Search Results

OC-2 Slalom

OC-2 Slalom  Dead ME
(14.23KB .jpeg)

Busy day on the Dead

Busy day on the Dead  Dead ME
(38.54KB .jpeg)

Dead put in

Dead put in  Dead ME
(36.88KB .jpeg)

Surfing at Spencers

Surfing at Spencers  Dead ME
(36.77KB .jpeg)

Surfing at Quatro

Surfing at Quatro  Dead ME
(37.31KB .jpeg)

Pinball slot at Elephant Rock

Pinball slot at Elephant Rock  Dead Me
(46.18KB .jpeg)

Poplar Hill Falls

Poplar Hill Falls  Dead ME
(41.16KB .jpeg)

Kayak Below Grand Falls

Kayak Below Grand Falls  Dead ME
(58.14KB .jpeg)

Grand Falls

Grand Falls  Dead ME
(53.56KB .jpeg)

Gauge Description:

This river is primarily dam controlled, although it usually runs after periods of heavy rain. The two USGS gages on the Dead River were retired years ago. Remains of the [outside visible] staff gages however still exist, and they can be used to verify water levels. There is a gage on Spencer Stream near the put-in.

Scheduled Releases

Dam-controlled: min 1200 cfs (quite bony); at about 2400 cfs, the rocks get more padded and the water, more fun. For release levels call 1-800-557-FLOW; select "Kennebec" and "Flagstaff" to get the flow from Long Falls Dam (Flagstaff Lake), or call FPL Energy at 207-795-1342.

Additional Release Notes from FPL Energy:

We will be releasing water from the dam as necessary to provide the above flows directly below Spencer Stream.

Kennebec Water Power Company hopes you enjoy these recreational opportunities in a safe manner. Proposed releases are subject to change due to license restrictions, current availability of water and/or unanticipated weather/water conditions.

Carol Clark
River Engineer
(Happy retirement to Wes Hallowell, thanks for many years of great service.)

USGS Gage—Spencer Stream at Mouth

Gage ID: 01044550, Location: 45d 18m 07s, -70d 13m 26s.
A new gage at the mouth of Spencer Stream next to the Dead River put-in was recently installed. In addition to showing natural inflow from Spencer into the Dead, it also is affected by Dead releases. River level information is being collected to help create a correlation chart to enable Spencer Stream readings to be translated to estimated Dead flow levels. Please send any gage observations and river flow measurements to the Streamkeeper.

USGS Gage—Dead River at The Forks

Gage ID: 01045000, Location: 45d 20m 57s, -69d 59m 25s (approximate).
This gage is retired. It was in use from 1911 through 1979. The gage house was dismantled and removed in May 17, 1999. The river at this location has a drainage area of 867 square miles.

The staff gage is located above what is now the Magic Falls rafting facility; drive up ~150–200 yards past the cemetery and look for a path leading down to the water. The gage is in two parts; the upper fastened to a tree, and the lower sticking out of the river bank. It is heavily overgrown with grass and brush and hard to find. Note that you must add 3.0 feet to readings on the lower section to match the chart below. At river levels of 5000 CFS and higher the lower section is under water. The gage physical condition in 2008 was poor.

The gage correlation chart below was compiled by an unknown paddler. It has been verified as coming from Rating Table 3.0; valid from 3/28/56 thru 11/3/78. Recent (2007–2008) river observations against other known measurements show that the information is still reasonably accurate.

Transcribed in 1993 by hand by the Streamkeeper from an old copy posted at Ed Webb's campground. Reproduced exactly as posted at Webb's in years past.

                     Dead River Gage Correlations

  Gage is located river left upstream of New England White Water
  (where the CMP parking lot is located) and the cemetery on a tree
  approximately 50 feet upstream of the disused USGS gage-house.  The
  gage is easily accessable by car by following the road through NEWW.
  The gage levels and corresponding CFS are provided by USGS survey.

      GAGE     CFS            GAGE    CFS             GAGE    CFS

      2.50     835            4.50    4555            6.50    10300
      2.60     965            4.60    4795            6.60    10630
      2.70    1095            4.70    5035            6.70    10980
      2.80    1240            4.80    5285            6.80    11350
      2.90    1390            4.90    5545            6.90    11710
      3.00    1550            5.00    5810            7.00    12090
      3.10    1715            5.10    6075
      3.20    1890            5.20    6350
      3.30    2065            5.30    6630
      3.40    2250            5.40    6910
      3.50    2440            5.50    7195
      3.60    2635            5.60    7490
      3.70    2830            5.70    7785
      3.80    3025            5.80    8085
      3.90    3230            5.90    8390
      4.00    3440            6.00    8695
      4.10    3650            6.10    9010
      4.20    3870            6.20    9325
      4.30    4095            6.30    9645
      4.40    4320            6.40    9970            9.60    23200

USGS Gage—Dead River near Dead River Maine

Gage ID: 01043500, Location: 45d 13m 49.65s, -70d 11m 59.4s.
This gage is retired. It was in use from 1940 through 1982. The river at this location has a drainage area of 516 square miles.

The remains of the gage can be found near the bridge just below dam outflow on Flagstaff Lake (near Grand Falls). The physical condition in 2007 was unknown.

News

Guidebooks

World Whitewater: A Global Guide for River Runners
$16.07

Classic Northeastern Whitewater Guide : The Best Whitewater Runs in New England and New York
$19.95

Let it Rain: A paddlers guide to northeastern US and Canada
$39.95

Rapid Summary

Mile	Rapid Name	Class	Features (Legend)
0.3	Spencer Rips	III
0.6	Unnamed Rapid	II
0.7	Unnamed Rapid	II
1.2	Unnamed Rapid	II
1.4	Quatro Wave Train	II
1.5	The Mine Field	III+
2.6	Recovery Pool
2.7	Unnamed Rapid	II
3.1	Haydens Landing
3.2	Haydens Rapid	III+
3.4	Unnamed Rapid	II
3.6	Unnamed Rapid	II
4.0	The Basin
4.3	Gravel Pit Put-in
5.0	Unnamed Rapid	I
5.8	Unnamed Rapid	II
6.4	Unnamed Rapid	II
6.7	Unnamed Rapid	II+
7.0	Enchanted Stream
7.0	Enchanted Rapid	III
7.5	Elephant Rock	III
7.9	Unnamed Rapid	II+
8.0	Unnamed Rapid	II+
8.0	Pine Tree Beach Rapid	II+
8.4	Pine Tree Beach
8.5	Unnamed Rapid	II+
8.9	Mile Long rapid	III+
9.6	Evil Nasty Hole	III+
9.7	Recovery Pool
10.0	Unnamed Rapid	II
10.3	Unnamed Rapid	II
10.7	Upper Spruce Ledge	III
11.0	Lower Spruce Ledge	III
11.3	Unnamed Rapid	II
11.4	Race Course Put-in
11.6	Upper Popular Hill Falls	III+
11.6	Upper Poplar Hill Falls	III
11.9	Lower Poplar Hill Falls	III+
12.6	Access Road
13.6	USGS Gage
14.0	Public Parking Area
14.8	Downtown West Forks

Rapid Descriptions

Spencer Rips (Class III, Mile 0.3)

Surfing at Spencers

Surfing at Spencers

Photo of Corinne Powers by Mark Lacroix taken 5/26/02 @ 6000 cfs

River narrows and pushes up agaist a rock wall on river right then drops into a pool like area. Good wavetrain at the end but tough to make it back up the eddy.

Unnamed Rapid (Class II, Mile 0.6)
Short rapid, good surfing at some levels.

Unnamed Rapid (Class II, Mile 0.7)
Easy rapid.

Quatro Wave Train (Class II, Mile 1.4)

Surfing at Quatro

Surfing at Quatro

Photo of Mike Rock and George O'connell by Mark Lacroix taken 5/26/02 @ 6000 cfs

This is one of the best play spots on the river. It is a short ledge drop named for the series of surf waves that form at 3500 and up. Quattro lies on river right after a rather wide sweeping left hand turn. Catch the eddy on the right shore to setup to catch the waves. At lower water levels a nice wide smooth wave forms at the top of the eddy. There is usually enough room for up to 4 boaters to surf at the same time. Other waves below the Quatro wave form and can be surfed but these are more defined at the higher release levels of >5500 cfs. At that level up to a dozen boaters can be surfing at the same time within a very short distance.

The Mine Field (Class III+, Mile 1.5)
After Quattro and a stretch of quickwater come The Minefield, long (1.1 miles) rapid that really shines at medium and higher levels. Filled with boulders at low water, holes at higher water. The difficulty increases halfway down and near the bottom.  Both these spots are located where the river turns to the left.

Recovery Pool
A wide flat area where river opens up and turns left. Trips stop here to regroup and rest after Minefield. Play area at bottom of Minefield on river-right.

Unnamed Rapid (Class II, Mile 2.7)
Easy rapid, class 1/2 leading into Hayden's Landing.

Haydens Landing
Good lunch spot here. After the large eddy below Haydens the river narrows back down with a few waves and holes along the way. Just above the drop there is a nice beach/campsite on the right often used as a lunch stop. Immediately after this beach the river drops sharply. The best route is river left over the large haystacks but move towards river right about halfway down to avoid a large trashy hole. There are many other smaller holes as you move to the right that need to be avoided.

Haydens Rapid (Class III+, Mile 3.2)
Haydens is a tough rapid, as the river narrows significantly here.  At higher levels it full of huge holes and waves.  The cleanest route is start right-of-center, work a little to the left, the head back right of center towards the bottom. Nice play hole on river right just above pourover. Be careful, big wide eddy below the drop.

Unnamed Rapid (Class II, Mile 3.4)
Easy rapid, class 1-2.

Unnamed Rapid (Class II, Mile 3.6)
Another easy class 2.

The Basin
Approximately two miles of quickwater split up with an occasional drop/wave.4.

Gravel Pit Put-in
The traditional "half way" point put on, really only one-third of the way down the river.4.27

Unnamed Rapid (Class I, Mile 5.0)
A short rapid half-way thru The Basin.

Unnamed Rapid (Class II, Mile 5.8)
Another easy rapid marks the end of The Basin.

Unnamed Rapid (Class II, Mile 6.4)
Another easy one.

Unnamed Rapid (Class II+, Mile 6.7)
Easy rapid approaching Enchanted Stream (halfway point) on left.

Enchanted Stream
Good lunch spot where pool forms as stream enters the river.

Enchanted Rapid (Class III, Mile 7.0)
Enchanted Rapid blends into Elephant Rock Rapid at 2400 and higher.

Elephant Rock (Class III, Mile 7.5)

Pinball slot at Elephant Rock

Pinball slot at Elephant Rock

Photo of Tom Foster & Nance by Mark Lacroix taken 7/5/03 @ 2400 cfs

Look for the rock a few feet of the river-right bank at the base of the rapid.  Usually a pour-over, there is a huge surfing hole extending from the rock towards the center of the river that attracts rafts. At higher levels a hydraulic develops here. Best route thru the bottom of the rapid is in the center. Stay left through a nice series of haystacks. At the bottom you can go far right to run "Pinball". This is a narrow slot between the "Elephant's foot" and the river-right wall.

Unnamed Rapid (Class II+, Mile 7.9)
Easy rapid below Elephant Rock.

Unnamed Rapid (Class II+, Mile 8.0)
Another easy one.

Pine Tree Beach Rapid (Class II+, Mile 8.0)
Easy rabid where river turns left.

Pine Tree Beach
A popular lunch spot for rafting trips. Look for the beach on river-left just below the rapid.

Unnamed Rapid (Class II+, Mile 8.5)
A short drop, similar to Quattro. Good play waves/holes.

Mile Long rapid (Class III+, Mile 8.9)
As the name suggest this is a long rapid that gradually increases in difficulty as one heads downstream. At high release levels this rapid is full of holes, some sticky. The biggest ones are at the bottom of the rapid. The best route at the bottom of Mile Long is in the center along the boiling wave train.

Evil Nasty Hole (Class III+, Mile 9.6)
Near the bottom of Mile Long Rapid there is a very dangerous hole and hydraulic. This was the site of a fatality in October 2005; a near drowning in September 2006 that required an airlift evacuation; and numerous other close calls where both raft guides and passengers were trapped and unable to get free without outside assistance.

Evil Nasty Hole at 5500 CFS

Photo taken from river-left shore on 9/2/07.

Bottom of Mile Long at 5500.

Downstream river-left shore view; Evil Nasty Hole in the foreground, FBI Hole on river-right in background. Photo taken on 9/2/07 from shore approximately 10 yards upstream of hole.

The problem hole is fairly benign looking (especially from above). Just looking at it you would not expect it to cause these type of problems, but it is surprisingly retentive with a strong recirculating current. Only after passing by is the steep drop-off and strong hydraulic visible.

The hole is formed by a big, flat, round rock left-of-center. The resulting hydraulic is huge and deep, with a visible horizon line and a "frowny face" characteristic of dangerous holes of this type (sometimes called "drowning machines). At 3500 CFS the rock is a slight pour-over, at 4500 CFS it forms a dangerous hydraulic; at 6000 it's been described as "nasty". The victim in the 2006 accident later described himself as "fighting like mad", trying to go up, down, left and right to get free before he lost consciousness after being recirculated many times. If a paddler does find themselves in the hole the best approach is to attempt to stay in their boat. The highest risk is to swimmers since the hole is so deep; the hole surges and objects floating on the surface eventually tend to get flushed out.

This is a wide section of the river, this is not the only hole in the vicinity. The bottom of Mile Long is full of holes, including one big wide one at the very bottom on river-right called the "FBI Hole". However these have all been described as "very flushy" and unlikely to hold someone. There is also another raft-surfable hole near the Evil Nasty Hole, so people sometimes may mistake the Evil Nasty one as being surfable.

Above the problem hole is a relative calm section that may draw paddlers towards the left side in an attempt to avoid the large boiling wave train down the center. However the short calm section ends with Evil Nasty Hole followed by a final ledge drop into a flat area on river-left. With several "mean" holes on the right, and Evil Nasty on the left, the cleanest line thru the bottom of Mile Long is generally straight down the boiling wave train in the center of the rapid (although it doesn't appear so from the approach).

Some descriptions place this hole as much as a quarter-mile below the bottom of Mile Long Rapid. Others place it just before the end of the rapid. These differences are attributed to the lack of a definitive location as to the exact end of the rapid. (Depending upon water level, the characteristics of the rapid can change greatly.) However, below Mile Long the river gets wide and flattens out with a huge open area and eddy along river-left where paddlers and rafts stop and regroup. (This flat area is also immediately above a very recognizible long rock wall lining the left bank.) The problem hole is located on river-left a few dozen yards above the flat area with a narrow channel between it and the left bank. In a hard boat it is fairly easy to skirt the hole between it and the bank, but rafts tend to be drawn back into the hole when this is tried.

At very high levels (7000 CFS and higher) two really big wave-holes form in a row just right-of-center at the end of Mile Long. One kayak was stuck in one of these at 13,000 CFS for a reported 10 minutes until it was literally flipped into the air.

Recovery Pool
Wide area at bottom of Mile Long where trips stop and regroup along the left bank.

Unnamed Rapid (Class II, Mile 10.0)
Class 2 drop, rocky at lower levels.

Unnamed Rapid (Class II, Mile 10.3)
Another easy rapid.

Upper Spruce Ledge (Class III, Mile 10.7)
Named for the high rock outcropping on river-left, visible from river-right as you approach.

Lower Spruce Ledge (Class III, Mile 11.0)
Bony class 2 at 1800 and lower.

Unnamed Rapid (Class II, Mile 11.3)
Short class 2 drop.

Race Course Put-in
Rest spot on river-left where jeep trail comes to rivers edge.  Look for an opening in the woods with a painted rock. It's also possible to walk out from here.  The road on river-left circles back to the river at the bottom of Lower Poplar. On river-right is an old railroad bed that follows along the river.  This is also the spot there the US Nationals held in the 1990's started.

Upper Popular Hill Falls (Class III+, Mile 11.6)
Upper Popular Hill Falls can be identified by a marked rock on river left. This rock is painted red and has a black insignia on it that looks like a flag or could be a "P". The rapid after this is Upper Popular. This rapid can be just as difficult as Lower Popular should you chose a poor route through the rapid. There is a large river wide hole at the bottom that can easily be punched.

Upper Poplar Hill Falls (Class III, Mile 11.6)
The river picks up the pace here, the rapid is much steeper then prior sections. Look out for a number of rocks and holes near the bottom.

Lower Poplar Hill Falls (Class III+, Mile 11.9)

Poplar Hill Falls

Poplar Hill Falls

Photo of Mary, TC, John, Sam, Mo, & Nancy by Mark Lacroix taken 7/5/03 @ 2400 cfs

Class IV above 5000 cfs. This is the biggest rapid on the river. The river channels to the left bank and drops through a long boulder and hole strewn path. Boat scouting is the easiest way to run. Lookout for a nice wave train that leads right into a hole at the top.

Access Road
Jeep access road at bottom of Lower Poplar. Just above the bridge abutments for the old railroad. The road lead out to the Magic Falls facility and public parking area.

USGS Gage
Local of (retired) USGS gage.  All that remains is the staff fastened to a tree and extending out of the water.  Buildings appear on river-left shortly after this.

Public Parking Area
Take-out and public parking area next to Magic Falls Rafting facility.

Downtown West Forks
Take-out and paddling hangout at Webb's Campground.