Dan guided my family of four (my husband, two sons (11 and 13), and me) on a 4-day trip down the…read moreSt. Croix last month. He and the trip were incredible. The paddling was more difficult than I expected, but Dan was great about guiding me down the stretches I was struggling through. He was extremely knowledgeable about Maine ecology and history, sharing information and stories with us as we made our way down the river. The campsites all were beautiful. Dinner and breakfast cooked over an open fire every day, with an impressive and delicious menu. This trip was definitely a splurge for our family, but well worth it. I would highly recommend a trip with Smoking Rivers if you find yourself in the Bangor area.

Jason and Dan have taken the best of Maine Guide traditions and made it available to the current…read moregeneration. They put together great river trips, with home cooked meals over an open fire that rival what many home cooks do with a fully equipped kitchen. They provide the tents, canoes, paddles, etc. you just need to bring your spirit of adventure! Their packing list gets you ready for whatever the weather may be. They teach the canoeing moves you need, and adapt their teaching to the level of their clients. Safety is first but not in a way that feels oppressive. They are terrific!

Pete did a great job. Such a great kayaking experience. We saw seals, bird of prey, starfish, …read more.. Would highly recommend this experience.

Pete was great! We went on a 7 mile private tour around bar harbor. Pete was incredibly…read moreknowledgeable about the animals and history in the area. It was a great tour and an awesome way to see bar harbor!

My friend and I tried the evening moose tour in which you are driven to a beautiful 'pond' as they…read morecall it and get into 3 person canoes (two paddling, one in the middle) hoping to see moose. Their venue is closer to Bangor than some of the other outfitters that do this, however, the ride to get to the pond is at least an hour. You ride in a van and some of the roads are bumpy. The guide narrates a little, but I feel he could have done more. The home base is nice and they sell souvenirs, coffee, and snacks. They have a bathroom building with changing areas. There was lots of water on the ground there, so I wonder why it wasn't moped. Once you get into the van, there is no bathroom area (unless there is a porta potty that I missed. The scenery by the water was very beautiful and peaceful and even though no moose were spotted, it was still a very nice experience. The price was fair and there was always someone that answered the phone when we called to ask questions. Overall a great experience.

Went out with a group of 8 people total, our family of 4 in addition to 4 others. We were driven…read moreabout an hour in a van to arrive at the moose spot. Our guide Zack did a great job of chatting and sharing nature facts while we rode. Worth noting is that the second half hour of the ride is pretty bumpy on a dirt road. Also, if you go during black fly season you might want to consider a face net. They weren't too bad on the pond, but they tend to fly directly towards your eyes and nose, and the net keeps them off. Once we got to the water we suited up with life jackets and Zack helped us into the canoes. We paddled for around an hour and ended up seeing 3 different moose on the water plus another 2 on the ride home! We were able to float for around 30 minutes in the canoe, just observing the moose eating. It was a bit of a trek to get here from Bar Harbor but totally worth it!

This campground is amazing with the arcade, beach, store, cafe, the kids to play with it's just so…read morefun! There is so much stuff you can do here! Anyone who is looking for a campground for you and your kids this is the one to chose!

Fine boat rentals, but far too much power-washing and refrigerator repair for my idea of "camping."…read more Our plan was to find a lake to camp on, do a little canoeing or kayaking, and settle in for a quiet night in the tent. We ended up at Pushaw Lake Campground, which only fit part of that bill. The boat rental was quite reasonable --- we ended up in a nice Old Town tandem kayak, with not-too-grubby PFDs and fair hourly rental rates. However, even near the "tent" camping sites at the far end of the compound, there were people power-washing refrigerators, ATVs, and the like. Music wasn't the worst I've seen, but definitely there. Most of the units were set up for summer-long rentals --- some people had gone as far as taking the wheels off their trailers, or just let the tires go flat. As the afternoon got less and less pleasant, we ended up packing our tent and bailing. This place suits some people, but just isn't my speed.

We have a new inflatable kayak, we were, Let's say having some issues with it. I found Leslie & Ray…read moreonline & felt it in my bones that this was where we needed to go to get guidance! We arrived unexpectedly & Leslie was a godsend. She had somewhere to be but made the time to show us around & give us some tips. We were there for a good 3hrs & didn't want to leave. It was exactly what we needed! Thank you both!

What a gorgeous spot! We rented kayaks and spent the day in Basin pond. Views are breathtaking and…read morethe owner was so helpful. Water was refreshing and kayaking was easy. Watch carefully for the sign or you may miss it and there is a short walk down a trail to get to the water but totally worth it.

Very nice narrative of the area, history and some "fun facts". It was neat to see Acadia from the…read morewater after visiting from land the day before.

Rich took our family on a full day tour of Bar Harbor/Acadia. The kids are ages 7 and 9 and he…read moreadjusted the content of the tour based on the likes and dislikes of my kids that I described to him over the phone prior to arriving. We started the morning on 1+ hour hike through a spruce forest to arrive at the edge of a cove. Seals were in the water and birds in the distance. We literally didn't see a single other person on the hike which is incredible given that it was high season (August). It was a testament to Rich's knowledge of the island. We did visit Sieur de Monts Spring and did a flat loop walk on the long boardwalk trail which was also fairly deserted given its proximity to the tour buses pouring tourists out in front of the nature museum there. Lastly, we made a visit to a tidal pool where we spent a solid 2 hours in the water looking under every rock for starfish, crabs, sea anemones, sea urchins and snails galore. Rich knew each species and explained the good and the bad (green crabs -- invasive, not good; Jonah crabs - native, good) Rich did all of the driving and it made for a relaxing exposure to Bar Harbor/Acadia that we would've never been able to do as quickly on our own. Well worth the money.