Gauge Description:

Note: The gauge referred 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. This virtual gage is linked to the East Branch of the Pemi gage and is calculated for the Six Mile bridge gage located 4 miles upstream.  These 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 (see table below). Currently there is no gage actually on this section. If the Upper Mad is just below runnable levels than the gorge should be high enough. If there is 3" of water coming over the dam at the intersection of NH 49 and NH 175 then the river should be medium. The water is occasionally diverted downstream about 100 yards through a small hydro facility. When the hydro is on full then there should be a minimum flow level through the gorge. Check the first put in location and look downstream from the bridge, if this looks too low, drive south on 175 an additional .25 miles. Park on the right where the river is close to the road. Look downstream, if the ledge to the left of the channel is spilling water or just under then this is a minimum low level. If most all the water is spilling through the right channel then the water is too low.
Building a "Virtual" gauge for the Mad
In the table below visual observations have been matched with actual USGS gauge readings from three other nearby watersheds. This is an attempt to build a �Virtual� gauge for the Mad. Virtual gauges work best during spring runoff and widespread rain events but should not be relied upon for localized rain events such as thunderstorm activity. Once enough observations have been matched with the USGS gauge readings, we will determine which USGS gauge best matches the Mad river's runoff profile.
 

Gauge correlations for the� Mad river Thornton NH Date Time 6 mile bridge Bearcamp USGS East Branch USGS Baker River� USGS Interpretation 4/3/02 6:00 pm 1.4 5.45 RR* 6.76 RR* 3.12 RR* Very low 4/4/02 6:50 am 1.5 5.68 FS* 7.06 FS* 3.47 FS* Very low 4/4/02 11:30 am 1.3 5.59 FS* 6.96 FS* 3.26 FS* Very low 4/10/02 9:30 am 1.4 5.16 S* 7.78 S* 3.40 S* Very low 4/13/02 6:15 am 1.6 4.83 S* 7.63 RS* 2.83 S* �low 4/14/02 6:00 am 3.5 6.19 FS* 13.13 FR* 8.81 FR* Very high 4/14/02 1:00 pm 2.8 5.81 FS* 10.72 FR* 5.68 FR* �high 4/16/02 9:00 am 2.0 5.55 FS* 8.74 S* 3.68 FS* Medium 4/16/02 3:00 pm 2.2 5.45 FS* 9.08 RS* 3.53 S* Medium *RR=rising rapidly� RS=rising slowly� S=steady� FR=falling rapidly� FS=falling slowly

 

Mad 1 [ NH ]

Current Conditions

Stage	Flow	Updated
0.31		7/4 18:15

Station Graph

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	Mad— 1. Highway 49 Bridge (Waterville Valley) to Campton	III-IV	0.31 Feet	low	7/4 18:15
NH	Mad— 2. Gorge	III	0.31 Feet	low	7/4 18:15

Station Description

AW Gauge ID: 11131
StreamTeam Member: Matt Muir
Mad 1 is a virtual gage that is linked to the East Branch of the Pemi gage. The stage number shown below is a best bet calculation of what the Six Mile Bridge gage should be reading.

Formula

$x=gauge(56,"flow")**.51697 *.04073

Let it Rain: A paddlers guide to northeastern US and Canada
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Map of the Mid Pemi region

Put In
Put in at the Campton Dam at the street light a the intersection of NH rte 49 and NH rte 175. The best spot to carry down is river left just downstream of the dam and rte 175 bridge. Note that during low water much of the water is diverted form the dam through a penstock under rte 175 and re-enters the river at a micro hydro station about 500 ft downstream of the dam. If clear laminer flow continues 1/3 of the way, or greater, down the face of the dam then there should be enough water for the first couple rapids (i.e. upper and Lower Big Pine). Anything less will be a scratchy run at best.

Big Pine (Class II, Mile 0.1)

Upper and lower Big Pine rapeds are straight forward easy drops.  At the lower levels, such as when the water is diverted around these rapids, they can be quit boney.  Rapid is named for a large tall white pine tree on river left.

Tavern Drop (Class III, Mile 0.3)

As soon as you turn right away from NH rte 175 the Mad enters the gorge section.  You will immediately start encountering several ledge drops spaced only a dozen or so yards apart.  One of the major ones is a couple drops downstream of an old metal discharge culvert at a cliff overhang on river left.  The drop is somewhat blinded by large boulders but the river right side has a clear path.  Drop is named for the Mad River Tavern which is on river right (out of sight) on top of the gorge on NH rte 49.

Sunset Drop (Class III, Mile 0.7)

Nice 3 foot ledge drop great for learning boofing manuevers.  Left side is more vertical and has a fairly mean hole in it at higher levels. Feature is named after Sunset Hill on river right above the gorge.

Take Out

As the river slows down to a few ripples look for an easy exit over the loose gravel and boulders on the river right bank.  The takeout from the road is located behind A&H Aoutomotive.  From exit 28 turn right on the road between A&H and the Handyman Hardware store.  Just past the harware store take a left at the Embroidery factory and park in the roadside clearings by the factory.  You should take a walk into the woods to the river to try and get visual marker so you can recognize the takeout from riverside.