Quiet Water New Hampshire and Vermont: AMC's Canoe And Kayak Guide To The Best Ponds, Lakes, And Easy Rivers (Quiet Water Series)

There are three ways to find a place to kayak;A) Ask a bud. He'll tell you about this place he went to one time. He can't remember exactly where it is. It was a kinda nice place though. You should totally try it. As soon as he can remember where it is.B) Go to maps.google.com and aim for the blue. I used to do this a lot in my younger days. I'd have the day off and my buds and I would go for a ride. We'd aim for the green and the blue. We were never sure where the trailheads were. We were never sure where the boat ramps were. We were never sure where the trails, the streams, and the lakes were going. But hell, we were 17 and skipping school. So it was a good day.C) Buy this guide book. You'll find places you never knew existed. You'll explore corners of the state that it seems like hardly a soul has ever seen. You can rarely go wrong in NH or VT. You'll have forest in front of you, mountains towering over you, and clear water flowing below you. Bring a life jacket, a lunch (include a beer), and a companion and you'll have a good day.The first time my wife and I decided to haul our kayaks up to NH, we went to Squam Lake. It's a big blotch of blue on the map. You can't miss it. It took a while of googling to find a public access, we had to pay for parking for that access, and we had no actual plan as to where we were going. We got out on the huge lake and the wind was blowing. The waves were hitting us hard. I never knew that a lake could have waves until a windy day on Squam. My wife was unable to avoid the waves and her kayak filled with water. She was miserable. I had to listen to her. I was miserable. It was a great place to bring a boat to waterski.....don't bring kayaks.We went home and bought this book. Since then we've picniced on islands cliffs overlooking the water. We've swam from our own private beaches. We've seen loon and otter (though sadly, still haven't bumped into a moose). The best part is that we still have most of a book left to explore. There are places in this book that I've read about that I'm dying to explore.If I had to nitpick a bit, there is one downside to the book. The authors take middle-of-nowhere to extreme. Personally I'm looking for some crystal clear water to swim in and picnic on the side of. They, on the other hand, love a body of water that is choked with lily pads and muck. Sometimes you need to read between the lines to be able to tell if the body of water is suitable for someone looking for a relaxing day in the sun or if it's just for folks who want to look at plants. I guess it's all just a matter of what you're looking for, but the book will give a description of the body of water so you always know if the place is what you're looking for.

It's a good book, but, not all quiet waters are included in it. I have a pond about a half mile from where I live that is not in this book. No motorized boats allowed. I was kind of disappointed that it wasn't included, but, maybe there are many like that.

Great book, providing a good general description of waterway and access conditions, where to park and access each waterway, camping and hiking options and also a description of what type of flora/fauna to hope to see and best time of day/season to get the most out of your adventure. This book has a permanent residence in my dry bag right next to my Ben’s bug repellent. Both are a necessity.

I was looking for a book that would give me info on great places to paddle in the white mountains with my kids. This was a terrific guide and fit the bill exactly. It includes info about fees you may have to pay for parking, good directions, and the map was good. only criticism: One of the places we went to --Long Pond in Benton, NH--it would have been helpful to note that the road leading up to the boat launch is steep and unpaved, and there didn't seem to be any hiking trails despite that being indicated in the book.

Really good books for kayakers! Information on places is very helpful.

Have already discovered a number of new favorite places, close to home.

So far this has been a great buy! I have an guide rowing boat and this book, and the ones from Maine and Massachusetts have been great. My only suggestion for future editions is to say in the Take a Note section whether or not these places are dog friendly. We went to Walden pond with the intention of rowing with our very small dog, only to find that dogs were not allowed. We had no difficulty finding a place to row in the same vicinity but it was a little disappointing.

I gave this to my son who loves kayaking. He has used it and says it is an excellent guide to the best places to kayak. Clear directions and a handy size. He was very pleased.

This little book was a gift for my son-in-law. I am told that it is a very very useful item to explore, and discover these States wonderful lakes and rivers. Well written, with plenty of information for amateurs or pros. The information is very well described and gives a very good idea of the areas. Recommend it.

I learned that quiet water are ponds or marsh (marais) that needs to be canoe mostly in spring because there is to much weeds and algae after mid summer. I was hoping to find some unmanned medium or large lake, but find none in that book.

I like to plan all my trips in advance. This book gives me the opportunity to assess all of the areas in the state in advance and then plan my day trips. We like to home base in a state park and then do day trips. Quiet Waters books for each state make planning a breeze