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Contoocook, N. Branch - Route 9 & 123 to Hillsboro Fire Sta


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Contoocook, N. Branch,

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Route 9 & 123 to Hillsboro Fire Sta

Class V
6 Miles
Avg Gradient 55 fpm

Stone Bridge


Stone Bridge
Photo of Jim taken 11/01/03 @ Medium/low

Gauge Information

Name Range Updated Level
CONTOOCOOK RIVER NEAR HENNIKER, NH 8.50 - 10.00 ft 01h29m 6.72 ft (rc= -1.2 )


River Description

Information from Greg and Sue Hanlon's Steep Creeks of New England.

From Concord, NH, take I-89 North to Exit 5. Follow Rte. 9-202 to Hillsborough. Continue through Hillsborough, Lower Village to North Branch Village, where Rte. 9 crosses the North Branch. To the putin from North Branch Village, follow Rte. 9 ~5 miles to a small pull-off just after a set of powerlines across Rte. 9. Park by a gated, overgrouwn farm road on the left. Carry past the gate, down the farm road, and across a large field ~1/4 mile to the river.
To takeout: follow Rte. 9 back toward North Branch Village. Take out at the junction of Rte. 31 and 9, below The Cleaver.

Warning: this run may contain thick ice in the early Spring; it tends to break up later than many other, steeper runs.


StreamTeam Status: Verified
Last Updated: 2004-12-06 12:37:07

Stone Bridge

Detail Trip Report Edit  Stone Bridge  Contoocook, North Branch, NH(49.13KB .jpeg)

Rand at Lost Lens

Detail Trip Report Edit  Rand at Lost Lens  Contoocook, North Branch, NH(178.67KB .jpeg)

Liberty Farm

Detail Trip Report Edit  Liberty Farm  Contoocook, North Branch, NH(47.65KB .jpeg)

The Cleaver

Detail Trip Report Edit  The Cleaver  Contoocook, North Branch, NH(44.18KB .jpeg)

Stone Bridge Rapid

Detail Trip Report Edit  Stone Bridge Rapid  Contoocook, North Branch, NH(43.34KB .jpeg)

North Branch Contoocook

Detail Trip Report Edit  North Branch Contoocook  Contoocook, North Branch, NH(149.58KB .jpeg)

Buried at Lost Lens

Detail Trip Report Edit  Buried at Lost Lens  Contoocook, North Branch, NH(126.92KB .jpeg)

Allan at Lost Lens

Detail Trip Report Edit  Allan at Lost Lens  Contoocook, North Branch, NH(166.06KB .jpeg)

Lost Lens NB of the Contoocook

Detail Trip Report Edit  Lost Lens NB of the Contoocook  Contoocook, North Branch, NH(37.18KB .jpeg)

Typical Upper East Branch river character

Detail Trip Report Edit  Typical Upper East Branch river character  East Branch Pemigewasset, NH(37.21KB .jpeg)

North Branch: Contoocook

Detail Trip Report Edit  North Branch: Contoocook  Contoocook, N. Branch, NH(1.19MB .b)

Entry into the right channel of Mill Race

Detail Trip Report Edit  Entry into the right channel of Mill Race  Contoocook, N. Branch, NH(407.44KB .jpeg)

Right Channel - Mill Race - main drop - at 9.4'

Detail Trip Report Edit  Right Channel - Mill Race - main drop - at 9.4'  Contoocook, N. Branch, NH(883.85KB .jpeg)

Left Channel Mill Race - Middle to Bottom at 9.4'

Detail Trip Report Edit  Left Channel Mill Race - Middle to Bottom at 9.4'  Contoocook, N. Branch, NH(155.20KB .jpeg)

Left Channel Mill Race - Top Portion at 9.4'

Detail Trip Report Edit  Left Channel Mill Race - Top Portion at 9.4'  Contoocook, N. Branch, NH(155.16KB .jpeg)

Entry into the right channel of Mill Race - oversized pic

Detail Trip Report Edit  Entry into the right channel of Mill Race - oversized pic  Contoocook, N. Branch, NH(1.12MB .jpeg)

Nailing river right boof line on The Cleaver

Detail Trip Report Edit  Nailing river right boof line on The Cleaver  Contoocook, N. Branch, NH(41.09KB .jpeg)


Gauge Information

Gauge Description:

Note: The gauge refered to in this section is a virtual "regional" gauge. It is in a nearby watershed but the proximity of the gauge and the river characteristics are similar. Virtual gauges work best in the spring or wide area rain events. Do not rely on this gauge for localized rain events such as summertime thunderstorm activity. Current minimum run level for this stretch is still to be verified. There used to be a hand painted gage on downstream river-left bridge abutment where Rte. 9 crosses near the middle of the run but this bridge was replaced in 1999 and a new gage has yet to be painted.

Gauge Information

Name Range Updated Level
NORTH BRANCH RIVER NEAR ANTRIM, NH
usgs-01084000 n/a 01h14m 3.05 ft
This is a new gage that just went on line in September of 09. Corrolations are still to be determined.
RangeWater LevelComment
- -
CONTOOCOOK RIVER NEAR HENNIKER, NH
usgs-01085000 8.50 - 10.00 ft 01h29m 6.72 ft (rc= -1.2 )

RangeWater LevelComment
8.5000-10.0000 barely runnable-high runnable

Report - Reports of Contoocook, N. Branch Route 9 & 123 to Hillsboro Fire Sta and related gauges

Reports give the public a chance to report on river conditions throughout the country as well as log the history of a river.

Reports

When River/Gauge Subject Level Reporter
Contoocook, N. Branch [NH] Nailing river right boof line on The Cleaver 9.7 Nathaniel Lesch-Huie
Contoocook, N. Branch [NH] North Branch: Contoocook med Michael Rowland
4y43d04h57m East Branch Pemigewasset [NH] Typical Upper East Branch river character 1.4 Skip Morris
4y187d04h57m Contoocook, N. Branch [NH] Entry into the right channel of Mill Race 9.4' Robert Stiles
6y12d04h57m Contoocook, North Branch [NH] Stone Bridge Medium/low Mark Lacroix

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Guidebooks



Classic Northeastern Whitewater Guide : The Best Whitewater Runs in New England and New York
$19.95


Steep Creeks of New England
$14.95


Let it Rain: A paddlers guide to northeastern US and Canada
$39.95

User Comments
2009-07-27 02:09:45 (107 days ago)
Paul ReillyDetails
I was scouting the left side of Mill Race on July 25 and found three river wide strainers.
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Rapid Summary

Mile Rapid Name Class Features (Legend)
0.0Rivers of the lower Contoocook regionPutin Takeout Photo
1.3Lost Lens5.0Photo
1.7Stone BridgeIVPhoto
3.0The Mill Race5.2
4.3Liberty FarmIV+Photo
5.8The CleaverIVTakeout Hazard Waterfall Photo

Rapid Descriptions

Rivers of the lower Contoocook region

River of the lower Contoocook region

River of the lower Contoocook region
Photo by Mark Lacroix


Lost Lens (Class 5.0, Mile 1.3)

Lost Lens NB of the Contoocook

Lost Lens NB of the Contoocook
Photo of Allan Bergren by Mark Lacrois taken 11/01/03 @ Medium/low

This rapid was named after a lost camera part carried by Scott Underhill in one of the first descents back in the 80's. This rapid deserves a good scouting. Take out on river right about two ledge drops below the small concrete bridge and scout. The rapid takes a hard right through a shallow rocky drop then takes a left dropping precipitously over three ledge drops. The final drop contains a tight slot that is often clogged with wood. The most common run is boofing a rocky pourover to the left of the slot.

Stone Bridge (Class IV, Mile 1.7)

Stone Bridge Rapid

Stone Bridge Rapid
Photo of Butch Mixon by Mark Lacroix taken 11/01/03 @ Medium/low

When the roadway reappears on river left look for the Stone Bridge downstream. The river right arch is easier, taking the river left arch descent takes you through three rather sticky holes one after another. Get ready to punch your way through or work your way out of them. Most boaters chose to take out here at the bridge then shuttle around the 1.2 mile flat swampy section to the next rapid.

The Mill Race (Class 5.2, Mile 3.0)
There are two options here. This is amoung the toughest rapid in southern NH. The North Branch splits just after a long flat section leading down from Stone Bridge rapid. The right channel is shorter in distance but drops more dramatically over this distance. Scout from river right. The left channel is longer and narrower but still packs a punch. The initial drop is about 5' from a deteriorating rock dam, the river then takes a sharp right and drops steeply over the 1000+ feet in lenght. Along the way there are many pinning spots in this narrow channel. Always scout this drop since a fallen tree could easily block the entire channel.

Liberty Farm (Class IV+, Mile 4.3)

Liberty Farm

Liberty Farm
Photo of Rand and Bill by Sharon Lacroix taken 11/01/03 @ Medium/low

This is a rather long complicated rapid. There are many channels and routes to chose from. Be especially cautious of wood here since some channels are very narrow and blind. Most of the rapid can be viewed from Liberty Farm Road which follows on river left most of the way.

The Cleaver (Class IV, Mile 5.8)

The Cleaver

The Cleaver
Photo of Mark Lacroix by Sharon Lacroix taken 11/01/03 @ Medium/low

The Cleaver is the final drop on a rather long stretch of mostly class III and IV rapids. This one is difficult to scout from the river bank because of the steep bank and lack of eddies above. It is easily scouted from the takeout and route 9 which follows on river right. The best route to take over the Cleaver is about 8' from the river right bank. From here you will drop a few vertical feet. Do not run the center because the water piles up behind and under the enormous cleaver boulder. The run on river left is possible but is more difficult than the right side.



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