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Ball Mountain Brook - Metcalf Road to Jamaica State Park
Ball Mountain Brook, Vermont, US |
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Metcalf Road to Jamaica State Park (Jamaica Bob Sled Run)
| Usual Difficulty | III-IV (for normal flows) |
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| Length | 3.5 Miles |
| Avg. Gradient | 130 fpm |
| Max Gradient | 140 fpm |
Typical Boof on Ball Mountain Brook
Typical Boof on Ball Mountain Brook
Photo of Dante DiOrio by Dante DiOrio taken 04/22/07
River Description
This river is seldom paddled since it does not come up very often. It has a steep consistent gradient. Pikes Falls road parallels the run most of the way so you can scout and access the river along many points along the way. The usual put in is at the intersection with Metcalf road but it is possible (but difficult) to run from farther upstream. The river is very small and very technical at low to medium water. Medium and above the river is called the "Jamaica Bob Sled Run" by some of the locals. Needless to say, it is a very fast run at high water with few eddies and lots of turbulence created by the steep gradient. There are no definable rapids since the whole run is the rapid. During
West Riverrelease weekend in late April it is occasionally runnable if rain comes during that time--usually, only low to medium. The best time to catch the river running is in early April and immediately after a heavy rainstorm. The usual takeout is where the river enters the West River just below the bridge to Jamaica State Park.
Directions
To Jamaica Vermont Interstate 91 to exit 3 Brattleboro Vermont.
Take a right of Vermont route 5 (south) 2 miles.
Take a right on Vermont route 30.
Approximately 25 miles to Jamaica.
Editors
Rapid Descriptions
No rapids entered. If you know names, and locations of the rapids please contact and advise the StreamTeam member for this run. Do more than just check gauges; join over 5,000 AW members today.
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Metcalf Road to Jamaica State Park, Ball Mountain Brook Vermont, US (mobile)
User Comments
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,