Swift,

1. Bear Notch Road to Rocky Gorge (Upper Swift)

Usual Difficulty	I-III (may vary with level)
Length	4 Miles

Gauge Information

Name	Range	Difficulty	Updated	Level
SWIFT RIVER 0.5 MI BL HOBBS BR, NR CONWAY, NH
usgs-01064485	6.0 - 10.0 in/yr	I-III		in/yr

River Description

Mike Gatewood:
This section starts of with a lot of flatwater paddling, the scenery is great and you are away from the Kanc so there is no road noise. It gradually builds into class II and then is class III by the time you get to the takeout above Rocky Gorge/Upper Falls. You want to scout the takeout to get your bearings; the river is continuous class III here and a mistake will put you over the falls. I know a guy who had the misfortune of swimming the falls this spring. He got beat up pretty bad, but was paddling the following weekend. We said to him "now that you've swum it, running the falls probably won't be too bad--at least you know the consequences of a swim."

See also the Middle Swift and Lower Swift.