About Us

WATERWAYS GUIDING

We provide full-service canoe guiding, working with you to plan the perfect adventure for your group. Planning a backcountry paddling trip can be complicated, and we tackle all the details so you can focus on being present. Our trips are focused on safety, nature connection, having fun and learning new skills.

We respectfully acknowledge that we paddle the waterways of the Wabanaki people.

Learn about the native land you stand on.

JACKIE STRATTON, OWNER

I'm Jackie Stratton (she/hers), and I've spent a lifetime drawn to water. I've paddled all over the northeast and am just about always planning for an adventure. Canoeing is my favorite thing to do, and I'd be honored to take you out on the water. I've found that canoeing is such a peaceful way to spend time in nature, moving at the speed of river time.

When I'm not leading canoe trips, I may be keeping the sauna going at Cedar Grove Sauna, tracking wildlife, hunting or fishing, or probably paddling a river with my dog Maple.

Jackie is on the Board of the Maine Wilderness Guide Organization, and volunteers with Big Brothers Big Sisters, Midcoast Conservancy and Georges River Land Trust

Certifications:

Registered Maine Guide
American Canoe Association white water canoeing instructor
Wilderness First Aid
Maine Master Naturalist
Degree in Natural Resources and Watershed Science

Interviews:

Guides Gone Wild

Becoming a Maine Guide Q&A

School of the Forest

WOMEN-OWNED

Like many people growing up drawn to the outdoors, I went outside mostly with men; my father, my male outdoor club leader, my high school male environmental science teacher, etc. I'm forever grateful for those who have taken me outside, but I was always wondering, "Where the women at?" And while we're on that note, where are the people of color, the queer and trans people, the indigenous people? We welcome all people, and would be excited to organize a trip that feels safe for your identity.

My goal is to be the role model I sought for myself 20 years ago.

MISS MAPLE, NAVIGATOR

Miss Maple (she/hers, they/them) is a 6-year old black mutt. She has spent more time in the woods and on the water in the last 5 years than most Mainers do in a lifetime. Her favorite activities including going everywhere with Jackie, expertly tracking wildlife, swimming while inevitably sneezing, wiggling at the base of a squirrel tree, eating surprises in the woods, and getting that spot just behind but more so at the base of her ear scratched...