Pemigewasset, Hancock Branch
Cheney Trail–East Branch Confluence
| Difficulty | V |
| Length | 4 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 171 fpm |
| Gauge | East Branch Pemigewasset River at Lincoln, Nh |
| Flow Rate as of 15 minutes | 4.45 ftbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | May 2, 2018 |
River Description
Source: Greg and Sue Hanlon's Steep Creeks of New England, which has more info on this run. Text used with permission.
Directions: from Lincoln, drive 2.5 miles East on Rte. 112 (Kancamagus Hwy). Park in the dirt parking lot, river right, just downstream of the Loon Mtn. Bridge.
Putin: continue East on 112 ~ 6.2 miles, crossing the East Branch to the first bridge across the Hancock Branch. Park in the Cheney Brook / East Pond Trail lot on the right.
This run includes 2 miles on East Br., Pemigewasset; these two miles aren't figured in the gradient listed above.
Flow Info:
Judge the water level from the road. The gage referenced above is approximate, based on a correlation.
A better guide is the E. Br. Pemi. 12.0 ft (9000 cfs) usually means a high level on the Hancock Branch.
River Features
Map of the Upper Pemi region
Put In
Take Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportboated this river today and I found the section between the put in and otter rocks to definitely passable for a 12ft Esquif Nitro the east branch was pumping at 6000 when I made the ferry to the Hancock campground. A really fun run that kept me on my toes the whole way.
Otter Rocks
roadside ledge
roadside ledge
Otter Rocks
Five of us ran this river when the East Branch of the Pemi was at about 8000 cfs (very high). Four were in kayaks, I was in an open boat. The steepest part of the run is the put in down to Otter Rocks, which is too tight for an open boat.
The river opens up considerably below Otter Rocks because of a sizable tributary at the Rocks. Most of the run is boulder gardens with small to medium sized rocks, easy Class 5. There are two steep ledgey type drops, one about 1/3 of the way down, the other about 2/3 of the way down. We portaged the second drop because there is a very sticky looking hole at the bottom, which would be difficult to avoid. Others have run this drop successfully, scout it first.
There was a river wide tree just below water level in May 2001 about half way down the run, plus a fair amount of smaller trees in other locations. Be careful.
Open boaters: if you are running at very high water as we were, you should make the ferry across the East Branch of the Pemi to the takeout at the campground starting at river right on the Hancock immediately where the Hancock Branch meets the Pemi. I started about 100 yards downstream of the confluence, and got swamped before I could finish the crossing. Alternatively, you could carry up to the Kancamaugus Highway about 1/4 mile along the East Branch on river left.