Pond Brook
Baker Pond to Wentworth
| Difficulty | IV-V |
| Length | 3.1 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 110 fpm |
| Gauge | Baker River Near Rumney, Nh |
| Flow Rate as of 46 minutes | 2.17 ftbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | May 29, 2006 |
River Description
Pond Brook is a very narrow steep creek. The river starts out class III then eases somewhat through a swampy area. The action picks up at about the 1 mile mark then quickly starts to build up to continuous class IV and V. It's geology is somewhat unusual for New England, it has a lot of ledgy type drops of 2' to 3' spaced closely to each other. One drop runs over a granite slide that drops approximately 30' over a 100' distance. Some of the river can be scouted from state route 25A which runs along the run but many drops are out of view from the road.
Pond Brook is located in the Upper Baker River valley about 16 miles west of Plymouth.
It is a relatively small river that drains Lower Baker Pond. The river itself starts at the dam at Lower Baker Pond. There is good warmup rapids for the first half mile but you must portage around a low snowmobile bridge then contend with some flat water. For this reason most paddlers chose to put in ½ mile further downstream where NH 25A comes close to the river. At this point the river is flat and running through an open marsh. Shortly after the river enters the forest class II-III rapids begin. The most significant factors in this section are tree falls and strainers. Boat scout each drop carefully to avoid problems. The action picks up about a mile and half below Lower Baker Pond. Some class III ledge drops start appearing the first of which is 'Roadside'. More small ledge drops continue until they start to pick up in intensity just after the 2 mile mark. The remaining mile of river contains the largest and most intense rapids. It is mostly away from the road but never more than a quarter mile. Starting at Z-chute there is evidence of river modifications for mills built in the 19th century. These mills are long gone but the rock work is evident all the way to the last rapid.
Posted by Dan Holzman on the MVP message board 3/30/03
Pond Brook has some outstanding ledges, very photogenic, e
...River Features
Map of the Mid Pemi region
Roadside
After a long series of class II and III ledge drops and rapids the river pulls in close to the route 25a on river left. Roadside rapid starts with a congested rapid that pushes a paddler towards river right then drops over a 3 foot ledge. The main flow heads directly into a couple large boulders. The left side of the ledge is rather shallow in medium water.
Funnel
When you notice the river narrow significantly through a dark hemlock forest you are approaching the Funnel. The river narrows to 22 feet wide then drops over a 3 foot ledge. The right side below the ledge has a ski jump. Most paddlers chose to run hugging river left. Be careful when running this section since a tree fall could easily span the entire river.
Island
Not necessarily a tough section but it lies just above the Megaslide so a screw up here could be consequential. The river breaks up into several narrow channels amongst ledge drops. Pull out in the eddy below and scout Megaslide.
Megaslide
This is the toughest drop on Pond Brook. Shortly after Island the river drops over a double ledge with a somewhat sticky river wide hole. Right after the last ledge drop catch the eddy on river right just above the main part of the slide. The slide itself drops 30 ft within a distance of 100 feet. The main part of the chute forces paddlers through a large hole then directly into a rock with a vertical face upstream. This top of this rock is barely above the water surface at medium levels and forces the river sharply right through the final portion of the drop. This rock usually has a good pillow in front of it but still most paddlers tend to hit it. Good reason to have elbow pads.
Z-Chute
Another narrowing section of the river leads up to Z-Chute. The first ledge drops down to a large curler angled from upstream right to downstream left. Immediately after the end of the downstream left curler another curler cuts to downstream right. At the bottom there is a relatively large hole.
Powerline
Located directly under the overhead power lines. At the top the river drops over a 3 to 4 foot ledge. The second drop forces the paddler to start on river left then maneuver diagonally over another 4 foot ledge towards river right.
Minislide
A short distance below the power lines the river drops over another series of ledges then finally runs out into a violent slide. The best approach is to run directly below a midstream boulder at the top of the first ledge then ride out the rest of the drop trying to stay upright in the violent chute between two parallel ledges on either side of the river.
Backyard Slide
The final rapid on Pond Brook is a long and fun one. Just above the rapid the river splits around an island. The left channel is usually best. Just after the Island the river turns right and drops over a long slide best run on river right. Just after the slide there is a series of low ledges with sticky holes. A small pool lies just upstream of Backyard Boof. Line yourself up in the center of the river and push off the 8 foot vertical ledge drop. Below this there is another small ledge drop that leads to a bridge. Once past the bridge the river flattens out for the rest of its distance to the Baker River. The rapid is named after the residential backyards it flows through. The residents on river right are very friendly and take interest in our adventure just watch out for their river side flower beds if you should scout or decide to take another run on Backyard Boof.
Take Out
The takeout at the bridge at Backyard rapid has limited parking but is the most convenient. If your group is small then this would be your best bet. Large groups should park their vehicles at the Wentworth ball field directly across the street from the convenience store which is just before route 25 crosses over the Baker river. The confluence of Pond Brook is actually downstream a ways. If you paddle all the way to the Baker you will have to carry back upstream some distance. Another option would be to cut across a spit of land just as Pond Brook takes a sharp right in the runout flatwater below Backyard rapid. Once at the Baker you're vehicle will be directly across the river.
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportDartmouth paddlers started running this in '96. Here is a write-up of how we broke it down from then:
It is a great run because it is very continuous class III, with most of the drops described in detail being in the IV range. So even for a really good boater you're never bored, nor is there any flatwater to get across. About halfway through the run, not long after you leave the road, the first horizon line means you have gotten into 'Hola' and now the thick of the things. It is basically a 1 meter drop into a very aerated hole, but brace well coming through, as there is another hole immediately below due to a shallow rock that will great you in the language of it's choosing. Prediction: pain. Then it is back to the class III boat scouting for a while. After half a kilometer (1/3 mi.) brings you to a sloping drop into a ledge with a large rock at the bottom right. You want to run this far right to avoid the piton rock which left an indelible impression on 2 of the 10 boats that have run it, gaining it the name 'Pignose.' 100 meters down is 'Lefty's Grave' due to the Tombstone-esque rock on ricer left which 90% of the flow drops onto. Boof center with right angle and then work back left to catch the homeplate eddy (get in and you're safe). A swim would be ugly, as 15 meters (20 yards) down are two cass IV back-to-back. The first is 'Right Slide Up,' as 'tis a slippery slope of rock and any inversion would be most unfortunate. The problematic of said rapid is the guardian rock above the eddy at the bottom right which you want to catch. The eddy, that is, not the rock. You can sneak past the rock on the far right, or run the hero route down the middle and then eddy out. Immediately below this is Screw Two (too?), a drop named for its striking similarity to Corkscrew in the five falls of Chatooga section IV, only mirrored left-to-right. Start river right and peel out wide to prevent dropping down the vertical shaft, ride up onto the hole/pillow at the bottom left and get flushed to the right. It's all in the line-up. After that, you just drop in and hold on. Another quarter kilometer brings you to 'Power Trip,' easily recognizable by the high-voltage lines which are the reason for the clear cut up to the road mentioned in the 'level' section above. Go left on the first ledge, and then either sneak left, or work center to left. It's best to scout the next bit when checking the level, as the channel has been straightened and it is non-stop until the end of the clear cut, and any strainers here would be quite a bummer. The next rapid, just below the Bachelor family's home is quite a party. Run the two ledges center to right, punching the hole and watching out for the curler of f the left wall. Things mellow for a half a kilometer or so as you come into 'civilization,' at least by central New Hampshire standards. The river winds through a few people's back yards, passing in to the 'center' of Wentworth. The next significant drop is 'Jiffy Lube' which you can run blind just entering center and sliding down the right. I'd run it sans scouting if the locals seem to be getting restless. Unfortunately the final/crux rapid is up next and scouting is definitely advised. You're definitely in someone's back yard, so try to be nice. Across the street is the Wentworth Inn. If you stay there (a quaint old place) tell them the first folks to kayak the river sent you, and we say 'hey.' It can't cost much, and ensures good vibes and easy access to this fine stretch and the proximity to other good creeks is phenomenal. Anyways, the 'Inn-d of the Road' is a solid IV+, with some maneuvering at the entrance which would be great on it's own, but then goes over a 2-3meter drop that you want to boof well, as there's rocks down thar, particularly on the left. You should have felt comfortable with everything else if you're thinking about running this, not only because of the consequences, but just think how embarrassing it will be if the good 'ol folks at the Wentworth Inn are standing riverside with their camera and yours and you pencil into 'the granite of New Hampshire.' It could be ugly. And you might make the Wentworth paper as the first hack to run the drop.
Mileage, name on AW site, class per AW; our names.
1.6 Roadside III; Hola.
2.1 Funnel III+; Right Slide Up.
2.3 Island III; Lefty's Demise.
2.3 Megaslide 5.0; Screw 2.
2.4 Z-Chute III+; I considered this the lead-in of Power Trip.
2.5 Powerline IV; Power Trip.
2.6; Minislide IV; Bachelor Party.
2.9 Backyard Slide IV; Jiffy Lube.
3.0 Backyard Boof IV; Innd Of the Road.
3.1 Take Out.
Great boof rock just above takeout at Baker River