Deerfield
5) Zoar Picnic Area to East Charlemont
| Difficulty | I-II |
| Length | 12 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 17 fpm |
| Gauge | Deerfield River at Charlemont, Ma |
| Flow Rate as of 30 minutes | 262 cfsrunnable |
| Reach Info Last Updated | August 7, 2023 |
Projects
On October 5, 1994, American Whitewater signed a landmark settlement agreement with the New England Power Company, anglers, conservationists, and government agencies regarding the management of the Deerfield River (FERC P-2323). Located in Western Massachusetts, the Deerfield River is a classic whitewater run, and the settlement recognized its recreational, [...]Read More
River Description
This section of the Deerfield River has a number of smaller rapids and riffles that make it a popular summer tubing float but also a good training ground for whitewater boaters. The river can be wide, shallow, and slow but it is a good reach for those seeking a fun float on a hot summer day and regularly enjoyed by groups that can include families, Scouts, and church groups.
The first few rapids between Zoar Picnic Area and Shunpike Rest Area are particularly good for training and instruction and the eddy line at Conjunction Junction is good for stern squirts or long down time in a squirt boat.
It takes the water a couple hours to reach the put-in at Zoar Picnic Area when released from the dam so keep that in mind when considering what flow will be for the day.
Logistics: There are a number of access points and much of this segment is roadside but please respect private property along this section. Good public access points include the put-in at Zoar Gap Picnic Area on river left, the intermediate access point at Shunpike Rest Area on river left, and the take-out at East Charlemont Boat Ramp on river left. There are a few roadside pullouts on the lower stretches of the run that also have good swimming holes. Great Outdoors maintains a private access that is popular with tubers but can also be used by boaters for a modest fee. The Highway 8A Bridge is not recommended due to private property immediately adjacent to the bridge.
Outfitters located along the highway that parallels this reach serve tubers, whitewater boaters, and guests interested in an outfitted trip on this segment or more commonly one of the more challenging whitewater sections upstream.
River Features
Zoar Picnic Area Put-In
Access point on river left at this popular picnic area that can get busy on weekends given that it also serves as the take-out for the Fife Brook run and a popular access point for tubers. There are a handful of points to access the water either at the upstream end of the picnic area where a trail leads down to the river on the downstream side of the bridge or at a rock stairway centrally located in the park.
Slam Dance Rapid
Straighforward rapid with a few boulders to navigate.
Spin Out Rapid
Rapid formed by the outwash of a creek that enters the river from river left concentrating the flow on river right.
Conjunction Junction
Confluence where the Cold River comes in on river and joins the Deerfield. It forms a fun eddyline that is known as a regional draw for squirt boaters.
Shunpike Rest Area Access
Access downstream river left of Highway 2 Bridge at the Shunpike Rest Area. This is a common access point that serves as a take-out for those doing the short beginner run from Zoar Picnic Area down to this point.
Great Outdoors Private Access
Tubing outfitter that provides a private access for a fee. This is the preferrred access over the 8A Bridge.
East Charlemont Boat RampTake Out
Public boat ramp on river left.
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportOn the trip out after Deerfield Festival, I captured a few images of the primary access points.
In advance of the American Whitewater board meeting at Deerfield Festival, a few members of American Whitewater staff and board got out on the river. We ran the Fife Brook section but continued on downtream for a bit to boat a couple miles on this section.
I ran about the first half of this (took out at 8A bridge) at about 3,190 CFS on 7-4-23 in a 16' tandem canoe. At this level, it was a great class II run, with a little bit of added stakes because the river was swift the whole way down. Eddies were few, small and not always easy to catch.
There were well-paced choppy read-and-run rapids throughout the run that would be nothing special to adept kayakers, but were super fun to maneuver in our canoe. I could easily see a novice flipping a canoe and having a good long swim at this level.
There was a hundred plus yard-long rapid shortly after the put-in (you can scout this from the road as you're driving to the picnic area). We chose to enter this one center-right and then cut over and stayed left through the rest of it. There's another rapid a few hundreds after this one that I don't remember anything about it, other than it was the one point in the day when we got a real good splash and had to pull over and bail out the boat.
There's an island right before the Cold River confluence. We took the left channel around the island, which was fast and choppy. The right channel bends a long way around the island and mixes with the incoming Cold River. The combined currents of the Cold River and the right channel then flow headfirst into the left channel. Think of a head-on collision. That's what the currents did here at this level. (Find the confluence of Cold River and the Deerfield on a map and you'll see what I'm talking about.) Right where this head-on collision current occurs, the river cuts left for a couple hundred feet of fast but not choppy water, before another hundred yards or so of read-and-run class I/II rapids passing under a trestle.
One other note: there'd been a lot of rain, so not only had the spillways at the dam been open for a few days, but presumably Cold River and other tributaries were also contributing a lot of flow. I don't know how these circumstances might make the Cold River confluence rapid behave differently than it would at a similar flow level, but where 100% of the flow is coming from a dam release.
The take-out we used was not developed and was kinda a hassle. Cross over the 8A bridge from Charlemont, there's a parking area on your right and a bunch of knotweed and flood plain you have to walk through to get to the river. I don't necessarily recommend it, at least not with a big tandem canoe.