New Haven - 2. West Lincoln to Rte. 116 bridge


New Haven, Vermont, US

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2. West Lincoln to Rte. 116 bridge (The Ledges)

Usual Difficulty IV+ (for normal flows)
Length 1.3 Miles
Avg. Gradient 165 fpm

Toaster


Toaster
Photo of Tad by Pat Rogers taken 05/31/03 @ 350 cfs

Gauge Information

Name Range Difficulty Updated Level
NEW HAVEN RIVER @ BROOKSVILLE, NR MIDDLEBURY, VT
usgs-04282525 300 - 1480 cfs IV+ 01h16m 183 cfs (too low)


River Description

The New Haven "Ledges" is a classic Vermont creek run. It may be short, but there are plenty of great rapids and drops in that distance. Multiple runs are the norm, and it's a great place for an after-work run.
From the putin, boulder garden rapids interspersed by fast moving water lead to the ledges. Multiple lines exist down these sloping drops, guarded by sizable holes.
A few more boulder rapids lead to a short pool above Toaster, the largest single drop on the river. This 15-foot fall has changed since the guidebook was written and is now a simple run down the centre.
After Toaster the run is a continous rapid right to the takeout, with more boulder gardens and some great boof ledges.

Steep Creeks of New England has more info on this run.

Directions:
From Bristol, take Rte. 116 East for a couple of miles. Just after crossing the New Haven, take a right onto Lincoln Rd. and follow toward West Lincoln. Put in about 1.5 miles up this road, above all visible rapids, before entering West Lincoln, where there is a large parking area on the right. Most rapids can be scouted from the road on the way up, or from convenient pull-offs.
To takeout: head downstream, back to 116, and take a left. Cross the bridge and park in the White Church parking lot next to the river. Please change conservatively. On a busy church day, park in the last pull-off on Lincoln Rd.


StreamTeam Status: Not Verified
Last Updated: 2010-03-30 16:56:28

Rapid Descriptions

icon of message No rapids entered. If you know names, and locations of the rapids please contact and advise the StreamTeam member for this run.

User Comments


2011-09-05 01:54:15 (653 days ago)
Mark LacroixDetails
On August 28th, 2011 Hurricane Irene struck New England. The resulting floods caused extensive
damage throughout the region, the worst in over 100 years. More than half the rivers in Vermont and
northern New Hampshire recorded their highest flow levels ever. Many roads, guardrails, power
lines, bridges, trees and other debris now litter several rivers throughout the region. River beds
have been scoured and changed course, many new strainers make navigation problematic at best and
downright dangerous at worse. Please realize that the river description you see here may not match
current situation after the floods. Use common sense and when in doubt scout especially on blind
drops. Also, if you run this river in the next year or so please comment on its navigability, even
if there are no problems this will be very helpful. Please report any new strainers or changes to
the rapids that will impact future boating. Thank you,

2011-08-30 11:20:28 (659 days ago)
Scott GilbertDetails
New rock in All American, now lands in 1-2 inches of water at levels 500 or below.

2011-08-30 10:00:30 (659 days ago)
Matt MuirDetails
Hurricane Irene caused lots of changes to some of the major rapids on this honey. See
http://www.npmb.com/cms2/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?181259 for some details.

2008-04-18 02:16:16 (1888 days ago)
Sherm GrantDetails
There was a pin situation today around the bend from the put in by the park. In the main flow,
river right , on a section I don't have a name for(sometimes people skip this section) They had
water flowing over their head but were able to breath by pushing back against the flow. It seemed
to take significant effort to get out of the boat and self rescue. Outcome I believe is a knee
injury and a little bit of a reminder how things can get dangerous quickly. This was a significant
sized group and the victim was the last one in line, so as a reminder always count members in the
group, look back once in a while and get a whistle like Trip's without the ball and with a high
pitch(I know I want one). My awareness of time during the situation may be a little skewed but I
believe the victim was stuck in the boat for just over 3 minutes before they got out. With more
water they may not have broke free without rescue. I stay left and then work my way right on this
section and that is fun. In conclusion, you never know!.

2006-03-22 12:16:08 (2646 days ago)
Richard CooleyDetails
A few rocks shifted in the line for playpen (drop below toaster) during the flooding of Feb. '06.
Consider looking at that final boof on your drive up to the put in.
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