New Meadows and Harding are small villages on the highway at the bridge crossing New Meadows River at the head of navigation. The former dam has been converted to a causeway with a narrow, low-level bridge; caution is advised in the vicinity because of swift currents reported at the bridge. The remains of the piers of an old highway bridge, 0.3 mile below the former dam, are covered at high water. Caution should be used in passing between them. An overhead cable with a clearance of 50 feet is just above the bridge ruins. A town float and a launching ramp are on the west bank in the vicinity of the old bridge ruins.
An inn is on the east bank at the causeway; lodging and a restaurant are available. Gasoline and non-potable water are available at the float of a marina on the west bank at the causeway; depths of 5√ǽ feet are reported alongside the float. Guest berths and some marine supplies are available, and provisions can be obtained nearby. A 5-ton fixed lift at the marina can handle craft up to 24 feet for hull and engine repairs or winter storage. Good anchorage in 10 feet is off the landings.
See Cundys Harbor for additional anchorage information in the New Meadows River.
Navigation:
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The New Meadows River, at the northeastern end of Casco Bay, is about 8.5 miles long from Bear Island at the entrance to the highway bridge on a dam at the head of navigation. A lighted buoy off Fort Point (43°46.8’N., 69°53.6’W.) marks the entrance to the river. It has a deep water channel for the first 6 miles, and a draft of about 12 feet can be carried to within 0.5 mile of the dam. The principal dangers are buoyed.
Above Howard Point, about 1.5 miles south of the dam, the channel is narrow and unmarked, and has a depth of about 7 feet to the dam. Local knowledge is necessary to carry the best water above Foster Point, 3 miles from the head.
