Wonalancet
Route 113A to Tamworth(listed on some maps as Swift River, but NOT the well-known Swift River.)
| Difficulty | III |
| Length | 4.1 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 67 fpm |
| Reach Info Last Updated | November 14, 2022 |
River Description
The Wonalancet is one of those mountain streams that rarely comes up, but when it does it provides the best introduction to creeking Class III river in all of New Hampshire. The river drains Mount Wonalancet and Mount Chocorua on the southern edge of the White Mountains (on the opposite sides of those mountains from the Mad and Swift Rivers). It flows through Hemenway State Forest and some very peaceful and lovely wilderness landscapes. Eventually it empties into the Bearcamp, and from there into the Saco. It is only runnable during the spring snow melt and periods of high runoff, rising and falling quickly, usually in a day or two. As a result, it is seldom run. If you are lucky enough to catch it up, be on the lookout for the numerous strainers that are common.
This river is listed on old maps as the Swift River. However, to avoid confusion with the better-known Swift River to the north, the paddling community refers to it by the name of its upstream section, the 'Wonalancet'. So don't be confused by any signs referring to the 'Swift River.'
There are multiple put-in and take-out's on the river, allowing paddlers the flexibility of tailoring their trip to paddler ability, interest, water level and time. The run can be as short as 2-1/2 miles or as long as 5-1/2 miles.
At a level of 0.3 (medium low) the river is an easy technical Class III. The numerous drops require good paddling skills to stay in your boat and avoid the rocks. However, a swim at this level is forgiving. At a level of 1.0 most of the rocks disappear; however, the river still has plenty of eddies and is not yet pushy and strainers may add to the challenge of the river, requiring good setting and eddy-turn skills. At a level of 2.0 the river becomes pushy, paddlers must pay attention and be ready to react quickly to rocks, holes, and strainers. At higher levels a swim could be dangerous due to the numerous strainers across and in the water.
Upper Section
The upper
...River Features
Class IV Steep Creek Put-in
Second Rt 113A Bridge Put-in
The upper put-in is reached about a mile up the road from the lower put-in's. There is only parking for about 3 cars.
First Quarter-Mile
The first quarter mile is very busy. It's a set of fairly continuous class III rapids. The river is narrow here; about half the width and half the water volume of the lower sections since it's above several of the main feeder streams.
Upper Section
The rest of the upper section is one-half mile of continuous class II rapids with an occasional class III drop or ledge.
Fowlers Mill Road Put-in
This put-on is by a dirt road with a narrow wooden bridge over the river. I'ts just upstream of the lower put-in. There is very little parking, however it has the advantage of being above a very nice rapid that you would otherwise miss. It's also hidden from the road allowing more privacy for boaters getting ready for the run.
Paugus Brook Rapid
This rapid is a tight, busy 200 yards of continuous class III features. Paugus Brook flows into the river just past the start of the rapid; almost doubling the river width and water volume. The National Forest trail crosses over the river as well providing a nice view of boaters paddling the rapid. The rapid ends at the lower put-in.
Route 113A Bridge Put-in.
Driving north along Route 113A, this put-in is 3.25 road miles north of Tamworth where the road first crosses over the river. The gage is located here on the river-right bridge abutment.
Middle Section
Below the first Route 113A bridge the river features continuous class II rapids with occasional class III drops or short sections. The river is wider here then the upper section, providing more of a river feel then that of a creek. At levels over one foot it starts to become pushy as well.
Forest Run Rapid
The Forest Run section of the river is the most changelling. Three-quarters mile of continuous class III rapids and drops. There is a slight break in the action one-third of the way down where the State Forest trail bridge crosses over the river. The bottom of the rapid is visible from the road about a quarter-mile south of the trailhead pull-off/parking; this is an excellent spot to scout the river if you are unsure of the water level or difficulity. If there is enough water here then the entire run from the lower put-in to Tamworth will be boatable. Additionally the rapids here are characteristic of the most difficult sections of the river and will allow the paddler to gage overall river conditions to their ability level.
To scout the bottom of Forest Run, drive along Route 113A, one-quarter mile south of the State Forest trail-head pull off. There is a small pull off here where
you can walk down to the bottom of the rapid.
Trail Bridge
One-third of the way thru Forest Run, the river takes a short break where the State Forest trail crosses over the river. There is easy access to the river from here with trails leading along the side.
Unnamed Class III
After Forest Run, the next three-quarters mile has three significant class III rapids, each in their own quarter-mile. The first is an easy III switchback around the rocks.
S-Turn
S-Turn is a pushy, technical, right-to-left move thru the rocks and over a ledge, followed by a quick right. This drop frequently collects strainers due to the large rocks in the channel. This is also one of the more difficult sections of the river.
Rapid above Short Run Take-Out
A short class III rapid ends at the short run take-out up a steep bank. Generally boaters only use this take-out during mid-week trips that have limited time.
Short Run Take-Out
The early take-out is 1.4 road miles north of the intersection of routes 113/113A in Tamworth. There is a small pull-off here.
Lower Section
After the Short Run take-out the river is a mixture of class II and III rapids. As the river approaches the town of Tamworth it settles down to continuous class II.
Tamworth Falls
As the river approaches the town there is an abrupt 3 foot ledge drop. The drop is blind and frequently has strainers in it, be sure to stop and scout. It can be sneaked around on the left.
Below the drop is several hundred yards of class II/III rapids that end at the bridge leading into town.
Take-out
Take off at a public paved parking area near the Tamworth Inn.
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportFrank Harrison and Sean Reese paddled the middle section at med-low level this weekend. We looked at the painted gauge and it was approximately 0.5 ft, which also touched the gravel that was built up against the bridge abutment on the bottom of the gauge. The correlation gauge on AW indicated 0.6 ft and the water level was dropping through the day, so it was accurate. The entire first half of the ~4 mile run (from Paugus Brook to Tamworth Center) was clean and the most fun with technical class 2+ drops, perhaps a class 3 moment here or there at this low level. We counted 7 trees in the river. The downed trees were distributed over the bottom 2 miles, closer to town. 5 of them are passable with a 6 to 8 ft opening at one end and not difficult for Class 3 paddlers to access, even in higher water. Just need to pay attention. The other 2 trees were river-wide and required portage. There is a large tree that blocks the left fork around a large island about a 1/2 mile from the town center. The tree is more safely portaged on river right, but the right fork is low water and we had to walk a good portion of it. Next time we would probably cross the island find a spot to drop back into the left fork. As for scouting drops, there was only one we had to scout for wood, as described above (Tamworth Falls). Looks like the center drop would be the best choice at 1 ft and higher. At this med-low level, the only passage without significant scraping was through a tight jackknife drop on river right. We had to enter with the kayak pointing at 2 o'clock, then conduct an immediate spin to the 10 o'clock position to avoid a piton boulder. It was a fun challenge at the end. After this drop, the river widens and becomes shallow and slow. We look forward to get back there and experience the river at 1 ft.
The Tamworth Inn is now the Tamworth distillery. The take-out parking lot is next door.
24 June 2009 Trip down Wonalancet from Fowler's Mill to Tamworth center, also did upper section to Fowler's Mill after. @ 4.70 ft