The York Rivers Association

Our Projects > Studies and Information About York's Rivers, Maine > Boating & River Access

Overview

Public Boat Access: The York River currently has 4 access points for boating. Not all of these are good for all types of boats.

...from downstream to upstream...

1.	Town Docks	All boats	Ramp and parking available.
2.	Wiggly Bridge	Handcarried	Limited parking is available across the street. There is no dock or designated put-in area, and the put-in is quite tricky (slippery rocks, or fragile / muddy marsh banks).
3.	Grant House	Handcarried	A parking lot is a fair distance (a couple hundred feet) from the put-in. There is no dock, although there are stairs down the hill to the river bank. The put-in is tricky (muddy / fragile marsh banks).
4.	Scotland Bridge	All boats	Ramp, but very limited parking (2-3 cars). Launch is best for canoes/kayaks, partly due to shallow river depth this far upstream.

Studies and Publications

B1. Historic Access Points to the Upper York River. York Land Trust. August 1997.

In historic times, there was much more access to the York River, as the whole town depended on the river for food, travel, and industry. This report describes several former public right-of-ways in the upper York watershed that were historically used for river access. Some of these right-of-ways may still exist, legally, although they are not used as such. Documentation includes citations from historical town records about the public ways. In some cases, gives current ownership and lot numbers.

B2. A Guide to Safe Boating in Maine. Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife. 1999.

A copy of the current regulations.

B3. Boating on the York River. York Rivers Association. 2000.

Resources

B4. Maine Landowner Liability Explained. Androscoggin Land Trust. 1998.

This outreach brochure for landowners explains the liability laws relevant to outdoor recreation; this may be helpful when working with landowners to secure river access for boating, environmental education or volunteer monitoring/research. This brochure was produced with the assistance of the National Park Service Rivers & Trails program.

Continue to Human Use Studies: Salt Marshes & Tidal Restrictions.

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