Farmington, W. Branch, MA

Upper Farmington put in

Upper Farmington put in
Photo by Mark L taken 10/20/02 @ 300 cfs

Gauge Information

River Description

ChuckB, on the Northeast Paddlers' Massage Board, says:
"The middle section is probably the one most commonly run and is rated conservatively as class III-IV. It is actually pretty steep, averaging about 75 ft/mi drop, but the low volume keeps the pace down so it isn't that difficult. It is very rocky and technical, but the moves aren't hard to make because the current is fairly easy, at least at lower levels. There are, I think, three spots that are a little harder than the rest which probably contributed to the IV rating. It's probably overrated, but this section is probably tough for canoes as there is not much maneuvering room. The common takeout for the middle section is at the American Legion field downstream of the New Boston bridge. There may be a fee involved but I can't remember.
"Each of the sections (Bear's Den Section, New Boston Section, and Upper New Boston) is a couple/few miles long and any one or two or three of them can be run together. Those three harder spots are pretty cool, especially one that has a four foot drop 'cause you can watch your probe disappear for a moment before reappearing behind the horizon line (unless you are the probe). This is a great river to work on your eddy hopping and boat scouting skills. Keep an eye out for strainers as the narrowness of the river could easily make a strainer impassable. There is not much in they way of play on this river, but idiots like me still try as evidenced by the scratches on my helmet and the gouges in my boat. The release level is really boney so pray for some rain to supplement it."

The Farmington releases come down out of Otis Reservoir. If you're looking for a bit of steep Class-V fun, check out Fall River.
Check out the river description at the Farmington River Watershed Association website.

Mapquest Directions

From the North (Brattleboro, VT)
From the South (Hartford, CT)
From the East (Boston, MA)
From the West (Albany, NY)

These directions will bring you to the center of New Boston about 1/4 of a mile north of the takeout for this section. For the takeout travel 1/4 of a mile south on MA rt 8. The put in is approximately 3 miles north of town on MA rt 8 by a steel bridge.
For a more detailed local map look to the “Tiger Mapserver Map” link in the right hand column of this webpage.