The Sandy River flows east out of western Maine’s mountains for 52 miles before its confluence with the Kennebec, seven miles upstream of the village of Norridgewock. With long stretches of flatwater, the river has long been a valuable pathway for navigation for the Penobscot, serving as a connection between the Rangeley Lakes and the Kennebec. The Sandy provides a diversity of trip experiences for the recreational paddler. Its upper reaches contain exciting but approachable rapids. Lower reaches intersperse pleasant rural paddling with the occassional ledge drop. With the removal of the Mercer dam, no manmade obstacles block passage, although several falls must be carried
and all rapids become too low to paddle come summer.