Roaring Branch
Kelly Stand Road to East Kansas
| Difficulty | V |
| Length | 3.7 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 230 fpm |
| Reach Info Last Updated | May 1, 2018 |
Access is along Kelly Stand road which can by muddy when the river is running. Four wheel drive recommended. The river itself is a classic very steep New England creek.
The Roaring Branch is a highly underrated Vermont creek. Mainly due to the fact that the white water comes not in distinct rapids but rather as a three and a half mile gauntlet with a couple highlights. High flows are best on here to pad out the shallow nature of the river, however due to the steep gradient, high flows also bring little chance for respite and introduce serious consequences for a swim. Early on the river will be small and very steep, with one rapid dubbed Spasmodic Mastication for its long complex and very rocky nature. It ends in a good sized hole. After the river confluences with the south fork it becomes bigger with countless good boofs scattered along the length, and also countless holes, big ones if the water is high. Towards the end come a set of slides stacked up which create large curling waves, holes and tough moves. The very bottom is a big uniform hole which is best avoided on far left, and is a good place to set safety. Below here is the takeout bridge.
Flow Info:
The Big Branch gauge has been offline since 2010. The Batten Kill gauge is downstream, but no correlation data is known. If you run this section please leave a comment with the gauge reading.
Aug 30, 2009
The first half mile of roaring branch, before the south fork dumps in, is tight technical and pretty steep, which equals lots of fun. This is a fun longish rapid with several cool moves, Russ dubbed it Spasmatic Mastication. Hard to find a good water level though, as there is a narrow window between low and lots of rock bashing, and high and really scary. The pictured level is slightly lower than optimal, maybe another 100cfs or so would pad stuff up better. Once the south fork dumps in the run gets more fluid and the river bed almost doubles. Big Branch was at almost 4 on the painted gauge
May 9, 2009
this is an underrated run for sure. ran it two separate times, once at medium lowish (Big Branch was at 2) and once at high (Big Branch was at 5+). at the medium low levels the upper part becomes very technical and rocky, once the south fork enters the riverbed is slightly less steep, but larger and more fluid tons of good boofs. at high this run was one of the most intense kayaking experiences of my career. definitely a solid 5. flipping or swimming would be very bad as the run is shallow and absolutely non-stop, but if you ate your wheaties very fun, you will certainly be tired at the end. be sure to scout from the road on your way up to know where the wood is. it seems there is always a fair amount and with decent water you need plenty of time to find a place stop above any downed trees. enjoy it be safe...would be a great run for a helmet cam.
