Housatonic
1. Great Falls to Falls Village Hydro Plant(Rattlesnake)
| Difficulty | III-IV |
| Length | 0.4 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 150 fpm |
| Gauge | Housatonic River at Falls Village, Ct |
| Flow Rate as of 1 hour | 856 cfsbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | March 10, 2025 |
River Description
From Kenny Unser:
The Rattlesnake is west of Rt. 7 in Falls Village, CT. It is south of Canaan and north of Cornwall. Follow signs to Falls Village. When you see a small cluster of stores, continue under the railroad bridge and around the hydro plant. The Rattlesnake section ends at the Steel Bridge that crosses the river above the hydro plant. The run can be accessed on the river right shore just north of the steel bridge and just below Great Falls.
There is an annual Class-A slalom event on the Rattlesnake that draws boaters from around the country.
Lat/longitude coords are approximate, from TopoZone.
Also check out the Swift's Bridge and Bull's Bridge sections of the Housatonic.
River Features
Put In
Take Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportUpdated water level information: The Falls Village power plant takes approximately 1500 cfs away from the Rattlesnake section. If the river is running at 2000 cfs then the 'Snake' will most likely be running at 500 cfs unless the plant is shut down. It can be run as low as 200 cfs which opens up the option of running the final drop of the great falls. (See video link below). At 500 cfs the run is fun with lots of surfing, and above 1000 it starts getting juicy. At levels over 2000 the hole at the big drop starts getting mean. You can call the local outfitters/ kayak shop in West Cornwall for info on the level and the power plant status. Clarke Outdoors 860-672-6365
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nUqO0t8Bmg
Falls Village Dam (in background)
completely diverts all water from the
Housatonic River.
Last drop on the race