Our Resupply Points Along the NFCT

In 2023 when we completed the Northern Forest Canoe Trail (NFCT) there was no way we could carry all the food and consumables we would need from start to finish. When planning the trip we made an effort to see where along the way there were opportunities to resupply. We only took the word of the guidebooks as reference, as we were aware that after the pandemic some may no longer be open.

Utica

Not on the trail, however this was on our way to the start of the trail. Utica has a Walmart in which we spent many hours finding what we could eat and how meals could work for us in the US. This was a real adventure for us, as the food on offer differed wildly from what we are used to in the UK.

Old Forge

Despite Old Forge not being very big there is a supermarket, hardware store and, in our opinion, the most well equipped outfitter on the trail. We would definitely recommend a visit to MountainMan Outdoor Supply Company before setting off. This was also where we learnt that hardware stores can be a magical rabbit warren of mystery and wonder. You never know what you’re going to find, so they are always worth a visit. We got pool noodles to help with padding the yoke of our canoe.

Saranac Lake

This has St. Regis Canoe Outfitters', and was the last outfitters on the trail that is likely to have anything you have forgotten for a canoe trip. From this point on the outfitters are much smaller, and have less canoe based equipment. There is a well stocked supermarket, a health food shop (Nori’s - which had some good freeze dried vegetables) and a number of restaurants. There is a launderette, however we used an Airbnb which had a washer and dryer.

A sign in Jackman - I don’t think many of those would be close enough resupply points for the NFCT!

Saranac

We ended up spending a whole day here unexpectedly due to forest fires, so we picked up breakfast at the Farmhouse Pantry bakery which had some good cake and pie. As we had most of a day to kill we took advantage of the Saranac Country Store and sampled new and interesting snacks. Turns out Robert is partial to a butterfinger. We also popped into the Windovers Home Center hardware store for the first (but not last) set of replacement parts for the portage carts.

Plattsburgh

We stayed two nights on the outskirts of the town, we picked up food from Walmart, and posted some food at the post office. Not much to report on this one.

Enosburg Falls

Water cannot be taken from the rivers in this area so we picked up water from Walgreens and some snacks because we’d got to the point of always being hungry by then. While waiting in a parking lot for each of the pairs to rotate through Walgreens we enjoyed the stereotypical British pastime of standing in the rain whilst eating some tasty ice cream. The people at the ice cream stand were slightly bewildered by this.

Mansonville

We found out that Robert was missing bread (like we make back home), so we could not pass up going into the Owl’s Bread Boulangerie where we purchased what would, in any normal situation, be considered an excessive amount of bread. With bread in the canoe we then went to the supermarket just further down the road to get some fresh fruit, vegetables and most importantly Brie cheese to go with the crusty bread. Robert had, and I quote, “give me a moment I have not heard a word you just said I think I am having some sort of spiritual moment with this bread and cheese, it is so good”. All the fresh veg and cheese was also demolished that day!

Newport

We now knew what we were after in the supermarkets for food and drinks, and the ones in Newport did not fail us. Plenty of expedition suitable foods in the supermarkets and health food shop. We could not go past The Pick and Shovel hardware store without wanting to see what delights they would have, and we needed new parts for the portage carts again, so we made use of the cavernous one here. While in the hardware store we also picked up a pair of socks for Robert, there was an entire wall of them. There is a small outdoor store where we managed to pick up a pair of quick drying shorts for Katrina. Due to the Junteenth federal holiday meaning the post office was closed, we ended up spending one more night than expected in Newport and made use of it by chilling out, fixing the portage cards and going out to a restaurant for dinner.

Groveton

For a place as small as Groveton, the supermarket was surprisingly well stocked. We made use of the supermarket and the laundrette. Note for the wise - check the dryers for screws (yes, you did read that right we found loose wood screws in the first two dryers we opened!).

Errol

Another small town with a few shops, now don't let that fool you. The general store was being renovated, and the owner gave us doughnuts which was nice. L.L.Cote Hardware Store was on a whole other level from what we had seen to this point. Surprisingly we did not get any parts for the portage cart, however the group did purchase food, a Thermacell (the bugs were bad, and we had had enough), suncream, a knife, and drinks. Another post office we managed to miss the opening hours of so we had to wait a day. During this time we went to the local library which was a nice little place with power, wifi, and many books on the local area.

Oquossoc

We passed through Oquossoc on a stonking hot day. Oquossoc Grocery had aircon, cold snacks, and cold water. We made use of all three, as well as an industrial sized bucket of antihistamines (a tub of 20). We did also use the public restrooms. They were nice and clean and had a water fountain in.

Rangeley

Now this was not what we expected, there was a mixture of holiday makers, and Appalachian trail walkers passing through Errol. This means the whole town was used to having scruffy, stinky, expedition types passing through, so we fitted right in. The supermarket (Rangeley IGA) was a short walk out of the town where we picked up plenty of food. A now customary visit to the hardware store for portage cart parts happened. We picked up and dropped off supplies at the post office, and had a nice evening at a restaurant. Rangely Adventure Co is a small outfitters who have their Ecolepagicon in town. They were able to help out one pair in our group who needed a new tent as theirs had started to leak like a sieve. They also offer a good shuttle service to Flagstaff Lake that we made use of.

Jackman

The last substantial town on the trail. We stayed a few days in Jackman to sort out what we were doing with the boats at the end, as well as preparing for what we thought would be in excess of two weeks without resupply opportunities. The supermarket was packed with expedition suitable food, even if we did empty them out of tortilla wraps. In the hardware store we purchased bug repellent, thermacell pads and gas. The owner was very nice to talk to and gave us no bake cake, which we demolished before we even got back to where we were staying. On the walk back from the hardware store Robert’s boots fell apart. We called into the gas station and picked up shoe goo, which managed to hold them together until the end of the trail. We made use of the post office, pairing down our kit and sending anything on to Fort Kent that was not absolutely necessary, making sure we had ample room in our barrels for all the food we thought we’d need.

North East Carry

(Rockwood - though it’s not near Rockwood)

If you are passing through we would recommend stopping at the North East Carry General Store. Briar and friends were incredibly welcoming after we got caught in a storm on Moosehead Lake. We would recommend the hand pies! Disproving a theory we had that the USA was missing meat pies, they do exist here!

St Francis

While staying at Pelletier Campgrounds we popped into Joe's Country Store for iced cream, drinks and snacks. We still had plenty of proper food left due to completing the section from Rockwood far quicker than anticipated.

Fort Kent

When we got to the end we found Fort Kent a small and friendly place. The Paradis Shop’n Save supermarket was full of fresh food and vegetables. We did not really purchase anything in Fort Kent other than food and rent a U-Haul, but the town was really friendly. We did have some surreal cheering from passers-by as we portaged our canoes through the centre of town, likely because they knew we’d just finished the NFCT.