Big Eddy is a rapid on the East Branch of the Penobscot River in Penobscot County, Maine, in the Northeastern Highlands. It sits in Maine's north woods, about 11.4 miles northeast of Millinocket, and should not be confused with a different, better-known rapid of the same name on the Penobscot's West Branch.
The falls
The federal place-name record places Big Eddy on the Stacyville quadrangle, and its mapped coordinates agree with the requested location to within about 0.01 mile. A regional scenic byway map puts it on the East Branch Penobscot River.
Getting there
No verified public put-in, take-out, portage route, or parking location for this exact rapid was found, and no current 2026 access status is documented.
When to go
No runnable flow range in cubic feet per second, and no gauge, was found for this exact rapid.
On site
No whitewater class or portage details are on record for this Big Eddy. American Whitewater's well-known Big Eddy run is on the West Branch Penobscot near the Cribworks, a different river reach, and its page covers that reach only, not this East Branch rapid.
History and name
The federal place-name listing classifies the feature as rapids on the Stacyville quadrangle. No origin for the name is on record.
Nearby
Crowfoot Rapids is about 3.4 miles away, Grindstone Falls on the Penobscot River about 5.3 miles, and Meadow Brook Rapids about 7.1 miles. Ledge Falls, also on the East Branch Penobscot River, is about 11.4 miles away.
Distances are straight-line.