Maine’s 10 Longest Rivers Inspire With Vast Beauty and Recreational Opportunities

Aquatic Life

There's fewer places I'd rather be than on the water.

I grew up sailing on Sebago Lake. I went to summer camp along the shore of Spring Point in South Portland. If a friend had a pool, I was in it from sunup to sundown. And I have spent the last 11+ years trying to convince my wife to live on a boat in the Caribbean (one of these days it will work).

Maine's River System

With that said, I wanted to take a closer look at one of the most unique and and awe-inspiring natural wonders we have here in Maine: the state's incredible river system.

The state is covered with rivers flowing every which way, originating in Maine, New Hampshire, and Canada. According to Maine, An Encyclopedia, the state has 73 rivers that are longer than 20 miles.

According to worldatlas.com, Maine also has one of the largest river systems in the United States. In fact, the 10 largest Maine rivers are all 75 miles or longer.

Maine Water Recreation

Of course, this means there's thousands of miles of river just ready for fishing, canoeing, floating, swimming, rafting, and exploring from Kittery to Madawaska and everywhere in between.

With these impressive stats , I thought it would be fun to look at the longest rivers in Maine, where they are located, and how popular they are. Many are rivers that are very well-known, while one or two may surprise you.

Quick note: you will notice the Penobscot is split up between its branches. This was done because most references have them listed separately.