If you’re in western Maine looking for a day trip with a wilderness feel, put Azicohos Lake on your list.
Located just west of Rangeley, this Maine lake is fed by the Magalloway River at its northernmost point, and has a dam at its southwest tip that controls both the lake’s level and the Magalloway as it flows toward New Hampshire. Though not on the Northern Forest Canoe Trail itself, it makes for a great jumping off point for those looking to explore off the beaten path.
I had a chance to paddle this pristine lake for the first time in August 2025. My wife, Kaet, and I celebrated our two-year anniversary with a trip to Rangeley, where we also paddled the Kennebago River, Mooselookmeguntic Lake and Rangeley Lake. We also loved hiking the many trails that the Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust stewards; if you’re planning a Rangeley adventure, make sure to spend a little time on dry land, as these trails are beautifully maintained and abundant.
For our Aziscohos paddle, we met up with Seth Laliberte who, along with his wife Shelli, owns and operates Rangeley Adventure Co., an outfitter located on Haley Pond in downtown Rangeley. The NFCT partners with RAC and several other Maine organizations to host the Rangeley Oquossoc Adventure Rendezvous, which was originally a two-day stage race; in 2026, it will be presented as a paddling festival, with guided trips and hikes, boat demos, food, drink, live music and more. We’ll have a lot more to share on that front next year.
For our Aziscohos adventure, we loaded our boats on Seth’s truck and drove west on Route 16 until the turnoff for Morton Cutoff to Lincoln Pond Road. From there, we followed old logging roads for about 25-30 minutes before arriving at an access point near the northern end of the lake, just north of Twin Brook. We love to promote local outfitters and guides as some of the best resources of local info you can find, and for this paddle in particular, I strongly recommend connecting with Seth and his team — these old logging roads are complicated and you could get lost very easily, even with detailed directions.
After putting in, we paddled west through a channel between two islands. Within minutes, we found ourselves in the middle of a loon party — seven or eight loons surrounded us, serenading each other, and diving for food. After snapping some photos and videos, we turned right to head north along the Magalloway. We enjoyed some beautiful, uninterrupted views of Bosebuck Mountain to the west, and Rump Mountain and Thrasher Peaks to the north. More wildlife awaited us as we spotted a couple bald eagles and stumbled upon a huge gathering of great blue herons.
Continuing north, we watched the landscape change from that of a bigger Maine lake to a wetlands vista. We attempted to paddle to the Little Magalloway River, but due to a combination of dam releases and an unusually dry summer, we didn’t make it far before being forced to turn back. Rather than head back the way we came, we took a left to go east into a channel that eventually connected to the mouth of the Magalloway River. It was in this channel that Seth spotted moose tracks, which only served to get our hopes up — I do feel confident in saying that your chances of seeing one are pretty high here. After exiting the channel, we turned right to head south back to the put-in.
In all, this trip took us about three hours, which included ample time for watching loons and herons, looking for moose, and a few stops for water and snacks. You could certainly do this loop much faster, but I always recommend taking things slow — life moves fast enough so why speed things up? The access point is a gentle slope to a flat, rocky beach, manageable enough for most body types and abilities, but the footing could be an issue for some. The paddle itself doesn’t feature any fast water and the biggest obstacle, like most Maine lakes as I’ve come to learn, is likely wind — just be sure to check the forecast and play things safe. The only signs of civilization back here are a few small, older camps and Bosebuck Mountain Camps on the lake’s western shore. There’s also camping available at Black Brook Cove Campground to the south.
Interested in an overnight? We shared a trip report a few years ago about camping and paddling on Aziscohos. Click here to read on!
If you have questions about this trip report, shoot me an email at . You can also connect with Seth and his team at .
