The West Branch Penobscot River is a 117 miles (188.3 km) tributary

Tributary

A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...

 of Maine

Maine

Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...

's Penobscot River

Penobscot River

The Penobscot River is a river in the U.S. state of Maine. Including the river's West Branch and South Branch increases the Penobscot's length to , making it the second longest river system in Maine and the longest entirely in the state. Its drainage basin contains .It arises from four branches...

. The river flows from Seboomook Lake in Seboomook

Seboomook Lake, Maine

Seboomook Lake is an unorganized territory in Somerset County, Maine, United States. The population was 45 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the unorganized territory has a total area of 3,715.8 km²...

, Somerset County

Somerset County, Maine

Somerset County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of 2010, the population was 52,228. Its county seat is Skowhegan.-History:...

; the lake's principal inflows are the North Branch

North Branch Penobscot River

The North Branch Penobscot River is a river in Somerset County, Maine. From its source at the outlet of Little Bog about east of the Canada – United States border in Maine Township 6, Range 17, WELS, the river runs southwest and southeast to its drowned confluence with the South Branch...

 and South Branch Penobscot River

South Branch Penobscot River

The South Branch Penobscot River is a river in Somerset County, Maine. Its source, an unnamed lake, the north end of which at is about from the Canada – United States border in Sandy Bay...

. From Seboomook Dam (45.9108°N 69.7327 °W) the river runs about 25 miles (40.2 km) east and northeast to Chesuncook Lake

Chesuncook Lake

Chesuncook Lake is a reservoir in Piscataquis County, Maine, formed by the damming of the western branch of the Penobscot River in 1903 and 1916. It is approximately long and 1–4 miles wide, with a surface area of and a maximum depth of . It is the third-largest body of fresh water in Maine.In...

, thence (after flowing through Chesuncook) about 20 miles (32.2 km) southeast through the southwest corner of Baxter State Park

Baxter State Park

Baxter State Park is a large wilderness area permanently preserved as a state park, located in Piscataquis County in north-central Maine. The Park was established by 28 donations of land, in Trust, from Park donor Percival P. Baxter between the years of 1931 and 1962, eventually creating a Park of...

 to the Pemadumcook Chain of Lakes

Pemadumcook Chain of Lakes

The Pemadumcook Chain of Lakes are a set of large lakes in north-central Maine in the United States.- Name:Thoreau's Pamadumcook or Joseph Chadwick's Bennedumcook is rendered by the United States Geographical Board in an 1897 decision as "Pemadumcook Lake".-Geography:The Pemadumcook chain of lakes...

, thence generally east to its confluence

Confluence

Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...

 with the Penobscot's East Branch

East Branch Penobscot River

The East Branch Penobscot River is a tributary of Maine's Penobscot River. From its source in Maine Township 7, Range 11, WELS, in Piscataquis County, the river runs southeast to Grand Lake Matagamon in the northeast corner of Baxter State Park...

 in Medway

Medway, Maine

Medway is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,489 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water...

, Penobscot County

Penobscot County, Maine

Penobscot County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. For U.S. Census statistical purposes, it is part of the Bangor, Maine, New England County Metropolitan Area . As of 2010, the population was 153,923...

.

The Appalachian Trail

Appalachian Trail

The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply the AT, is a marked hiking trail in the eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. It is approximately long...

 crosses the West Branch at Abol Bridge (45.83525°N 68.96725 °W), at the northeast end of the Hundred-Mile Wilderness. The trail then runs upstream along the river for 3 miles (5 km), until it follows Nesowadnehunk Stream into Baxter Park on the way to its northern terminus on Mount Katahdin

Mount Katahdin

Mount Katahdin is the highest mountain in Maine at . Named Katahdin by the Penobscot Indians, the term means "The Greatest Mountain". Katahdin is the centerpiece of Baxter State Park: a steep, tall mountain formed from underground magma. The flora and fauna on the mountain are typical of those...

.

The Northern Forest Canoe Trail

Northern Forest Canoe Trail

The Northern Forest Canoe Trail is a marked canoeing trail in the northeastern United States and Canada, extending from Old Forge in the Adirondacks of New York to Fort Kent in Maine. Along the way, the trail also passes through the states and provinces of Vermont, Quebec, and New Hampshire...

 follows the West Branch between the portage

Portage

Portage or portaging refers to the practice of carrying watercraft or cargo over land to avoid river obstacles, or between two bodies of water. A place where this carrying occurs is also called a portage; a person doing the carrying is called a porter.The English word portage is derived from the...

 from Moosehead Lake

Moosehead Lake

Moosehead Lake is the largest lake in the U.S. state of Maine and the largest mountain lake in the eastern United States. Situated in the Longfellow Mountains in the Maine Highlands Region, the lake is the source of the Kennebec River. Towns that border the lake include Greenville to the south and...

 in North East Carry (45.8943°N 69.6103 °W), and Chesuncook Lake (46.0700°N 69.4195 °W).