Suncook
2. Pittsfield to North Chichester
| Difficulty | I-II+(III) |
| Length | 3 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 20 fpm |
| Gauge | Soucook River, at Pembroke Road, Near Concord, Nh |
| Reach Info Last Updated | May 2, 2018 |
River Description
The Suncook is a nice medium sized river with class I-II+ rapids. The river usually runs in late March and April. The river starts out with quickwater and a few easy rapids. The action picks up as you approach the bridge at Webster Mills. Take out and scout this drop, the best route is usually right of center avoiding a wide hole. In high water this section can reach class III in difficulty. Below the bridge the river widens and can get rather shallow in low water.
River Features
Put In
Take Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportPaddled this today - June 30, 2013 - at 7.2 feet, which was a decent water level. The listed length is wrong - we GPS'ed it and the trip is a solid nine miles, not six. The description and comment below are also misleading. This is a challenging, ~3hr paddle with plenty of I-II whitewater as well as two short class III rapids which should both be scouted. The first one is a couple miles in at a sharp right turn in the river and can be scouted from the right.
The put in is on Joy St in Pittsfield. There's a path to the left of a submarine-sized propane tank. The take out on the map is on a residential road and we could not find a put in there. Instead, the take out that we used is in Epsom on a dirt road in a trailer park immediately downriver of the Dover Rd bridge (to drive there, pass the McDonalds on your right then take a right before the bridge). This is where the second class III rapid is.
Beautiful scenery, friendly locals, multiple strainers.
Greenzero8,
I think the intended takeout is Webster Mills because it is quickwater all the way to Dover Rd. You went quite a bit further. I also ran the river all the way down to Rt 4 (Dover Rd) 2 years ago, but found MAJOR trees (like full sized oak and pine) across the river about a mile from the Epsom Circle. A debris field left over from hurricanes. It was an area of the river that had steep sandy walls, so portage was nasty. Looked like a death trap at high water. Did you come across this major blockade? Is it still there?
This section of the Suncook is mostly swift water, a couple easy class I rapids begin just above the larger rapid and the takeout at Websters Mills. Due to the easy nature of the river it makes a good learning and teaching ground for beginning kayakers and un-seasoned canoeists who can opt to takeout and easily portage the final drop. There are two or so destinct class I rapids just above the larger rapid at the takeout. The biggest challenge here is manuvering your boat arround a few rocks in the current. Novice paddlers can easily take out on river left just above the final rapid - from here it is just a short cary to the parking on the road. This portage makes for a great vantage point to watch experienced class II paddlers run the final drops before and under the bridge.
Seasoned paddlers looking for a thrill will be dissapointed by this run, although the takeout and \'websters mills\' rapid make for a centrally located play spot up to class II+ in high water.
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