The York Rivers Association

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Places: York River, Maine
November 2002, Atlantic Coastal Kayaker
By Tamsin Venn

The York River ’s fast current runs you swiftly past history and nature in equal measure. This scenic river in southern Maine is well worth a detour from coastal paddling. Start at the Wiggly Bridge in York Harbor and let the current and tide take you up to the juncture of the York River and Smelt Brook, a total distance of nine miles up and back.
Park your car on Lilac Lane and carry your boat across the busy road (look both ways) to the jetty that leads to the Wiggly Bridge , a narrow suspension bridge that spans Barrells Mill Pond. Here in summer, families gather with inner tubes, beach chairs, dogs and coolers while kids jump into the water from the bridge. At the bottom two thirds of the tide, current runs too swiftly to paddle against.
Hand your boat down over the walkway. Depending on the tide and whether you can paddle under the bridge, launch on the river or pond side. To your left, it is two miles down to Yorkarbor. To your right, upriver, it is a little more than 4.5 miles to Smelt Brook. As you paddle north, shortly upriver is a small shack decked out with colorful buoys. Next door is the John Hancock Warehouse, naked after the famous American patriot who signed the Declaration of Independence. Hancock became part-owner of the warehouse in 1780 and, being the patriot he was, used the spot to house traded merchandise he did not want taxed by the British government. The out-of-way warehouse tucked just inside the York River is one of several along the New England Coast that served a similar purpose. Next to the warehouse is the Marshall store, built in 1870, and served by the schooner trade, New England ’s early trucks. Both are now preserved as historic sites.
Just upriver is the Sewall Bridge with another bit of interesting history. Built in 1754 by Samuel Sewall, it replaced the ferry service that operated across the river here. Much of the bridge’s original design has been preserved as a National Engineering Landmark. Note the standing waves at full ebb tide. One bay marked as the channel with a 5 mph warning sign, by no means channels all the motorboat traffic which uses all the bays. Stay alert for oncoming traffic.
The river has an inland freshwater sense to it, yet you have to only look down at the rockweed flowing in the emerald water to be reminded it is tidal. The best approach to paddling here is to go up with the flow.