Androscoggin River

The Androscoggin River runs through New Hampshire and Maine, and Maine Rivers calls it the state's third-largest river. It begins at Errol, New Hampshire, where the Magalloway River joins the outlet of Umbagog Lake. From there it flows south past Berlin and turns east at Gorham into Maine. It then passes Bethel, Rumford and Dixfield, turns south at Livermore Falls and runs through Lewiston and Auburn and past Lisbon Falls. It reaches tidewater below the last falls at Brunswick and joins the Kennebec River in Merrymeeting Bay. Wikipedia gives its length as 178 miles, while Maine Rivers lists 164 miles. Maine Rivers gives the drainage area as 3,450 square miles, 2,730 of them in Maine. The river drops about eight feet per mile on average, and its water power drove mill towns along its banks. Dams on the river include Rumford, Riley, Jay, Gulf Island, Deer Rips, Lewiston Falls, Pejepscot and Brunswick-Topsham. Pollution from mills there helped inspire the Clean Water Act.

The Androscoggin River Watershed Council promotes the Androscoggin River Trail, a water trail along the full river. Maine Trail Finder lists more than 40 mapped public access sites, used for paddling, fishing and motor boating in suitable stretches. Mahoosuc Land Trust maintains four boat launches between Gilead and Rumford. The 65.5-mile Greenway-Riverlands paddling section serves towns from Jay to Brunswick, including Turner, Durham and Topsham. Launches there include the Center Bridge Boat Launch, Durham Boat Launch, Lincoln Street Boat Launch, Pejepscot Boat Ramp and Water Street Boat Landing #2. Androscoggin Riverlands State Park covers 12 miles of the western shore east of Turner.

The upper river holds brook, rainbow and brown trout. Trout and salmon largely disappear in the central and lower river, which has trophy smallmouth bass and northern pike instead.