WILLOW CREEK — A new designated paddling route on Pleasant Lake, 10 miles east of town in the unorganized territory of T7 R6, opened this week as a day-trip destination for visitors seeking a quieter alternative to the Willow River corridor.
The Pleasant Lake Paddling Trail is a 5-mile loop that circumnavigates the lake’s shoreline, passing undeveloped mixed-forest banks, a beaver lodge complex, and a small island with a primitive campsite maintained by the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands. The route is suitable for beginner and intermediate paddlers, with open-water sections that require moderate crossing skills in windy conditions.
Bernie Cork, who operates Kayak Willow Creek at Thorne’s Bend, will offer shuttle service to the lake for $15 per person, including boat transport and a basic map. Paddlers can also launch their own boats from the gravel access point at the lake’s southern end, which was recently improved with a new carry-down ramp funded by the tourism committee.
“We have had customers who want a full-day trip, not just the two-hour float on the river,” Cork said. “Pleasant Lake gives them something to explore. Pack a lunch, paddle the loop, stop on the island, and you’ve got a six-hour adventure that doesn’t require whitewater experience.”
The lake is home to a population of smallmouth bass and chain pickerel, and anglers have reported success casting along the weedy eastern shoreline. The island campsite is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Jed Thorne, the town historian, said the lake’s name dates to the 1840s, when an early surveyor for the Maine state land office wrote in his field notes that the body of water was “the pleasantest lake in this district.”
“He meant it literally,” Thorne said. “And 170 years later, it still is.”
The tourism committee spent $740 developing the guide maps and signage for the trail. Printed brochures are available at the General Store, the library and the town office.