and want to go, all you gotta do is say so. :) read more

See all

Had my bachelor party here 7/26 - 7/29 and it was just simply balls to the walls awesome. There was 7 of us, most came up in my fathers 35' RV, we chose the wilderness campsite so we could rage at all hours and not be disturbed by people looking for peace and quiet, great decision! The Wilderness site is about a qtr mile from the main campground and Lodge, which was fine because we would all pile into my buddys pickup and go back and forth. The site was basically a huge field with multiple sites laid right next to the Kennebec River so it was BEAUTIFUL! Def. bring mosquito and bug deterrent (obviously) Not once did any staff member come to check on us which we loved (nothings worse than feeling monitored) RV site had electric hookups which was great for my father so he could relax away from us party animals. The lodge is fantastic, corn hole tournaments, awesome bar with GREAT craft beer! They brew their own beer at the lodge downstairs, it is very delicious. We dined at the lodge our first night after 7+ hours of driving we didn't feel like cooking. Food was A+!!!!! The rafting was very cool, we were a rowdy group to say the least, the guide was very chill and laid back as we wrestled inside the raft trying to throw each other out of the raft even in the middle of rapids (which one of my groomsmen succeeded in doing so with me, it was a rush!) Hitting each other with our paddles, the guide couldn't have been better. Older guides would have screamed at us several times, def. made the experience very memorable letting us bicker amongst ourselves and have fun! It's a total hipster ran place which makes it totally chill, we are by no means hipsters but being around hipsters is never a bad time. Everyone who worked there was cool and relaxed. Not a single complaint! Shower house was clean and water was hot. Def bring gear and supplies, if you run out you're screwed, its about 45 minutes to the closest market of any kind. You're cell phone WILL NOT WORK here!!!!! The wifi in the Lodge is REALLY strong so you can make calls in the lodge once connected, don't expect to be on your Facebook if you're camping, you will be disappointed. Awesome campground! We are doing the Penobscot next year and hopefuly we find a campground as solid as this for that trip (Northern's campground at Penobscot doesn't have electric RV hookups so we can't stay there unfortunately but will use them for the rafting for sure!) Thanks for making my big weekend everything I envisioned it being Northern Outdoors! read more

See all

Amazing group of people here -- My 11 friends and I had an incredible experience rafting the Dead River. Even if you are nervous about such a trip (as I was), I recommend giving it a try. The raft guides are so fun and do their best to make you feel safe (even if it means prepping you in the event that you fall out of the raft...) The raft trips end back at the Lodge (http://northernoutdoors.com/the_forks_maine_vacations_resorts.html) with a great BBQ lunch provided. We camped at their sites (5 min walk away) but having the Lodge around was very nice -- brew pub, rec area with couches/tables, outdoor hot tub, pool, tennis court). They totally made everyone feel welcome and more at ease, while still keeping them aware of the potential dangers of rafting. It was such a fun, exhilarating day, not soon to be forgotten. They do trips on the Kennebec, Dead and Penobscot Rivers -- not sure what other 2 ratings are, but the Dead is a Class V rapid, so be ready for some excitement! read more

Northern Outdoors - Northern Outdoors ~ The Forks, ME - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - The Forks, Maine

A disaster ! Scheduling issues from the start. My wife is a teacher and we schedule February vacation "trips" the same days EVERY YEAR ! We were told we were a day late ($259.00), we were scheduled to leave on a Wednesday - should have been Thursday and some how were were scheduled for a 4 hour rental (Wednesday) on the day we were supposed to check out ! To put that into perspective, they wanted us out Wednesday @11AM but claim we had books a rental @1230 ? Does that make any sense ? Where would I put my bags ? Why would 2 fifty year old people go for a 4 hour sled ride and then want to drive 6-1/2 hours home ? When we checking in, we had a "packet" outlining our trip with them. That packet DID NOT have us checking out on Thursday but did "show us" booked for a Saturday night stay. When I spoke to the nice lady at the check in desk, she said she'd look into it and get back to us. Well they did. Informing us that our days didn't match theirs. When I asked for our outline back (the one in out "packet"), they couldn't find it ! As for the sled rentals - they aren't affiliated with the lodge. Separate company working out of the lodge. These people were VERY ACCOMMODATING ! They did a great job. There are TONS of other lodges with the same types of packages. I recommend using one of them. read more

It's such a lovely spot in the woods- comfortable lodging, beer brewed on site, pool, hot tub and good solid menu in the woodsy lodge. Our team did a 37 person retreat there and we couldn't have been happier. The cabin I was in had a kitchen so we could do many of our meals there. The options to get active by rafting or just stroll through the woods was really a treat. The small lake that is next to the lodge just adds to the serenity. Staff were kind and accommodating and I can't wait to go back. I'll share a comment made by a stranger as I was walking out to head home and he and his wife walked in. They walked in the front door, looked around and he said, "Well isn't this beautiful?". GREAT place to take a family or friends..... Can't wait to go back. read more

We spent 3 nights and went ATV have our own machines. Stayed in upstairs room not one of the cabins. Pros- clean rooms, food good, large hot tub- enjoyed , easy access to trails. Cons- no refrigerator in upstair rooms, they also do not have ICE available, very commercial- not a warm and fuzzy atmosphere people are friendly and helpful, Hot tub talk was that the whitewater rafting was lots of fun, good cookout and plenty of food. read more

About 6 months ago, on a backpacking trip from Stratton to Caratunk, I got out of the woods early and stopped here for a bite to eat. Everything about the place was awesome! A dude bought me a beer. I taught the bartender how to make a Dirty Martini. The food was delicious and the place was hopping with a great vibe. I even gave some thru-hikers a ride to and from the post office. I was only stopping by on my way to meet with friends in Quebec City for the second half of my vacation, and am I glad I stopped here for a few hours. Truly, Northern Outdoors was a highlight of my summer. Great folks, great bartender, amazing food. I would not hesitate to stop here again. In fact, I can't wait to go back. Trying to plan my next trip north, just so I can go here! read more

We had a blast rafting! We were a group of 8 with 5 adults and 3 kids ( 2 15 year olds and an 11 year old) and we had a great time! Sara was our raft guide and we will absolutely be asking for her again next year. She had absolute control of the raft and safety was her #1 priority (especially important with kids) but she still gave us some thrills and made sure we all had a great time. We stayed in the cabin tents - which were okay- we are at the brew pub which was great. Every person that worked for this outfit was excellent! Thanks Sara for a great day! read more

The owner can shove off. I bought a room and was in the hot tub and she had me kicked out because she had saw me earlier in the day around 3 and saw me in the hot tub at 8 and I was obviously too drunk after drinking three Coors. Paid good money to stay in their rooms, I won't recommend this place to anyone. Reply to owner: you're a prick read more

New hangover cure: White water rafting. We arrived at Northern Outdoors on Saturday afternoon, after spending a quiet night at Bradbury State Park on Friday. We relaxed, ate some food, and enjoyed some alcoholic beverages. Alas, I enjoyed entirely too many alcoholic beverages. I do believe I ended up singing Poison at the lodge's karaoke night and dancing with a couple of biker dudes from Montreal. C'est la vie. The next morning I was not feeling it. I seriously thought I was going to boot. Not normally a big deal if I'm at home and have no other plans but to watch a marathon of Toddlers & Tiaras, but I had planned on rafting the Kennebec at 8 in the morning. Husband, friends and I were listening to the pre-rafting safetey/scare speech and I had to keep myself from vomitting all over the frat boys sitting at the same bench. But I toughed it out. We got up to the launch area, carried our raft down to the river and got in. I was still queasy, worried I would vom all over our nice river guide, Dave. Until we hit the first rapids. Adrenalin kicks in, hang over is out. My stomach did a complete 180, in a good way. The first half of the Kennebec trip is definitely the most exciting, hitting Classes II - IV. The second half you pretty much just float along, with lots of opportunities to swim along in the river, but that was nice in a completely different way. The lunch break was surprisingly good. Very well organized and pretty decent food- I had expected sandwiches or the like- instead they served steak, chicken, salmon and veggie burgers (not crappy garden burgers either) with a few sides. Avoid the lemonade, though. That was not awesome. The lodgings were pretty average, but they were clean and did the job. We stayed in the smaller cabins right behind the main lodge and had no problems. The food at the lodge, on the other hand, was pretty hit or miss. I'd suggest sticking to traditional pub fare and avoid their more expensive entree items. The other folks in my party talked themselves into the surf & turf and regretted their decision. The chili dog, at a fraction of the price, was the highlight of the menu. Miscellaneous pros and cons. Pros: - Super pet friendly! We brought our pitbull and had no issues. - Really great river guides. A few of them were a bit over the top in the I-think-I'm-so-funny-bit, but we lucked out and had a mellow dude without all the shenanigans - There are two more rivers to try! - No cell service for 18 miles in either direction. Cons: - The crowd did seem to trend young (although we were grouped with a family of four on the raft trip). This could be a pro if you aren't old like me. I could see how the noise and partying could be obnoxious, but we honestly weren't that bothered. - Although I'm not a beer person, my companions were, and they had less than nice things to say about the brewery on site. - No cell service for 18 miles in either direction. If only it weren't 4+ hours from Boston, otherwise I'd be returning with the quickness. But I'm not going to press my luck with the hang over cure. I'd recommend staying dutifully sober the night before. read more

These guys have made me fall in love with whitewater rafting. A group of friends and I went for the first time last year and were - excuse my language - scared shitless. One of my friends asked on the bus ride to the river if anyone had died doing this. The guide's short (and honest) answer, yes. Great. He explained that the person had a health condition, that it wasn't a direct cause of the rafting. Ok, a bit better, but I'm still petrified. Our guide, Elyse, was wonderful and made us all feel comfortable on the raft. Our guide this year, Becky, was just as awesome and little did we know (and were shocked to find out) that it was her first time running a commercial trip. Both Elyse and Becky were incredibly friendly and made sure to learn all of our names and ask about our lives, what we do for work, etc. (during downtime, of course). Most importantly, they know what they're doing. The first half of the Kennebec felt much crazier the first time around, but was still fun this year, with clusters of Class III-IV rapids spaced out in between stretches of calmer water. The second half does have a little whitewater, but is mostly a calm float trip down the river, which is a perfect time to jump into the water (when it's nice out...not so much when it's 60 and cloudy as it was this year), get a couple people into the small, inflatable ducky raft, or just hang out and enjoy what is truly gorgeous scenery. Back to Northern: the riverside lunch is quite good and a welcome break from the tough first half of the trip. Do know that in inclement weather, they'll serve you lunch back at the lodge instead, which won't be until 3pm, but they do serve gorp, hot chocolate, water, iced tea, and lemonade. The photos and video are both great, and the videographer often shoots from a kayak in the rapids. Our total for all of the photos (in digital format) and the video came to $90, which doesn't seem too bad to me, particularly split between the group and considering what a good job they do. The accommodations, well...we can't exactly say we roughed it. Six of us the first year and nine of us this year stayed in two of their larger cabins, namely Whitetail Deer and Bobcat. They serve as a welcome respite and napping spot after a day of rafting. Both had three bedrooms with plenty of room for everyone. The club cabins have fully equipped kitchens, jacuzzi tubs, fire pits, grills, washer/dryers, and are basically ten times nicer (and larger) than my apartment. Everything was very clean and well-kept and I don't think we could have been happier. The lodge is a fun place to spend a weekend night and have a few beers from the brewery downstairs. I'm no expert, but I like their beer, particularly the whitewater wheat. The have bands in on Fridays and Saturdays, as well as a pool table, arcade, hot tub, pool, the works. We'll be back to conquer the Penobscot or Dead next year! read more

The best resort for rafting the Kennebec & Dead Rivers. Been here 6 or 7 times over the last 12 years and we all enjoy. Great cabins, although a little pricey. Resort feels like a Maine resort should. Make sure to wear a wetsuit if the temperature is below 75 degrees. You'll wish you did. Some of the lodging connected to the main resort is starting to show its age, but there are lots of stand-alone cabins that are in great shape. The ones high on the hill are the newest. Make sure to visit nearby Moxie Falls. Easy to drive to, and only a 1.2 mile round-trip easy walk to the falls (which you can swim below if the water conditions are low enough). read more

Three part review - 1. Rafting (Penobscot River) 2. Cabins (Twin Pines) 3. Restaurant at Twin Pines 1. The rafting was absolutely amazing! Weather was glorious too! The 7am start time was a bit of a shocker, but the administration was well organized. We were registered and signed the obligatory "if you die while doing this, you're on your own" forms. They were quite the sticklers about having every section completed, including the "in case of emergency" part. (As an aside, I always put 911 as the number to call in an emergency, I'd rather they call the paramedics if I hit my head on a rock and have blood spurting, than my Uncle Bob - I doubt his CPR skills are going to be much use here). We picked up our paddles, helmets and life-jackets and headed to the school buses. Seating's a bit cramped, but fortunately the journey is only half an hour, so it wasn't too much of an issue. Our party of eight was able to raft together and our guide was Jayson, a rather soft-spoken young man. A professional guide (this is his fourth year on this river), it took a little while to get him to come out of his shell, but when he did he was a lot of fun and had some great stories. He was very informative of the river and the surrounding area and kept the quiet times interesting Within 3 minutes of beginning our rafting journey we hit a category five rapid called The Exterminator (yikes!). From there on in it was an exhilarating day of rapids interspersed with calmer moments to catch our breaths. Lunch was a campfire grilled choice of salmon, steak, chicken or veggie burger served with River Rice and pasta salad. Within the group we managed to select every option and everyone was very happy. Back on the river for the afternoon started with "Lose Your Lunch" Falls where a couple of the other boats flipped. We didn't flip, but we did lose two of our eight - fortunately they were the least popular of the group and we didn't really miss them (only kidding Erin & Jess!) The afternoon was more relaxed than the morning, but still had 3 great rapids. During the calmer sections we were able to jump out of the boat and swim around. During this time Jayson started to have fun and we played a few rafting games - duck, duck, moose was a favourite of mine! During the trip we also saw a moose, right in the water no more than 30 feet from us. It was totally not phased by us being there and continued to have it's lunch (water vegetation) as we floated by. We also saw a bald eagle. Rafting finished with a (thankfully) quicker bus ride back to base where they showed a slideshow and a quick video of the day. Ten stars for the rafting, and it was incredible value for a whole day on the river. (We paid $39 p/p for an off-season deal) 2. We stayed in Bobcat cabin at Twin Lakes. The directions were a bit sketchy, but fortunately they gave GPS co-ordinates which made it easy to find. I'd recommend arriving during daylight though as most of the roads are unpaved and not lit as you get closer to the cabins. The location was perfect, right on a lake with fire pits and free kayak rentals. Our cabin can only be described as luxurious. Stainless steel appliances (inc dishwasher), floor to ceiling windows and large outdoor deck with a big gas grill. My friends who had chided me for not wanting to rough-it in a tent were eating their words once they saw the cabin. It comfortably housed seven of us in three bedrooms and we paid the extra person surcharge to add a bed for the eighth. It worked out to be $145 p/p for 2 nights. Also incredible value. 3. The less said about the restaurant the better. We only had one breakfast, but it was a cluster of forgotten items, long waits, incorrect food, foreign objects, missing ingredients, inattentive service. Save yourself the sorrow and just skip the restaurant. Even with the disaster that was the restaurant; the rafting and the cabin experiences were well worth the 5 stars. Do it! Do it now!! P.S. - TIP YOUR GUIDES!!! read more

We had a great time on out 2 night stay and rafting trip at Northern Outdoors. We stayed in the "Widow maker" 1 room cabin which was very clean, cozy, well equipped, and cute! The brewery in the lodge makes a great porter & the staff was very friendly. The food at the lodge was pub fare that was OK, but the staff was very friendly and attentive at the lodge & restaurant. They had a hot tub, pool, and small game room which kept us entertained on our free day. We rafted the Penobscot River which was fun but a bit slow & relaxing at times. The lunch was a massive production of chicken, salmon, steak, rice & veggies, potato salad, and cookies cooked & served river side. Our rafting guide was very friendly & entertaining which made the rafting trip much more enjoyable. Overall it was a very good experience & we may be back to try the Dead River next! read more

We had a great time rafting this week. Everyone took care of us. We never left the compound. We ate and drank. Played pool, arcade, cornhole. We swam and relaxed in the hottub. And we had a great day of rafting the Kennebeck with Jay our guide. Were looking forward to coming back next year! read more

Northern Outdoors - Burgers - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - The Forks, Maine

This place is pretty damn cool. I went up here with a couple girlfriends after we got coupons from Gilt City (like Groupon). Its an easy 4.5 hour drive from Boston. There is a good selection of beer from the brewery... I had a wheat beer that tasted pretty close to a Blue Moon, so I was happy. The food is not amazing, but pretty solid bar food... I shared nachos with my friends and then got the lobster quesadilla which was filled with chunks of yummy lobstah. My friends did not care for their BBQ sauce or honey mustard dressing, however, which seems like a weird thing to mess up. Our accommodations were in the Lodge rooms above the kitchen, which were basic but cozy, and the beds were surprisingly comfortable. We lucked out and got a rafting day with temps in the high 70's and clear blue skies... our guide was Dawn and she was very cool and prepared us well for the tough spots. We went down the Kennebec which has the highest rapid as a class IV, pretty early on downstream. I wish it had more though! The lunch they provided was delicious... plenty of food to go around and it was all cooked perfectly (I got the salmon). The rest of the trip was class II-III rapids for a little while, then gentle waves after that. It was nice to relax in the sun and appreciate the scenery... we even saw a bald eagle! The worst part was that we were there with a group of 60 high school kids who were quite obnoxious and took over the place, including the hot tub and pool that we were hoping to take advantage of the evening we arrived. I'm sure there's not much that they could have done about that, but it was a major bummer for us. Our river guide was able to get our raft ahead of all the noise from them so that we could appreciate the scenery for a bit though. Bottom line: we will be back for another trip, probably down the Penobscot next time (which has bigger rapids), and probably in September when all the kids will be in school and the leaves begin to change. read more

UPDATE: I went to their website and ordered 5 pictures, not realizing that I could get them all cheaper and I got this in an email; "We noticed you ordered 5 .jpgs from the same raft. Northern Outdoors sells a $55 JPEG Jumbo Pack which includes all of the .jpgs of one raft. We will send you all of the images of your raft. We will give you a partial refund to make up the difference between the package price and the price of your original order. You should receive a refund confirmation email from PayPal shortly after receiving your images" Now THAT is an honorable company! read more

I went rafting on the Penobscot river for the first time and had a blast! I can't recommend it enough. We left for the trip around 430am to be there for the 7am check in. That alone was an adventure... in a good way. But anyway, I was super nervous about going. The presentations, safety lessons and constant reminders of how these are the hardest rapids in Maine and how the water was very high that day (which makes the rapids even more "dangerous") didn't help calm my nerves. I was on a raft with 5 other family members and 2 strangers. ALL of us were new to rafting and our guide thought it was shocking that we didn't try out the Kennebec river first, which is supposedly not as dangerous, this comment also did not help settle my nerves. Our guide Zach was AWESOME and a huge help in making us feel safe and at ease for our first trip. He was very professional when necessary but was also a lot of fun and had a great sense of humor. There were quite a few spots where you sit in calm water and at times go swimming. I prefer more rapids but it wasn't so bad to take a break from time to time. The lunch provided was really good which I appreciated because we were all starving after the first part of the trip. The views of Katahdin are absolutely gorgeous!!! After the trip, we all (people who rafted plus the guides) gathered back at the lodge. This was one of my favorite parts, everyone reflecting back on the day with a nice ice cold craft brew (for $4.50!!!) and laughing at funny photos and watching a very cool video. I could go on and on about how awesome our trip was but this is long enough. I can't wait to go again! Oh the guides are pretty good looking too ;) Just sayin' Bring sunscreen!!!! read more

This is a great place for whitewater rafting. It's a good 4 hours from Boston, but they market it is an outdoor adventure resort, and it is - but with accommodations at every price point. Cabins, campsites, and cabin tents, for those looking for something cheap and semi-rustic. Onsite, they have a brewery with fresh beer, a restaurant, a swimming pool, volleyball court, pond with free kayaking, jacuzzi, game room, and plenty of restrooms and changing rooms. I appreciate that they have thought about everything you might need - so truly you can go for the weekend and have all your needs met. Our rafting trip was on the Kennebec, and it was a fairly mild, easy trip. The first 30 minutes were the most thrilling. Then there was some opportunity for drifting, swimming, chilling in the "ducky" (inflatable kayak), and overall relaxing. They make a kickass fresh grilled lunch for you, but overall, you're only rafting for probably 3 hours. I would have enjoyed more of a challenge, but I'm not complaining because they do have other trips which are more difficult, and because everything else is so good. We even had a great trip leader who made our day special. There are about 12 companies that raft this river, and I have no experience with the others, but would use this one again because they are so thoughtful with their services. read more

This place rules. I organized my best buds bachelor party here. We stayed in the wilderness campgrounds and did the rafting trip. Ashley was our guide. Ashley is the best :-) read more

Northern Outdoors - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - The Forks, Maine

My husband & I decided to camp for the very first time, this July 4th in Maine. Even before deciding where to camp n stuffs, I had requested for couple of brochures from all the places in the area. After going through all the info, I finally decided to camp at Northern Outdoors. So I booked a tent here. We arrived at around 6 in the evening and checked in. The staff was friendly & explained all the details neatly. The main office for check ins, restaurant, swimming pool, a game room, hot tub, a small play area n stuffs were in a big block. This big block is named as " Kennebec River Pub and Brewery". The tents were on the opposite side of the main block n a little inside the woods. You could drive or walk to the tents. This area had tents, camping grounds and a shower block. The tents were on one side and the camping ground on the other side. Our tent was right in front of the Kennebec River. I loved the location of the tent and the beautiful nature around it. There was a fire place and picnic tables right in front of the tents. There were 2 single cots with a light mattress and 2 pillows. The beds looked pretty decent & was comfortable too. However dont forget to get your own sleeping bag. The shower block was nice and pretty clean (could'n expect more than this). Apart from the packages (rafting, kayaking, Atv's, snowmobiling, fishing, etc.) this place has quite a few free things to do. Such as swimming, hot tub, Pool table, there is a system where you can browse too, outside you could play basket ball & right next to the main block there is a pond too. They have couple of cottages too near the main block with the pond n woods view. The Restaurant /Pub is fabulous. They serve all the three meals. Vegetarian friendly and the staff is friendly and fun going.... An important thing is to carry a U.S Cellular phone, coz no other network works in the whole area. read more

Amazing Adventure! From the moment we arrived until we left this was an amazing experience! Rafting down the Dead on release day was AMAZING! I wanted to go again and again (if I could have dried off in between :-)). Our guide, Brent, was awesome, down to earth and knew his stuff. We rowed our asses off!! The guides, if they want, pull double duty for the hotel so not only will they guide you down the rivers but they will also pour you a beer and serve you dinner (thanks Chad, hope you've had a chance to try the Creme Brulee, 'cause it was yummy!). The cabins are cozy, the scenery is very MAINE and we saw MOOSE...lots and lots of MOOSE!!! If you have never experienced Maine and you want to get a true feel for it, this is the place to start!! Thank you everyone for a wonderful time!! See you in the fall!!! read more

Northern Outdoors - MOOSE!! - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - The Forks, Maine

A couple of friends and I came her after a day of white water rafting. We thought it would be great to come here and chill and grab a couple of drinks. the place was packed with different groups of people of different ages. there are a few sofas/recliners you can settle in while watching a B's game (and they won!!). Further back there's a game room and outside there's also more games. there's also a pool and a hot tub - nice! wished we knew about this place before reserving a spot elsewhere. Lastly, i ordered a Long Island iced tea -- nice and strong as it should. Good taste. It was garnished with a piece of lemon too!! Too bad there wasn't a spot to sit in other than out side but it was a bit chilly to be sitting out there with bugs flying around. alas, if it was netted, or if there was a warmer outside it would have been perfect. This is definitely a place to come back to. read more

I just got back from the BEST TRIP ever thanks to you all at Northern Outdoors. My group of 12 friends came up to white water raft the Penobscot yesterday and we were ALL BLOWN AWAY with the trip. The management, organization, and staff were all BEYOND outstanding. You guys just don't miss a beat- from the organization of getting our gear, to getting on the bus, and quickly getting in our rafts, to an amazing grilled lunch, and a really fun picnic. And we can't say ENOUGH good things about your guides. Those guys are like a band of brothers... and their confidence, humor, and banter is so fun to be around. While I am sure all the guides are remarkable... Special shout out to Luke, our guide, who was amazing. He is cool, calm, and collected, and it made rafting for all the first timers on our trip a BREEZE. And we all enjoyed our history/nature lesson during the calmer times in the water. The rest of our group had Kris, whom they also said was fantastic! Recommend either of them when you plan to go, and you'll be in for an awesome time. The Penobscot is an amazing river, the trip is awesome, and your company is remarkable! We are already planning a trip back for August/early September! read more

Went there for breakfast , what a mistake that was I know they were busy but it took a little while for food to come out, but on the other hand maybe it should have never came out to us. Asked for over medium eggs and I could've used a straw to drink them! Got bit by mosquito and it was very warm. Time for a new cook!! read more

Northern Outdoors - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - The Forks, Maine

Northern Outdoors is to rafting, as walmart is to shopping. The camping spaces are very on top of each other, but luckily the other two spots in our area were not booked so we spread out. There's a picnic table at each site that is basically on top of your firepit. The rafting of course on the Kennebeck is awesome, but you can't really screw up no matter which tour company you go with. The equipment we used seemed to be a bit or two older than what I used with another company. I was very impressed with our guide Rachel. Although it was her second time doing a commercial guide at her young age of 18, she was amazing! At the half way point of the kennebeck, we had a delicious lunch of salty salmon and rice with veggies. I tried a piece of the steak and it was pretty good as well. The rest of the ride down the kennebeck was a bit lacking in rapids and we just floated/swam and played with a banana boat. FYI, the limit on the banana boat is 7 people, the 8th will make it tip over and slide under the raft. I wasn't too impressed with the lodge. I found it a bit cramped for the large amount of people there. But overall it was a good experience for the price paid in other places. I would recommend the dead over the kennebeck though after having done both. read more

We did the Kennebec release on 09-22-12 in Chad's boat. Great guide and a great ride. Now to go up and do the Penobscot to complete the trifecta. read more

Our 4th of July camping and white water rafting trip is everything that we hoped it would be. Great camping site right near the lake, clean camping areas with latrines nearby, and really nice staff all-around. We had an absolute blast during the rafting. Plenty of rapids to keep you occupied, two long, drawn-out times to swim and relax. All of the guides were friendly and supportive during the whole experience. Lunch, though ordered in the morning, was of an unexpected high quality - salmon/steak/veggie burger/chicken, fried rice, gorp, pasta salad, cookies, lemonade... perfect to suit all of the calories we had burned up to that point. It's all in the details: (+) rafting guides cater the experience to the skill and wants of each raft group, bar/small restaurant near the camping sites for endless beer and food options (-) a bit difficult to find the small-print-sign off of the main drag if you've never been there before. (-) Chris, our rafting guide, was very quiet during the whole experience, despite our hearing the other raft guides regularly conversing and joking with their rafters. We would have preferred more stories/chatting throughout! Also, an absolute turn-off that many of the raft guides had chew in their mouths during the rafting, and were spitting in the river the whole time- should not be allowed. read more