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Contoocook, N. Branch, NH

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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

Contoocook, N. Branch
Route 9 & 123 to Hillsboro Fire Sta V
med
8.69
7/24 21:30
[detail]

Min Sug. Level:  8.5 Feet

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

Search Results

Photos/Videos 1- of 17

Lost Lens NB of the Contoocook


Lost Lens NB of the Contoocook  Contoocook, N. Branch NH
(37.18KB .jpeg)

Allan at Lost Lens


Allan at Lost Lens  Contoocook, North Branch NH
(166.06KB .jpeg)

Buried at Lost Lens


Buried at Lost Lens  Contoocook, North Branch NH
(126.92KB .jpeg)

North Branch Contoocook


North Branch Contoocook  Contoocook, North Branch NH
(149.58KB .jpeg)

Stone Bridge Rapid


Stone Bridge Rapid  Contoocook, North Branch NH
(43.34KB .jpeg)

The Cleaver


The Cleaver  Contoocook, North Branch NH
(44.18KB .jpeg)

Liberty Farm


Liberty Farm  Contoocook, North Branch NH
(47.65KB .jpeg)

Rand at Lost Lens


Rand at Lost Lens  Contoocook, North Branch NH
(178.67KB .jpeg)

Stone Bridge


Stone Bridge  Contoocook, North Branch NH
(49.13KB .jpeg)

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Gauge

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.

CONTOOCOOK R NR HENNIKER NH [ NH ]

Current Conditions

Stage Flow Updated
8.69 1940 7/24 21:30

Station Graphs

Linked Reaches

Search Results

Level Legend: Running Below Minimum Recommended Flow Above Maximum Recommended Flow Unknown
Descriptions of reaches with River Name in bold have been verified by a regional StreamTeam member.

State River Name/Section Class Level Rel. Level Updated
NH Contoocook— 2. Hillsborough to Henniker III-IV 8.69 ft   med 7/24 21:30
NH Contoocook— 3. Henniker (class II section) II(III) 8.69 Feet   med 7/24 21:30
NH Contoocook, N. Branch— Route 9 & 123 to Hillsboro Fire Sta V 8.69 Feet   med 7/24 21:30

Station Description

AW Gauge ID:68
USGS Station:01085000
HUC:01070003
Latitude:43.1528
Longitude:-71.8567
Class:6

WXPort

News





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

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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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2005-10-09



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