Fall
Otis Reservoir to Farmington River
| Difficulty | IV+ |
| Length | 1.2 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 91 fpm |
| Reach Info Last Updated | October 19, 2022 |
River Description
Directions from the center of Otis, Mass to the takeout at the bridge: continue south for another 1.5 miles to the intersection of Reservoir Road on your left. During the Fall release you can take out at a field approximately ¼ mile north of this intersection where the release from Fall River comes into the Farmington. To get to the putin drive up Reservoir Road approximately 1 mile, take a right at the sign for a campground (don’t remember the name) and drive to the outlet of Otis Reservoir. From here you must carry down below the unrunnable falls to the putin.
For a map and directions, click on the 'Directions' tab.
Runnable during the fall drawdown of Otis Reservoir, when paddling hordes head for the Farmington. Check out the Bear's Den Section, New Boston Section, and Upper New Boston sections of that river. The Fall River is harder and more intense than Sandy Brook
River Features
Put In
The Cleavers
Culverts
When the flow is good you can go through the culverts. Make sure to duck and keep your paddle in line with your boat. At higher level the culverts need to be portaged. Left tube is the easier of the two
Take Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportPolitely, I disagree. Spent lots of time in slalom and in Fall Creek; there are many hidden bumps and wedges and with few eddies to slow down or set-up with - especially for slalom length - finishing with only cracks to repair in the boat would be a good/lucky run. Finishing stuck in the boat somewhere is very likely IMHO.
d.
Does anyone think that this creek could be run in a glass slalom boat?
Sure go for it might break your boat but you might pull it off I ran it in a raft R-2 in 2004 we did fine
I think you are going crack your boat for sure
What a fun run. Thanks to Jim for taking the time to show us down. I'll be back every year I head to the Moose Fest.
Somewhat steep looks like a challange.
Right at the end of this clip is where you do NOT want to be. Andrew sat where the video ended for 8-10 seconds or so. His eyes got REALLY, REALLY, BIG when he landed there. More of my photos can be found on my NEW kayakingphotos.com page and my American Whitewater page.
Easier than portaging over the road, but tuck in your head, paddle, and don't flip. The culvert has a few rusty bolts sticking out.
Exiting the culverts under the road on Fall River in Otis Mass.