Many AMC members think of March as winter’s final foray, the last call to get those ski trips and snowshoe hikes in before mountain snows turn to mud. For others, it’s the time of year to dust off the paddles, canoes, and kayaks, and get ready for the spring thaw. In the coming weeks, whitewater enthusiasts will bring their skills to the natural-flowing rivers and dam releases throughout the region. We asked chapter trip leaders to share their coveted paddling routes from Maine to Maryland. Not just rivers for the most intrepid, but also quietwater paddling on placid ponds and lakes for all ages. Here’s what they came up with:
Dead River, Maine
It’s a long drive on logging roads to reach the Spencer Rips put-in on the Dead River, but once there, be prepared for a glorious run on the longest stretch of continuous whitewater in New England. The river churns along 16 miles of almost nonstop Class III and IV rapids, enhanced by a half-dozen dam releases from May through October. The rest of the year, the Dead is a Class II to III run, but it can get a bit bony, especially making your line through the many rock gardens. Paul Berry, an AMC trip leader and chair of the New Hampshire Chapter, notes that you better have good whitewater skills to master the river, since there are no bridges, roads, or other signs of civilization until the end—just a rip-roaring ride through big water on rapids with names like Minefield, Humpty Dumpty, and Big Poplar Falls.
Once you’ve had your fill of the Dead, Berry recommends heading to Millinocket, Maine, to take on the West Branch of the Penobscot River. With Mount Katahdin looming in the background, Berry flies over the Exterminator and other nasty plunges in his open canoe.
Info: AMC River Guide: Maine (AMC Books)
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Androscoggin River, N.H.
Thirty-five miles long in New Hampshire, the Androscoggin enters the state from Maine at Wentworth’s Location and flows south through Errol, Milan, and Berlin, before turning sharply east and heading back into Maine. Once used to float logs down to the paper mills, the river is now one of the state’s finest recreational locales. Fly-fishing enthusiasts try their luck with the numerous trout, and canoeists come to paddle down Class II and III rapids. The Thirteen Mile Woods Scenic Area, just south of Errol, is one of the most scenic stretches of the waterway. Enter the Androscoggin at the ramp by Errol Dam and let the rapids propel you into a large pool at the mouth of Clear Stream. The river has good eddies and Class II rapids all the way to Pontook Dam in Milan. For quietwater paddlers, the Pontook Reservoir and Umbagog Lake, both off the Androscoggin, are excellent locales to bring the family. More and more moose are traveling south from Canada into New Hampshire and the shores of these bodies of water are two of the best places to spot the gangly animals. A dead tree on an island in Umbagog is home to bald eagles, which return each year to nest and raise their young. And that familiar sound of the northern woods, the yodeling of the loon, can be heard echoing across the Pontook.
Info: AMC River Guide: New Hampshire and Vermont (AMC Books). Androscoggin River Map and Guide (AMC Books). Upper Androscoggin Watershed Council
Swift River, N.H.
Paul Berry is just one of many New Hampshire locals who consider the Swift to be the best whitewater run in the region. During spring runoff, from mid-April to the end of May, the free-flowing water, clear as gin, provides some of the most exciting drops and big holes for the experienced paddler. Berry puts in at the large Lower Falls parking lot off the Kancamagus Highway and gets ready for some serious Class III and IV rapids, all nestled within the boundaries of the White Mountain National Forest. The beauty of the Swift is that you’re challenged by the ledges and big rocks, but if you can somehow manage to avert your glance away from the river, you’ll be mesmerized by the surrounding peaks of the Whites. Less experienced whitewater paddlers can try the upper portion of the Swift, also off the Kanc at Bear Notch Road. It’s a glorious 4-mile run of Class I to III water, best taken during spring thaw.
Info: AMC River Guide: New Hampshire and Vermont (AMC Books)
Pemigewasset River, N.H.
As on the Swift, there are many options for all levels of expertise on the Pemigewasset, or Pemi, as locals call it. On the East Branch of the river, you can put in at the White Mountain National Forest Ranger station, just east of the Kancamagus Highway bridge, and get ready for 6 miles of Class III to IV water that takes you past Loon Mountain. The rapids decrease as you approach Lincoln, developing into a good run for introductory whitewater paddlers below the town. Farther south in Bristol, the Lower Pemigewasset has dam releases throughout the summer, resulting in a 1.5-mile Class II and III paddle. This portion of the river becomes a popular play area on weekends, especially around the Pemi Hole takeout.
Info: AMC River Guide: New Hampshire and Vermont (AMC Books)
Deerfield River, Mass.
If you spend any amount of time enjoying theater in Williamstown or art at Mass Museum of Contemporary Art in North Adams during the summer, you’ll notice a number of cars with kayaks tied to their roofs. Just past the well-traveled Mohawk Trail (MA Route 2), the Deerfield offers the best whitewater in Massachusetts. Dam releases by the New England Power Company cause rapids to tumble down two stretches of the river—the exhilarating Class III and IV run in the Dryway and the Class I to III rapids of the Fife Brook section farther south that lead to the deep pools of Zoar Gap. The former is a favorite run of Julia Khorana, co-chair of the Boston Chapter Paddlers Committee. She notes that below Fife Brook is a flatwater section that’s popular with families, so the Deerfield caters to all paddlers, regardless of experience.
Info: AMC River Guide: Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island (AMC Books)
Assabet River, Mass.
For a serene quietwater paddle not too far from Boston, Khorana recommends the Assabet River. Once a dumping ground for nearby industry, the 31-mile river has responded well to cleanup, as evidenced by the birdlife now seen along its shores. Pick one of the countless put-ins on the Assabet, which flows from Westborough into the Concord and Sudbury rivers in Concord, and you’re bound to spot herons, red-winged blackbirds, and many painted turtles tanning on the uprooted branches and logs.
Info: AMC River Guide: Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island (AMC Books)
Photo by Jerry and Marcy Monkman.
