Saco River Reviews

This place was great. We went on 8/17/15 and the place was busy. we found Saco Bound and an easy parking spot in the shade, waited in line and when it was our turn we were helped thoroughly. Denise didn't rush us, she was helpful and made it so easy. The only thing I wasn't crazy about was crossing 302 to get to the river since I had a bunch of coolers and stuff. The river was awesome!!! clean clear and refreshing. I will always return to Saco Bound

Tons of fun for adults weekend getaway! Plenty of parties but also plenty of areas to camp if you want to shy away from the party!!

We took a drive to check out the snowfall, and I took some photos of the Saco River. It's very scenic this time of year (and very quiet). It's especially nice seeing the river empty out into the Atlantic at Camp Ellis Harbor.

Great place to walk. Never have seen it crowded. There's even a picnic table. It's in the area where the mills are and has a small waterfall.

If you want to have a good time with friends and some older family. SACO is the place to good on the canoes. Bring a tent and some food and the all the beer you get in the boat and have funny going down the SACO river. You will want to do it every year in August. SACOOOOOOOOOO

After reading the reviews about how filthy the conditions have been, I reconsidered the trip I was planning with my ten-year-old... but then I decided we would give it a try. We went during the week in July, and it was remarkably empty -- no crazy parties, and we saw only one other group the entire two days we were on the river. The water was a lovely temperature and had a nice gentle current for swimming with lots of convenient sandy beaches to stop at. So that was all good.

But the sanitation problem is so severe, I am reluctantly concluding that Maine should ban camping outside of established sites along the river just as New Hampshire has. We stopped at many beaches, and every one of them had toilet paper people had left after relieving themselves. The paper is bad enough, but the implication is that there is actually lots of fecal matter running into the water, since when the river rises it covers those beaches.

At first I was just furious that people could be so stupid about how to camp in the wilderness, but as we explored more I realized that almost everywhere along the banks are vast carpets of poison ivy. I waded through that poison ivy to take care of my own needs a responsible distance from the river, but I'm not surprised (though still angry!) that other people don't.

One the one hand, it's great that camping on the Saco is so "easy" (easy to find a spot, easy to paddle, easy to carry enough gear to be comfortable, etc.). On the other hand, the fact that it's easy means that it attracts tons of people with no wilderness camping experience who don't know how to be responsible in the woods (and undoubtedly also many who don't care). And even the responsible people are going to have a hard time given the poison ivy problem.

A final thought: If you do decide to do wilderness camping, especially along a river, PACK OUT YOUR TOILET PAPER. It does not degrade quickly enough and makes a gross mess for everyone. And if you run an outfitting company, PLEASE EMPHASIZE THIS TO YOUR CLIENTS!

Love the river, been comming here for over 10 years. Durring the weekend it can get out of hand with the floating parties, but even durring that time you can get away from the crowds by heading from route160 down. During the week the river has low to no crowds. Bring lots of bug spray and plenty of sun screen. Lots of sand bars available for free camping, but please be mindfully of others and cary ut what you carry in

Great bird watching and. Ocean views the crowds are gone after labor day and it is still warm enough to enjoy the area and the beach. We go there from arizona every year.

We went canoeing on the Saco River in August! We stayed at the Woodland Acres Campground. They provide shuttles and canoe rentals . We tented and canoed and had a great time for the most part. The river that was once a beauty has fallen to people who have no respect for nature! I used to canoe on this river every year many years ago and it was pristine! Now there is nothing but beer cans and litter all along. You use to be able to stop at the sand bars but now you are not sure what you will find there. Some people leave their whole camp sites abandoned . There are groups who feel this is a place to have wild drunken parties. They should patrol this river regularly and start fining these DIRTY PEOPLE!! Don't ruin a place that is such a beauty that should be for everyone to enjoy.

After me and my family are a great dinner on the old orchard beach pier, we took a walk on the beach and stumbled into this river leading strait into the ocean. Truly a hidden gem! Not many people know about this location, so there is no issue with crowding. The river makes little sand bars and islands, making it a perfect location for all ages. Teenagers could swim across from each island and practice swimming, and younger kids can swim between smaller areas and be carefully watched. The river also has currents that come in and out of the river. If I were you, bring a raft. You can just float down the river and even bring a board to practice swimming. There is also a colony of seagulls that live on one of the islands. A great place for people of all ages. Totally would go again

Went over Labor Day weekend. Camped out Friday to Monday. Swan Falls to Lovewells Pond. Great weather, water level was high, but had showers on Monday. Did not matter heading home.
Quiet, leisurely trip on the river over the weekend with friends. Even had a couple married on the weekend

We went kayaking on the Saco River this fall to enjoy some flat river paddling and see the autumn colors. Since were alone, and only had one car, we took advantage of the shuttle service offered by Saco Canoe and Kayak in Fryeburg, Maine. After we dropped our kayaks my wife stayed with them and I was escorted, with my car, to the end point of our journey. (For us it was Walker's bridge where Route 302 crosses the Saco in Maine.) Then the shuttle took me back to our put-in spot. This way our car with racks was waiting for us at the end and we didn't have to worry about timing or calling anyone.

There is parking available at Swan Falls. There is also a campground, and a small store where you can purchase water, some snacks, and an excellent map of the river. (Highly recommended if you don't have one.) The attendant also reviewed the map and gave advice on navigating certain obstacles.

We put in just below Swan Falls, and paddled the 10.8 miles to the bridge in record time due to the high water and very strong current. What is listed as a 3-4 hour paddle took us just two hours. The river is calm with only a few obstacles due to fallen trees - an easy paddle for all ages. There are a lot of mosquitoes at the landings - bring plenty of bug repellent.

The Saco offers many camping spots along the river - be aware that during the summer the river can be VERY busy and VERY noisy with a lot of young people partying while floating down the river. But in October the river was empty and beautiful.

First time kayaking from Saco Canoe Rental. This company is awesome. Did 7 mile 8 hour trip. Pack drinks & lunch. No rush. Stopped 5 times on beaches along route. So relaxing. River is beautiful and crystal clear. Great for swimming. Weekend is busy. People you meet are so friendly and helpful. Go mid week with children, less party people. Definitely going again next summer.

A portion of the icy Saco River as seen from the Laurel Hill Cemetery one day after a heavy snowfall. It was cold enough that the snow still blanketed everything and clung to the trees, shrubs, and marsh (and tombstones).

My family rented two canoes and a kayak yesterday August 16, 2016 at Seco bound in Conway New Hampshire. It was a beautiful day and extremely crowded. The process getting onto the river was chaotic but not nearly as bad as trying to get off the river at the pig farm for the bus pick up at 5 PM. They ask you ahead of time which pick up you would like, so you sign up for a pick up time, we signed up for 5 PM. I understand you can change your pick up time by just showing up, last pick up was 5 PM, however there were at least 40 people plus at least 20 children Who were trying to unload their boats up to the difficult platform stairway, no help from any staff of Saco Bound. we saw three workers from the company, they were not wearing any type of identifying clothing, one young man approximately 20 was loading up the canoes by himself, an extremely difficult feat, the other two "employees "could not have been more than 14 or 15 years old. They had no idea what they were doing, they only took names and watched this poorboy do all the work alone. There was no first come first serve to the transportation whatsoever. There were many families, groups, many drunks, boisterous people, one van that fit approximately nine people showed up for all of these people. There was going to be a fistfight, one very large group in particular made it very clear that they were going to be first in transportation back. Most of them were very drunk. I had to call the main center, to let them know what was going on, they had no idea if and when any further vans or buses were coming, I explained the situation, even though we were the third group out of at least ten that arrived, we were clearly not leaving on any of the early buses.. It was a complete embarrassment to our visitors from Denmark who could not believe how disorganized and dangerous the situation was becoming. The worst part occured when the canoes were being loaded on the high platforms (they make everyone wait until canoes are loaded before they will take you back, absolutely insane, there should be separate transportation! ), one canoe started to fall off from very high up, there was a woman standing underneath and we had to quickly tell her to move, thankfully the boat did not fall on her head, definite lawsuit, especially when it was these 14 or 15-year-olds that were now attempting to assist but had absolutely no training or no idea what they were doing. After approximately 45 minutes of this ridiculous chaos, no organization, a few more vans and a bus did finally show up, I believe only because of my call call, people running practically knocking each other over to get in line to be first. So embarrassing! The river trip itself was beautiful but the stress at the end makes it so I will never do this again with Saco Bound. Such a shame, this company is headed for a lawsuit!

Had a day to drive the area around Portland Maine and decided to go south. Found this little town and it was wonderful. Will go back when we have more time.

My wife and I took our 3 kids tubing down the Saco river in Conway, NH, in August. Not the best I me to go as the river was low and we had to get out and tow each other over the very low spots. I think it would have been great with more water and faster flow, but still a great way to spend a hot summer day.

We went camping with a bunch of friends on the Saco River for the weekend and it was really fun. I'm used to more roughing it outdoors but the nearby campgrounds do have showers, water, and electricity. If you can you should reserve a camping spot on the river. We cooked our food right over the fire and it was delicious. On Saturday we rented canoes ( many services available - ours through the Woodland Acres Campgrounds) and a bus picked us up and drove us to the top of the river and we canoed the entire river until we reached our campsite. Make sure to bring plenty of sunscreen and bug spray! The river can get packed just as a side note. Also- pack a lunch- it took us 5 hours to canoe, but we took breaks along the way to swim/play football, and eat. There are a few small waterways you can canoe through- be sure to check them out as they open into large ponds with mountain views. Absolutely beautiful!

Fun time & a nice covered bridge. Not far from Conway are several covered bridges & this lovely river. The bridge in the fall foliage colors is great.

Tried canoeing the Saco giving it one more chance! Came here for 18 years in a row, being our favorite vacation camping spot. We looked forward to our time on the Saco, meeting people from all over. It was a time when you could enjoy the peace and quiet of it, the river was clean and people respected it. Not trashing it like today, it is so sad that this has happened to the river. I will never come back as it is dirty from the people who have no pride in nature. What a shame !!!! There should be more patrols and fines imposed. It used to be a nice place to take a family but certainly not now! Sad!

Nightmare family camping is what you will get on the Saco River. My husband and I went for a family canoe and camping trip this past weekend. NEVER AGAIN. Unless you would like to be horrified by hordes of drunk and defecating (yes, defecating in the river) 20 somethings, stay away. Sandbar after sandbar was littered with under dressed and undressed intoxicated, swearing, rowdy gangs.They were all armed with the contents of the New Hampshire state liquor store, cannons, (emitting war-front loud fireworks in the middle of the night) air horns and trash. Every single stretch of the river was littered with beer cans, bags of garbage, and vomit. The mosquitos were frankly horrendous as well, but nothing tops the HORROR of paddling through human excrement. Why the towns around these rivers have allowed this frat party to exist boggles my mind. There are probably lots of convenience stores who depend upon selling over-priced cases of cheap beer and bundles of firewood to them, but they are ruining the Saco. Had we been able to leave, we would have, but we had rented canoes for a 2-day overnight and couldn't paddle the entire stretch in one day. It's such a shame, because we went about 20 years ago and the river was gorgeous: peaceful, clean, easy to paddle, with beautiful (but buggy) sandbar camping. Unless you are a drunken frat boy or girl with no shame, stay away.

The Saco river is absolutely the cleanest river I have ever been in. It is refreshing on a hot day. We usually kayak and go up the river which tends to be pretty hard since the water level is pretty low is some places. Many people get dropped off by local companies and tube down the river or kayak/canoe on their own. Either way, I highly recommend going on the river if you are up in NH/ME area.

It was an amazing day. So fun and relaxing. Bring rope or somethig to the yiour tubes together and lpack a cooler with sandwiches and drinks to stop st beaches to eat. So fun. Highly refommend

There are some great views from Laurel Hill Cemetery in Saco of a portion of the Saco River just before it empties into the Atlantic. We saw it on a freakishly warm 60-degree February day.

I was always said I love Maine until last saturday 4,august. I went to Frieburg, Maine for kayaking the Saco river. It's was incredible:lot of people were drunk and doing dirt things. It's not for families. How the city of Frieburg and the Police can tolerate that on this beautiful river??? where is the patrol if it exist?? I think they simply lost the control of the situation. I will never return.

Must do for visitors of the Saco Region. Gorgeous day floating down the river! We rented from Saco River Canoe and Kayak as we always do. They are great and affordable.

Talked about floating down the Saco River in Fryeburg, Maine for several years. Finally did it this summer and it was lots of fun. We put in at Swans Falls and exited at the Canal Bridge. After waiting so long to finally go down the river, we went 4 times in 3 weeks. It's hard to think of a better way to relax, but we also snorkeled when wanting more activing. I recommend bringing a small cooler for drinks and snacks. Also, be sure to apply sunscreen as you are primarily directly in the sun. I have heard stories of crazy floating parties but we did not encounter anything untoward. Some people say to avoid weekends but we were there 2 different weekend days and had no issues at all. It takes about 4 hours to float the section that we used, but there are many routes that can be taken. This summer the water level has been low during July and August and that may be discouraging some activity. Great activity for all ages. Tubes and transportation are available locally and are reasonably priced, but free if you have your own equiptment and a way to get back to the start point. If you are on any type of tube, canoe, kayak, etc you must have a life jacket within arm's reach for each person. Must be a Coast Guard approved device. Have fun!!!

I go up to North Conway every summer
With my family.And we always tube
With Sacco Bound.Great times!!!This
Summer..we vacationed with my in laws
Total blast!!!I would also recommend
Renting a cooler raft..that floats next
To you..so you can put towels,food
And drinks on..and buy
Yourself a water proof bag.For your
Phone etc. And try to stay in the middle
Of the river..It helps you to go faster down
You can also tie your rafts together. They tie a long rope on the tube.so you can.I am the biggest baby when it comes to the ocean...but I absolutely look forward every year to the River..Its like a stream to Heaven...🎊🎊🎊🙆‍♀️
Friendly staff...And the river is
So peaceful...Truly relaxing!!! Its better
Than a massage.

It's such a blast!!!! Family memories
Forever.🎉🎉🎉

We had a wonderful 3 day canoe/camping trip - 3 adults and two children. The problem is this river has been allowed to be over run with lazy dirty partiers. We call them sacidiots - they drift down the river, camp out on the sand bars, get drunk and leave behind their trash. One campsite we stopped at had piles of dirty TP littered around what was clearly someone's "bathroom".
Aside from that, the water is warm and clear (in July) with a nice current until just past the Brownfield bridge - then the river is pretty still.