Woodbury Creek to Old Forge Hill RoadClass II-IV
6 Miles
Avg Gradient 50 fpm
Max Gradient 90 fpm
Moodna With Water
Moodna With Water Photo by Stephen Strange Gauge Information
Moodna Creek
River DescriptionIt's generally a Class 2-3 river at normal levels with the Class 2 warmup upstream of the Rt 32 bridge. At higher flows there may be rapids that are Class 4. The hardest rapid is Hell's Teeth. It has a hole that can get pretty nasty at higher flows.
There are two dams during the run. The first at the Rt 32 bridge you can generally slide over without any problems, but the second is portaged.
There is a hazard of 26 I-beams in the moodna just below the Jaws rapid and under the Old Forge Hill bridge. More details in the rapids description.
The Class 2 section above the Route 32 Bridge is a beautiful stretch of river and where you will see some wildlife. StreamTeam Status: unverified
Last Updated: 2008-03-26 00:56:25
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There are no gages; it's a natural flow river.
The Ramapo at Mahwah NJ is a good virtual gauge for Moodna Cr. If the Ramapo is at 3.8' the Moodna is probably just barely running. If the Ramapo hits 4' the Moodna should be good to go. Basically, the two rivers drain either side of the same set of hills.
The USGS gauge: Rondout Creek at Rosendale, NY is a good virtual gauge as their headwaters drain the same mountain and are about 5-10 miles apart.
"I am told that good min/max levels are 10' and 11.5' respectively.
Ramapo R. at Mahwah, NJ [ NJ ] |
Current Conditions
Station Graphs |
| Level Legend: | Running | Below Minimum Recommended Flow | Above Maximum Recommended Flow | Unknown |
| State | River Name/Section | Class | Level | Rel. Level | Updated | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NY | Moodna Creek— Woodbury Creek to Old Forge Hill Road | II-IV | 4.53 ft | med | 9/6 17:30 | |
| NY | Popolopen Brook— Hiker's Bridge to Hudson River | V | 475 cfs | low | 9/6 17:30 |
| AW Gauge ID: | 261 |
| USGS Station: | 01387500 |
| HUC: | 02030103 |
| Latitude: | 41.0975 |
| Longitude: | -74.1633 |
| Class: | 5 |
User Comments |
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2008-05-13 08:12:36 (116 days ago)
James Dougherty
I did not see this the last time I ran this. Under the take-out bridge (if you are using the bridge near the historical marker located at the dirt pull-over), there are metal I-beams that stick up. There are two rows of 13 metal beams equalling 26 beams. It creates a serious pinning hazard. They are located directly under the bridge, right of center, and exent several feet past the bridge. I didn't see them until last minute since they were slightly under water but high enough to catch my boat. It was very difficult to push off. Avoid them by getting river left (best) or river right. If you are going straight you should be fine but better to stay clear of them all together. The gage was between 5.67 around 1pm and 5.33 at 9pm but keep in mind, I ran this river another day when the gage said less but the river had more water. The gage is a indicator of level, it's not exact. At higher water these beams may be well under water, at lower more visable and at worst, when I was there you will not see them until your stuck on them. Also, take note, recently (Nov 2007), while taken' out at said bridge the Police stopped us and told us that we were on posted property and can not park at said historical marker. He was polite about it but firm. Further down the river, on river left just efre 9W bridge, there's a kayak ramp and parking. To drive there, go over the 9W bridge, make a left into the driveway for a building near the creek, drive pass the building and you will see a sigh for kayak ramp along side the river, behind the buildind next to the car/auto store.
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2008-05-13 07:59:17 (116 days ago)
James Dougherty
At high water today 2/17/08 the entire river at Hells teeth was bloched with wood. Currently, the wood is gone but always scout this first because if there is a stainer, by time you see it, it may be too late.
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2008-01-17 08:28:01 (233 days ago)
Matt Muir
Dan Spencer posted a photo of the metal pinning hazard under the bridge at http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Photo_detail_photoid_39884_ .
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2007-04-21 07:15:15 (504 days ago)
James Dougherty
Ran this on 4/21/07. When we ran it, the Ramapo at Mahwah (which is what you are viewing for a gauge on this site) was at 4.90 ft when we took out (a look at the graph shows it dropped mabe 0.5 from when we got on). The Rondout at Rosendale was at 10.94 ft (which also didnt change much) when we ran it. In otherwords, this river holds water very well and will have water in it when other things do not. In fact, it had not rained since that Monday, we ran it on a Saturday. At said level, instead of doing that ferry everyone talks about, we simply ran the meat of things above the abutments, going from center angled right. Just before passing the between the two abutments on the far right, reangled the our kayaks toward river left playing closer to the abutment on the left than the one all the way river right, boofing a log that was well under and easily going over rocks and whitewater. No hole on this side to worry about. I was worried of getting pushed to far right (toward the furthest right abutment), but this was not an issue for me. Although I can paddle CL4 rivers, I do not consider myself a CL4 paddler yet and on such rivers I'm pushing the envelope. However, I found this move easy and fun but wouldnt want blow this line or roll either. I also wonder what may be lurking underwater since I noticed a lot of made-made stuff near the riverbank. Also unfortunitly, my friend said when he ran it the last time at a lower level, the above option we took was not doable that day due to a lack of water and had to do that ferry and cut near the dreaded hole. (I might have opted to portage had I been there that day). It looks to me this would be real serious at much higher water as well.
This river is about 65 miles from The Triborough Bridge, NYC. You can take 87 north to exit 16 then take route 32 going north (I belileve it's a right turn, not sure). You will soon see the river on your right. See above for directions to take out. FYI it's about 11 miles from I-87 to 'five corners'. I found the CL2 section fun as well. I wouldn't put-in below it and miss out on it.
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| Mile | Rapid Name | Class | Features (Legend) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | Putin |   | |
| 0.0 | Beautiful Calm Sections | | |
| 0.0 | 1st Dam @ Rt 32 Bridge |  | |
| 0.0 | Approaching Hells Teeth | | |
| 0.0 | Hell's Teeth | IV | |
| 0.1 | 2nd Dam |  | |
| 0.1 | Jaws and I-Beam Hazard | III | |
| 0.1 | Jaws (under the bridge) | |
Slip in at the put in for a slow class 2+ start.
Wonderful quiet section to boat and see wildlife on the banks.
This is the first Dam on the Moodna right where it all starts to get interesting at the Rt 32 bridge. You can scout this during the shuttle on the way to the class 2 putin.
This Dam has some history. Back before 2000 high water pushed the riverbed rubble into a wall and created a pool for some serious low head dam captive hydraulic holes. Steve Strange was in it and my guess it was a bigger water day. Over the last 10 years this rubble wall has slowly been blown out greatly reducing this low head dam effect. Its hard to believe these conditions could exist looking at the way the river bed is today.
Currently this dam can be run at many levels and in many locations but the history here requires respect.
Expect the creek to crank up a full notch into class 3 as it passes under the Rt 32 bridge and breaks to the left.
This is also the Putin for the lower harder section but I like to start it out with the class 2 section above.
As you come up to Hell's Teeth you will see these 10-15 foot tall piers on River Left. Scout on river Left.
This is the signature rapid on the run. Hell's Teeth refer to a set of old Train Piers that cross the river. Only one of the teeth "The Fang" stands typically in the middle of the flow.
The rapid has a long entry with a Left turn just as the flow crashes into the Fang pier. At high flows the lines on the river right side of Fang can lead into stout ledge holes. There are holes on the river left side as well, but regardless of flow, river Left lines are most common.
Depending on the flow you can expect the rapid to be class 3 with screw up rocks pushing you off your strong ferry move to the Left in front of Fang. At higher flows Hells Teeth can easily get kicked up to the class 4 range and at huge flows some seem to think it gets nasty enough to possibly push beyond class 4+.
Don't under estimate the holes to the left and right of Fang.
At moderate flows several river right eddies can be caught before Fang breaking this rapid up.
This distinct horizon line is easy to see. At high flows be very careful not to get too close and risk getting pulled over the dam head. You will want to portage on river Left. As of 3/2008 there is a strainer at the portage putin. Take care.
The character of this low head dam is strange. This dam has a downstream sliding board with a kick up lip at the very bottom.
It has been run at the lowest flows. There are not many boaters around to say they wish they walked a lowhead dam.
This rapid is just upstream of the "Old Forge Road Bridge" and is visible from the bridge. I suggest you look at the rapid before you run. You will come upon this rapid quickly. What is most important is the hazard is only visible at low water and directly under the bridge in the main flow exiting the Jaws rapid. Decide if you want a more shallow river Right line taking the Jaw's Steel out of play.
The Steel is a very significant hazard. 13 pairs of steel I-beams, 26 in all, twisted rusty beams which are jaggedly cut off at different heights. The most upstream beams are deeper underwater and hide better. These pairs of beams can perfectly end to end pin a boat or center pin a boat. A swim could mean swimming through all the beams and any wood trapped within the I-beams. At medium to high water a roll setup at the bottom of Jaws could take the steel to your head or body. If you strike one you will likely get more than just that one in the bargain.
Wide shot under the old forge bridge clearly showing the placement of the I-beams.
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