I was here for a family gathering to celebrate my sister's 50 th birthday. Our group stayed at a couple of cabins which were very nice and convenient. We went two days in a row. The first day was the full river trip and the second day was the ultimate on the Kennebec River. Both days were excellent!! It was my and my 16 year old year's first time white water rafting. We absolutely loved it!! We had a big group, 15 people the first day, 19 the second with a large range of ages 6-65 years and mixed of experienced and non experienced. We had the same guides both days-Jackie and Steve. Not only were they great guides but they are beautiful people! Everyone in our group had a wonderful time and we spent all night reminiscing. read more

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What an amazing trip and terrific guide (Jackie)!!!! Rapids at the start and a beautiful relaxing cruise at the end. Hot lunch once we all returned from the river with good food 10 out of 10, we would/will go for an other ride next time we are up in Maine. read more

North Country Rivers - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Bingham, Maine

The Kennebec River is a nice blend of Class II, III, and IV, but I cannot recommend this outfitter or our guide Noah. Our trip was on 8/3/2025. From the start, our guide seemed almost hostile toward our group -- a couple with three children 12 or younger and an adult with two teenagers. On the river, he was clearly maneuvering the raft in an attempt to flip people out and made comments about needing to try again. Here are two examples of particular concern: *Unable to flip anyone out, he shoved an adult paddler into the water. He also picked up the man's three children at random times and threw them overboard. One of the children was clearly traumatized by being thrown in and it took a while for his panic to subside once he was pulled back into the raft. I wouldn't be surprised if he never wanted to raft anywhere again. *Our guide later tried to pick up one of the children a second time as the child slid to the bottom of the raft screaming "No! No! No!", but he was unfazed by the child's pleas. In addition, there was no plan to provide water for the rafters other than to share the guide's personal water bottle; and "lunch on the river" was lunch after the trip at around 2:00 in the afternoon. I recommend finding a different outfitter. read more

Run to North Country Rivers and do EVERYTHING!!! We stayed in the cabins here (bunkhouse and middle sized), took and rafting trip, and moose safari. While we missed out on moose due a rainstorm that rolled in, the scenery was still worth the price of the tour. Our tour Declan was funny and personable, as well as able to answer our questions. The raft was EPIC! Steve, our guide was skilled and charismatic. He was even able to haul my butt into the raft after the opportunity to swim in the pristine waters of the Kennebec. My 11 year old daughter and 70 year old aunt were equally happy with our excursion. We were able to see multiple bird species along the river banks. Food at the lodge was surprisingly delicious - as was the bar. The waitstaff and owner were kind and hospitable on all counts. This is a business that clearly cares about staff and guests alike. We can't wait to come back soon! read more

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We did the ultimate package--heavy water release (8,000 cfs) and 2 passes of the greatest rapid before floating the rest of the course to pull out. The weather was perfect at 70F. The water at 60F. Sunny skies made the emerging Fall color incandescent. Our guide Chris, aka Wavetrain, was hilarious. The photos they take of your trip are pricey, but amazing work. Do consider supporting the photographers by buying a photo or more. Lovely steak lunch at the end of the trip. Plenty of beers on tap from the bar to help you settle into the evening. read more

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Cannot say enough great things about Kyla and the rafting experience. The Kennebec had several Category III and one Category IV that we were able to navigate thanks to the lovely Kyra, a native of Bingham. Don't let her diminutive stature full you, she was able to pull my 240+lb frame into the boat with ease. The knock is the lunch. Chicken tasted terrible, the steak was plain, and the macaroni salad tasted like it came from the supermarket across the street. The lemonade and iced tea were so watered down that I doubt who ever made them, could actually read the instructions. WWR gets a 10!!!!. KYLA get a 10!!!! Food gets a 2!!!! read more

My family of 12 chose North Country Rivers White Water Rafting Ultimate Experience and it exceeded all of our expectations!! Codi and Bryce were our incredible guides and they made it a beyond memorable trip. They were informative, knowledgeable, and FUN!! I couldn't recommend this more! read more

First off, our rafting guide Jason was great... 5 stars. The disappointment was the "River Lunch" ... used as a selling point all over the website, yet they apparently have not had this in many years on the Kennebec River. I've been out with other companies and lunch is a fun, relaxing time to rest and visit with your fellow rafters. Thus, "lunch" is after 3pm, back at their base camp. I arrived in the middle of the line just as they ran out of steak. Thus no river lunch, no steak, not a happy camper. I told the attendand at the desk and she shrugged... didn't offer to make it right, but happily handed me an envelope for our guide's tip. Jason... hope you got your $40 ... no idea on their integrity level! Best wishes, but we won't be back or recommending to others. read more

Wow, what a trip! This was our 3rd white water rafting trip in 3 months. The 1st trip was amazing with a guide in the raft that knew how to maximize every rapid I-III for maximum splash. 2nd trip the guides were in kayaks so we were just paddling to save our lives - my arms were so sore the next day! And this 3rd time was the perfect culmination! We had a guide in the raft and rafted down the rapid I-IV which was even more exhilarating. We paid a little extra to have the raft to ourselves because sharing a raft with strangers can go either way especially when you have kids. We arrived at 8:30am to very overcast, slightly chilled weather which was contrary to the weather forecast for partial cloudy weather. The staff gave us the instructions, geared us up and put us on the bus. It was a long 45 minute drive but the staff would yell out some fun facts about what we were passing on the road. We got to the launch point at the Forks and were assigned our rafting guides Note you do have to carry the very heavy raft down on a rail with steps to the river with the help of your guide(s - some places have you carry the raft, some don't depending on the launch point. At first, our guide Dana seemed quiet, but then he warmed right up, chatting away and having a ton of fun! He was a very experienced, safe and knowledgeable rafting guide. Additionally, he'd tell us the name of every rapids as we went into them and during slower points, would point out things like ripples in the water and indicate that the technical rafting term like eddy line. It was both memorable and educational. And most importantly, Dana was super kid friendly! He had the kids and us laughing the whole way down. In terms of the Kennebec River, it started out in a canyon and the first of the rapids came on quickly. I really appreciated that these rafts had a special foot hold for each person in the front of the raft and a rope on each of the center bars of the raft (neither of our 2 previous rafting trips had these); this was especially reassuring when we hit those class III and class IV rapids! Another fun and unique feature of this trip is at a few very specific points the guides ask if you want to float down in the (mild) rapids - my kids looked like little otters floating on their backs with their feet popping out of the water! After the rafting, we were taken back for a tasty (late) lunch: your choice of steak, chicken or fish - we ordered one of each and the fish was the best! When returning the gear, it was a little odd that they had us dunk our life vests and wet suit rentals in a barrel of soapy water then rinse in water - most places have separate staff that does this but it wasn't a big deal and took a minute to do. The rafting photos taken by a 3rd party photographer were some of the best adventure photos because they were taken at 3 different points in the trip - we bought them all (14) but may have been the only ones to do so because it was just our family in the raft and the photo package of all photos was a bit costly to buy (NOTE: the full package would probably sell better if you lowered the price by 25%-50%). We plan to return on our next trip to Maine and we will be asking for Dana again! read more

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What an absolute RUSH!! We brought our crew of daycare teachers for a staff retreat. Only one of us had been rafting before. We all had a blast!! It's the ultimate adrenaline rush and the perfect teambuilding experience for professionals. Our trip was on a turbine test day, with a flow rate of 8600 cubic feet per second!! Our guide, Jim Murton was awesome, experienced, professional and knowledgeable. When the river was calm, we were getting a full blown historical and ecological tour, and when the rapids heated up, Jim commanded the raft through it with 40 years of experience behind him. I can see this being an annual trip for us, for sure. Thanks Jim and North Country Rivers!! read more

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I have been rafting with North Country for almost 20 years with my family, church groups and every year I go with customers once or twice. My experience is always the exact same: every guide is professional, safety conscious and very entertaining as the rafting trip progresses. You'll particularly enjoy Jim's guides all work in Patrick's Pub and provide so much insight into your rafting trip as they serve the meals and drinks at Patrick's. The food is great pub food and we've never had a bad meal there. The campground has open spaces for groups, or a little more quiet hidden spots for camping and the cabins are always clean. The atmosphere is wonderful as guests are treated so well. I highly recommend staying at the site read more

North Country Rivers - A great day on the river with customers. A rafting trip is a great way to bond with others in your group. - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Bingham, Maine

So we are just stopping in at the pub. This place is cool. It is a whitewater rafting camp with a bar. There are great cabins and a store in the pub. The food all looked good but we were onion ringing it with an adult beverage soooo that's all I can review. Service was great.drinks were good. read more

North Country Rivers - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Bingham, Maine

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The whole weekend was great...rafting was a lot fun and our guide Lauren was fantastic....will definitely go back.

I am only disappointed my eldest daughter decided not to join us on the trip. We had an amazing guide, Tom, and he was so great with our teens! The water was beautiful, the rafting was amazing, food was yummy. My teens are begging to come back and request Tom again! read more

Highly highly recommend if anyone is doing a vacation in Maine! Super friendly service. We first arrived at 8:30am, went over all the instructions. they provide free jacket rentals and water shoes, so no need to bring your own. Our guide Jim, was the best!!! He's extremely knowledgeable and experienced in rafting. We believe he's one of the older team members, he definitely made the rafting experience super fun. Challenged us to work as a team and did many surfs. Request for Jim, he's an incredible guide. Afterwards around 3PM, it was lunch time. They had steak, chicken, and vegetarian options. The employees are extremely hard working, be sure to tip them too! read more

My son and I had an amazing time camping and rafting here. The campground was clean. Rafting was amazing. Our guide was great, I never felt unsafe on the river. They are very organized all the employees were friendly. The food at the restaurant was delicious. I can't wait until next years trip. This will definitely be a mother son trip every year. read more

North Country Rivers - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Bingham, Maine

Spectacular ride on the Penobscot!! On the way to the Penobscot River, we had an engaging and informative safety lesson from Derek, who expertly captured our attention with humor and charisma! Then, 11 of us (ages 12-52) had an absolute blast with JJ and Heather as our guides! On the occasion that we went, the river water was quite low, so we ended up doing the upper river twice to maximize time in the class V rapids and our guides led us in and out of the excitement with expertise and enthusiasm! It was awesome! All of the "kids" hopped in the water to luxuriate during the calm waters as the adults enjoyed the magnificent scenery first and then jumped in, too. Our delicious meal was prepared and waiting when we got back on land, and included a choice of delicious haddock, steak, chicken or veggie burgers, three-bean salad, "house fried rice," and a thick slice of homemade bread with chocolate chip cookies for dessert. There were leftovers for those with big appetites, and our guides continued to chat and socialize with four boats worth of rafters. Jim Murton communicated in a considerate and conscientious manner ahead of time, to thoughtfully accommodate our large party, and the few changes from our original plan as family members were added and subtracted. He runs a wonderful operation, and we highly recommend North Country Rivers! read more

These guys are awesome! I never write reviews but wanted to take the time to give a shout out to Tom Jones (our amazing, funny, skilled guide) and the entire staff at North County Rivers. Our family of 8 (the youngest is 8yo) decided to try out the white water rafting trip, and we had SO much fun!! We were well equipped, well trained ahead of time by the guides, and always felt completely safe. Not only did we get to raft (which was a blast!), but we also were able to float down the river, too, a couple of times. That, too, was alot of fun! The hot meal after we were finished was fantastic and delicious. For all that we did, saw, and ate, I would have expected to pay much more than we did. This is a GREAT deal all around! Our whole family would highly recommend joining Tom, Chris, and the rest of the crew at North County Rivers! read more

Place was awesome! We had a great time on the river! The premium bunkhouse was great also. The grounds were cleaned and laid out perfectly. Went with a large group and we will 100% be back next year. read more

North Country Rivers - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Bingham, Maine

We went down the Kennebec river today through North Country Rivers, and it was awesome! Our guide Steve was incredible. Super knowledgeable and very skilled. He treated us like old friends and had a great sense of humor! Our whole family loved it!! We hope to go on more adventures with him! It's a guaranteed good time, just do it! read more

The trip was not what was promoted on the website! Lunch was back at the facility and not on the River as stated...This has been going on for a while! They need to change their description of the trip on the website! Its deceving!Our guide was OK! Screamed like a drill sergeant and scared a young rafter to tears!!! Staff basically RUDE! I was told no seconds for a very late lunch until staff had their way with the food! River lunch is a FARCE!!! Again change the language on the website!!! It IS FALSE!!! Trip was just OK! read more

Spent this past weekend here and had a blast! Rafted the Dead River on Saturday. We stayed in the cabins off-site right up the road from the main lodge. Gateway I think it was called? We paid for a package so they must have some affiliation with the North Country. We had 8 guys and they gave us 2 cabins next to each other that both slept 6. They were very clean and roomy. The beds were very comfy too which surprised me. The main lodge has a bar and serves food. Everyone is super friendly and helpful. The beer is cheap - $5.61 for 3 PBR pints. Giddy up! Guinness pints were $3.74. The food was awesome too. The first night I got a burger which was delicious. My buddy got a steak which looked good. They have a big bar and a ton of tables. Lots of flat screens so we were able to catch the Red Sox Friday night and both the Bruins and Sox Saturday night. Saturday was rafting day. We met at the lodge nice and early to hit the breakfast buffet. They had scramby eggs, kick-ass crisp bacon, sausage, home fries, pancakes, cereal, juice, coffee, you name it. All you can eat for $10! Everything was yummy. They had a brief meeting with all the groups in the lodge then we headed out to grab our gear - wetsuit, wind breaker, helmet, gloves, booties, life jacket and a paddle. Everything is included with the package. After a group stretch we hopped on the bus and were on our way! Once you get to the river we met with our guide Joe who did a thorough safety review and explains the many scenarios you may encounter and how to handle them. You sit in the raft (on land) and he told us how to stay in the boat and what to do if you fall out. He reviewed all the commands he will yell and what to do. After that you all pick up the raft and carry it down to the river. Once you cast off it's just awesome. I felt very comfortable with our guide Joe. He explained what we would encounter around each corner. The Dead river is the longest ride at 16 miles. After you hit huge waves and get tossed around there was always a break of flat water. This gave you time to get your shit together. You had plenty of time to re-wedge your feet (the only thing keeping you in the boat) and recover from the 14 foot wall of 40 degree water that just hit you in the face. They had camera people at a few different points on the side of the river. Joe made sure we knew where they were so we didn't look like complete idiots in the pictures. The entire ride was about 3 hours. They said it's usually about 4.5 but the river was very fast on Saturday. After the bus ride back you get changed out of your wet gear and they have lunch for you at the lodge. They had steak, chicken, pasta salad, cookies. Everything was awesome and it's included in the package. It was only $168 for a night in the cabin, wetsuit rental, day of rafting and lunch. Cheap! While you eat they have a slide show of the pics they snapped of all the groups rafting. There were 3 other boats of 8 when we went. They have numbers for all the pictures so you can choose and purchase a pic or two of your group. They sent us the jpegs that afternoon. We decided to stay up there another night since we were exhausted from rafting. $48 each for another night in the cabin. Again, totally reasonable cost. Sat night we returned to the lodge for some shenanigans. Beer, wings and pizza hit the spot. I was pleasantly surprised at how awesome the wings and pizza were. Not that it's anything gourmet but they were both awesome. I highly recommend this place! It is great for groups and something different to do. We all had such a great overall experience from the rafting, the staff, the food, everything. They also do snowmobile trips and stuff in the winter. I'll be back! read more

I was at North Country Rivers in Bingham, Maine this weekend for the 4th. I was going there for my first time ratting and second time ATV riding. The staff at North Country Rivers was very friendly and nice, whether you are just there checking in and/or sitting there eating. Our captain for the raft was Nate and he was unbelievably nice and experienced! He made my first white water rafting so much fun and already looking forward to come back again! We also did ATV riding with our guide, Scott and he was very nice too!! He tooks us to great trails and saw beautiful scenics of Maine. He was great! He told us he was also the tour guide for snowmobiling... well you got my vote.. I'll definitely be back there! The reason I gave it a four stars instead of five was because, they had no phone reception there, well at least AT&T didn't get any reception. However, they do have free wifi! The cabin we stayed in was smaller than expected.. it sleeps 24 people but there was only one bathroom, so you can imagine how long it'll take for a large party! Other than that... great place to be! read more

My husband & I booked an ATV Guided trip with North Country Rivers. I must say it was brilliant. I booked our trip like 4 weeks ahead, the reservation n stuffs went really well. We were on the express trip since it was our first time ever ATVing. I loved the trial on which we went. Amazing breath taking views, in the woods n right next to the River. Our experience was just fabulous. Hats off to the staff who took care of us so well. I guess it was Josh on board n there was another girl too, dont know her name. read more

Our group rafted the Penobscot River as part of a bachelor party trip to northern Maine. We had an absolute blast. We did the lower section of the river first, which was challenging but had plenty of calm spots. We did the upper half in the afternoon which had some more difficult stretches. The views and scenery are absolutely gorgeous, especially when you pass by Mt Katahdin. We also saw a bald eagle! The rafting itself was so fun and a little scary at times, but in a good way. We had Steve as our guide and he did a fantastic job. He made us feel confident out there and really made it a special experience. He also happily answered al of our questions as we peppered him throughout the day. The entire experience ran from about 8:30am-4pm, so be ready for a long (but fun) day! read more

I am a wimp. I was talked into going white water rafting by some coworkers and ended up having a ball! So much so that a second trip was made the next year. I like that in the morning they huddle you up, go through some sill calisthenics, and then bus you out to the drop spot that all outfitters for the kennebec must use. The safety and directional speeches are pretty hilarious and as the staff is young they make it a good time but cover their bases. Nose and toes is all you need to know. The first time I went we had an older, bit scarier guide who lived off the grid and really seemed annoyed at our group. We didn't stop or go into the woods to see the waterfall like some did. However we did have a lunch on the River. After lunch the river was so tame that we stopped paddling, which was fine as we were tuckered out from the morning and the sun. The second trip we had a younger guide and he was awesome! Had us swimming in rapids, surfed on a spot, did a water slide with another group. Again after the lunch the river was tame, but again we had no real complaints. We did stay in one of the cabins the first time Which was a nice deal and could have slept more than just our group of 4. Beware the walls are thin.... So think wisely about getting down and dirty in a different way. read more

I went white water rafting on the Penobscot River yesterday with my friends and it was AWESOME. We were all beginners and were a little nervous since we would be experiencing category 5 rapids but thanks to our guide, Derek, we ended up dominating every rapid. Derek was super professional but in a totally fun way. My group and I didn't stop laughing and smiling the whole time. They also made us lunch halfway through the excursion which consisted of your choice of steak, chicken or haddock, stir fry rice, black beans and some bread. I got the steak and it was to die for. All I know is I want to go back there as soon as I can. I will recommend North Country Rivers to anyone and everyone that's even the slightest bit interested. It was a fricken blast. Only regret is not buying the incredible pictures they took of us while rafting. read more

I never leave reviews because most places are not worth my time nor my effort. But in this case, if I could give 16 stars, I would with ease! From our check-In experience to our final morning the staff here is tremendous! My buddies took me here for my "bachelor weekend" and it was the relaxation we all needed and wanted. Jocelyn at the restaurant was a delight. Great persona to have as your main connection to the guests. The cabin facilities were so clean and welcoming that the second we opened the front door we said we'd certainly be back. The owner, Jim, as well as his staff bent over backwards to allow us to relax and even covered the cost of the major UFC 202 fight, I'd been salivating over but thought we'd miss due to poor computer cord planning. And when I mean above and beyond I truly mean it. The rafting experience was AMAZING! Our guide Reese was extremely knowledgeable and allowed us to experience the river via information, safety and fun! Ask for him! Don't get me wrong All the guides there were great but I'm horrible with names though Mary was a great presence as well. This place is an awesome retreat if your with friends, work or the entire family! Check this place out because you certainly will not forget the place or the excitement you'll have. Thanks to the NCR staff for a great time with my friends and all the new friends we made there! We'll be back!!!! Nothing but love from these Beantown fella's! Thank you so very much for that peace and quiet!!!!! -Slim read more

My husband and I went here with a group of friends to white water raft. We were bumped up to a bigger cabin and the Dead River (the next level up from the Kennebec River)! The staff was friendly, knowledgable and flexible. Our rafting guide, Spencer, was funny, laid-back but he knew his stuff. I felt quite safe with him on the river and he was well qualified. The Dead river had recently flooded so it was great! No one fell out and though we had some close calls, the boat stayed upright! It was exciting and scary but also had some relaxing moments too. The meal afterwards was just okay but hey, could have been worse! The cabin we were bumped to could have slept over 20 people! Each couple had their own room. Plus 2 bathrooms and 2 kitchens! AC and good hot water in the showers and I have to say the beds were comfortable too. Would love to come back and hike in the area. But it was so hot this weekend, so the rafting felt great! read more

Despite having barely any snow this winter 2011/2012, still managed to have the best weekend this season snowmobiling up at North Country Rivers. Despite owner, Jim Murton, calling ahead-of-time to warn us conditions would not be optimal and we had the opportunity to cancel our trip, my group of 20 all decided it would still be worth it to make the drive up from Boston because the awesome cabins along with Patrick's Restaurant and Pub always make it a great time (We've been coming for 5 years now). As it turns out, conditions were actually great, and even better were the brand new snowmobiles NCR acquired this year which were incredible! The staff continue to be amazing and accommodating and the cabins remain in pristine condition. Luckily as our group gets bigger each year, there's always still more room in the Flagstaff cabins! :) We'll be back for White Water Rafting and maybe some ATVing this year! read more

This place is awesome! Everyone that works here is super friendly and go out of their way to ensure a comfortable stay. We went on the moose safari and full Kennebec River rafting trips. Moose safari is hit and miss, but animal behavior is out of the guides control. The rafting trip was awesome, and a ton of fun. The food in Patricks Place is outstanding. The portions are huge. Definitely try the moxie fries! A special thanks to Mike Baxter and Jeremy for being our guides! read more

North Country Rivers - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Bingham, Maine

Had our first ever white water rafting experience! chose the ultimate turbine release what a blast ! The staff was hard working, professional and very upbeat and free spirited! Our guide Gordon was very informative fun loving and put us at ease answered questions has a great sense of humor and is a very confident guide. Day 2 Of our trip we went Atving with James as our guide Great guy! Kept us on some really nice trails very enjoyable riding great machines! Thanks for making the first part of our trip better than we imagined! read more

Hands down one of the best family vacations I've had in years. The staff members were amazing. Our guide was hysterical and made everyone comfortable. The owner personally came to our cabin and said hello. I can't say enough great things about this place. read more

My family and I had an awesome time white water rafting with these guys. They even fed us very delicious food afterwards. Great bonding experience. I fell in, woohoo! read more

Our rafting trip on July 22, 2017 was a complete success thanks to the entire staff at North Country. Special thanks to our guides Mary and Coyote for an exciting day of rafting on the Kennebec. Very nice cabin, excellent food at the pub and excellent lunch on the river. All around great time! read more

We stayed at North Country (RV site) as well as rafted the Kennebac river and had a great time. The RV site was spacious and clean (water/electric hook up available, dump site was closer to the office). Lots of activities to do (fire ring, disc golf, volleyball, etc.). Our guide (Reed) during the rafting trip was awesome and definitely showed us how to have a good time. Overall we're glad we booked with North Country for our trip. read more

Update: Jim (owner) has contacted me that they have implemented new rules in reference to my time management statement. "You made some valid points regarding time management. We had a guide team meeting and have implemented many changes as a result of your comments regarding time management. We are now assigning a guide for every group that arrives, the guide goes over the pre-trip information and orientation. After the pre-trip orientation, we go directly to the equipment room for river gear, --wet suits and boat breakdown." etc. Let's hope this change there to stay ... Thanks --------------------------------------------------------- Original Post... This won't be good review for North Country Rivers. I will concentrate on those items that we did not like about North Country . Maybe owner would do something about it since he is reading yelp reviews. As it stands now, we will try different company next time we will visit Maine. Disclaimer .. We have done about 10 rivers with different outfitters and have something to compare with. We did do two rivers with North Country ...one day there were lots of people 50-70 and another less then 20 and nothing changed in terms of points that i will mention bellow. 1. Time management is very bad. We had to wait too long till group leader start moving with the first speech etc.. We get this email prior the trip ' Hope you all are SUPER EXCITED for your trip this weekend! This email is just a reminder that your meeting time is ... 7:30AM The bus will be LEAVING at 8:00am, please arrive accordingly! ' We came on time even slightly early then 7:30 ...filled out all papers.. and were told by whoever was at register that they would give speech at 7:30. We waited.. 7:30, 7:40, 7:50, 8:00, 8:10.. finally they gave speech and people started to get wet suits and get moving . I would not buy fact that there was a lot of people because same thing repeated next day with less then 20 people when we were told that they would give speech at 8:30 but all waited till 8:55. We felt that there was no respect to our time and thing could have been managed much better and proactive then they were. 2. Ok , It is chilly in May and June and water is cold on the river. Why not to provide something hot to drink on the way back to the base? When we went with Northern outdoors and it was only 10 people.. they still had canister with hot chocolate. 3. Website states river lunch. Both time we were taken to the base after the trip to have lunch instead of having lunch on the river. We did see other companies having lunch on the river one of these days. I understand that sometimes it could be cold to have lunch on the river but we did see other companies doing it. Nobody announced during the trip that 'sorry guys we would have lunch at based instead of river'.. so we don't know if river lunch is false advertisement or just bad communication. 4. During original booking .. I asked to put us with some adventurous guide because we have done a lot of whitewater rafting before and didn't want to be with people who you clearly see is not right fit for us. We completely understand that sometimes is not possible but I doubt anyone read or cared about any comments that we made during reservations. I asked on the day of the trip about putting us with good guide and with right group but it looked like everything was already preassigned and we were together with older couple older then 50-60. I understand that group leader can't see people beforehand .. but come one .. if somebody ask during reservation and the day of the trip about been with appropriate fitting group in raft.. .. something could have been done.. but don't think anyone cares about it. (to be honest .. a lot of other outfitters are the same). 5. I am sorry but prices for pictures and video are TOO high. $25 per jpeg?? $100 for all pictures? It's like 80-90% more then Northern Outdoors charges. 6. What's up with the statement 'don't go to showers because lunch is awaits ' or something like that ? Looks like script that guides are go through instructs them to say this .. so people would not go to showers.. why? don't have enough showers or saving money on hot water ? read more

I rafted with North Country 5 times between 2004 and 2008, doing all three rivers: Kennebec x2, Penobscot x2, and Dead River x1. Three of those experiences were awesome. The highlight was undoubtedly the Penobscot Ultimate trip lead by guide Lincoln who was an outstanding leader and also give us maximum thrills. My two Kennebec trips were also great and tons of fun. Low point in guide experience was the Dead river trip where the guide actually admitted to us he was extremely hung over and clearly didn't have a strong command of the river. For the majority of rapids you could see him staring at them, concentrating and trying to job his memory on what line to run. It made for a really rough, cumbersome experience where we screwed up almost every rapid. My biggest problem was the second Penobscot ultimate trip I did where my friend and I were paired 4 kids from NYC who clearly had no rafting experience and should not have been on this river. They were terrified and basically wanted to quit from the start and take the easy, safe approach through every rapid. I emailed the company after this and said if there was some way they could assign rafts based on experience and/or thrill seeking attitude and never received a reply. After that I swore off North Country for life and have used other outfitters in Maine. It's a shame because I did have some great experiences there. read more

I would like to take a moment and tell you about a recent experience I had. I consider myself as one of those people in life who love's my job and find it unfortunate that I rarely encounter other's who feel the same. On the weekend of June 25, 2011 this changed. As part of bachelor party we stumbled on our company during a Google Search. From the moment we arrived and was greeted by Rachael I knew this was the type of place where people loved what they did and as a result the group was about to have a great weekend. Our bus ride to the Kennebec was provided with entertainment...I mean safety lecture by Alice. Even Southwest Airlines could learn from Alice. She had a unique ability to hold a full bus of rambunctious rafter's attention to get her safety knowledge passed on. It extremely obvious she loved her job and could deal with diverse personalities.... Our group due to its size was divided into two groups between Kristi and Elena. I ended up in Kristi's group. As a manger myself, Kristi was the type of person that I would love to have a duplicate button to create more of her. Kristi had a naturalistic ability to command and lead the group while maintaining an extremely positive, vibrant and personal presence. Kristi further demonstrated dynamic ability during our raft by providing us with local river knowledge and opportunities to challenge our boundaries. Additionally Kristi taught us a few rafting rules that all should apply to life: #1 No holding on, enjoy the ride. #2 No crying! Off the river the staff continued to demonstrate great service. All being first timers with North Country, and not knowing the quality of food, we came prepared with enough food that would be self sufficient. The lunch on the river exceeded the group's expectations. Nest we were surprised to find the friendly face of Kristi behind the bar. Talk about a "plug and play" employee. Not only did the service continue to be great, but so was the food. I highly recommend the Mango Salmon. Very satisfying spice! Your company was found by luck on a Google search. However, I promise I will be personally be recommending your company and certain guides such as Kristi, Elena, Alice and Greg to my friends. In fact, my Christmas gifts to my family will be a rafting trip with North Country! I know I missed some names of employees who help make the weekend a success, I wish remembered them to give them all the credit they deserve. Honestly, everyone was great. Not only a great adventure, but easily the best bachelor party I have ever attended!! I haven't stopped sharing the stories and pictures. Thanks, Shawn read more

We went to North Country River in July, 2009. I made reservations based on information on the website and a brochure that was mailed to me. We reserved a cabin for a couple of days and an $80 per person ALL-DAY river rafting trip with a river-side stopover lunch. The whitewater had a rating of 4 and we were excited about the anticipated trip. We had done whitewater rafting on the Arkansas River in Colorado in 2007 and totally loved that so we imagined that this trip - all day and #4 rapids would be even better. The life jacket they gave me didn't fit properly and I asked the guide to adjust it (I have a large bust and the jacket could have been fixed to fit, or I could have been given a larger size). It was rubbing against my chin most of the time and it smelled weird like it hadn't been disinfected or something. Yuk! The bus trip seemed to take longer than the actual time spent on the river!!! The bus arrived at a dam and we had to lug our rafts down a metal stairway and then a steep, rocky embankment to get to the river. We did not stop for lunch. We did not have much whitewater at all. And it certainly was not an ALL-DAY excursion - more like a couple of hours (including the bus trip there and back). We were bused back to the lodge and served a lunch. It tasted fine but I ended up with terrible food poisoning and was sick all night. It might have been the gross life jacket that made me sick, and not the lunch . . . who knows? The only good part of the North Country experience was the very nice, clean cabin we had. Unless they've drastically improved things in the last three years, I would not waste my money. read more