Ware
Gilbertville
| Difficulty | II-III |
| Length | 3.3 mi |
| Avg Gradient | n/a |
| Gauge | Ware River at Gibbs Crossing, Ma |
| Flow Rate as of 46 minutes | 282 cfsbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | December 12, 2009 |
River Description
There is a nice section of the Ware R. in Gilbertville that has 2 miles of class II-III rapids when the water is high enough. Runs under a covered bridge midway. It is described in the AMC whitewater guide. In the past, when the Quabog is at 5' the Ware is nice and runnable, but this is not necessarily the case, because the Ware is controled by Barre Falls dam.
A longer run of 8 miles is possible that includes the rapids makes a pleasant combination quickwater/flatwater/whitewater trip, very scenic, especially in fall foliage.
Put in is where the river goes under Hardwick Road. That is Mass Access site 188 ( Mass. Office of Fishing and Boating Access#188 PDF).
Three or four miles of flatwater later the rapids start above Gilbertville.
Take out in Gilbertville and see where the river goes under Rt 32. The Gilbertville access, near the bottom of the rapids is site 187 ( Mass. Office of Fishing and Boating Access#187 PDF). You can also take out on Church street through someones field. That is posted 'No Trespassing' and has been used to dump trash and drink judging from the TV's and bottles left behind. While paddlers have had no problems, this takeout is not recommended.
It might be possible to take out at Greenville Park in Ware, roughly 3 miles past the rapids. There may be another Mass Access site in that location.
For just the rapids, put in at 42.305162N, -72.19363W. This is on the left bank, just above the RR bridge where the rapids begin, on Gilbertville Road. There is a small parking space across the road, and the river is immediately beside the road down a bank. Take out at the bridge on Upper Church Street two miles down at 42.284857N, -72.215874W. You don't have to traipse through the field (a grass landing strip). There is a path immediately after the bridge on river left that goes up the b
...River Features
Flatwater Put-In
Whitewater Put-In
Gilbertville Take-Out
Greenville Park Take-Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportUpper side covered bridge and factory rapids
Half way thru factory rapids below covered bridge
One example of what we saw on our last trip and there are a few others out there, but all were pretty easy to avoid at ~630 CFS.
Four of us did the Ware whitewater Sun Jun 3 when the level was around 630 CFS. At that level you'll have fun but still be bumping submerged rocks on occasion. One guy tipped over just past the covered bridge and the boat swamped and then got pinned on a rock. Eventually he got it freed and we recovered everything.
One of our group tipped and lost his boat on our last Ware trip. It got pinned on the rock he's sitting on but eventually he got it loose. Flow here was ~630 CFS.