Maine / Saco River /

Camp Ellis

Camp Ellis is a public boat ramp on the Saco River near Saco, Maine.

Aerial view of the large trailer parking lot along the river, July 2021
Aerial view of the large trailer parking lot along the river, July 2021 Photo: USDA Farm Service Agency, NAIP · Public domain · via USGS The National Map

Status not reported No closure has been posted for this launch, but its agency does not publish open or closed status. Check with the managing agency before you tow.

At the launch

Type
Boat ramp
Fee
Fee charged
Docks
1
Restrooms
Yes
Tidal
Yes
Wheelchair access
yes
Coordinates
43.46281, -70.38206

Directions (Google) Apple Maps

Channel depths in feet from the Army Corps' surveys (New England District; the one nearest this launch is of February 8, 2024). Not for navigation.

Conditions

Marine advisories

Advisories in effect load here; without them, see the NWS zone forecast below.

National Weather Service marine zone ANZ154, Coastal Waters from Cape Elizabeth, ME to Merrimack River, MA out 25 NM. Zone forecast: winds, seas, warnings.

Tides

Predicted highs and lows at NOAA's Camp Ellis, Saco River Entrance station, 0.1 mi from this launch, in local time above MLLW. Predictions, not observations: wind and weather move the real tide. Full predictions at NOAA.

Tide predictions, Mon Nov 2 to Sun Nov 8
Mon Nov 2 High 4:39 am 8.7 ft · Low 10:47 am 1.0 ft · High 4:57 pm 9.6 ft · Low 11:32 pm 0.0 ft
Tue Nov 3 High 5:47 am 8.8 ft · Low 11:58 am 0.8 ft · High 6:08 pm 9.4 ft
Wed Nov 4 Low 12:35 am 0.0 ft · High 6:52 am 9.1 ft · Low 1:05 pm 0.6 ft · High 7:15 pm 9.3 ft
Thu Nov 5 Low 1:33 am 0.1 ft · High 7:50 am 9.5 ft · Low 2:05 pm 0.2 ft · High 8:15 pm 9.2 ft
Fri Nov 6 Low 2:26 am 0.2 ft · High 8:41 am 9.7 ft · Low 2:59 pm 0.0 ft · High 9:10 pm 9.1 ft
Sat Nov 7 Low 3:14 am 0.4 ft · High 9:28 am 9.9 ft · Low 3:49 pm -0.2 ft · High 9:59 pm 9.0 ft
Sun Nov 8 Low 3:59 am 0.6 ft · High 10:10 am 9.9 ft · Low 4:34 pm -0.2 ft · High 10:43 pm 8.8 ft

Channel survey

The Army Corps surveys the channels it maintains and posts every survey.

  • Saco River · 0.1 mi from this launch
    Condition survey of February 8, 2024 by the New England District. Least depth in the channel (8-Foot Entrance Channel Reach 1): 6.6 ft below mean lower low water (MLLW); project depth 8 ft. Survey sheet (PDF)

US Army Corps of Engineers hydrographic surveys, from eHydro. A survey shows the bottom on the day it was made; channels shoal after high water and change with dredging. Not for navigation.

On Saco River

The Saco River rises at Saco Lake in Crawford Notch in New Hampshire's White Mountains. It flows 136 miles to the Atlantic Ocean at Saco Bay and drains 1,703 square miles of forest and farmland west and southwest of Portland. The river passes through Bartlett and Conway, New Hampshire, and enters Maine at Fryeburg. There it splits into the 'Old Course' and the 6-mile Canal River, a channel dug in the 1800s that is now treated as the official course. Downstream it runs through a chain of hydropower stations, including Skelton Dam and Bonny Eagle Dam, then flows between Saco and Biddeford and reaches the sea between Camp Ellis and Hills Beach. The river supplies drinking water to roughly 250,000 people. The Saco River Corridor Commission regulates land use within 500 feet of the Saco, Ossipee and Little Ossipee rivers, a corridor covering 130 river miles and twenty municipalities. More about Saco River.

Boating rules on Saco River

  • A valid parking pass is required for all vehicles left at the Swan's Falls, Canal Bridge and Brownfield Bridge access points source
  • A fire permit is required for campfires on river beaches (available by donation) source
  • Pack out all trash; bury human waste at least six inches into soil source

Community

Where people who use Saco River talk about it.

Nearby launches

Sources

Why it is listed as public: listed by Maine Coastal Public Access Sites (Maine Coastal Program). Something wrong, or is this launch private? Send a correction; it goes to a person.