East Aspetuck

I ran the East Aspetuck Dec, 3, 1977 from the Rt 202 bridge at Little Bear Hill Road to the Van Car Road dam (OC-1) and my notes say it was an enjoyable class 1-2 (with some obstructions, but also lots of wildlife). On Mar 19, 2011 I scouted it along Old Mill Road to the Van Car dam. As the 2009 note points out, above Rt 202 it is narrow and twisty with driveway bridges and wood. Below Rt 202 it is away from roads a lot, running through pasture. There was a tree across the river 200 ft above the bridge by Tent Rock Rd. Along Papermill Road there’s a difficult 100 yards from a private bridge to a big rock. The Shepaug is not the East Aspetuck (do both)! Rudi Markl, NY AMC

It seems odd to list this stream. It is very small and while at times runs high enough to canoe (And is class 3 at that point) any canoeist would be decapitated every hundred yard or so by a driveway bridge, and as NO ONE every paddles it, it is not cleared there are strainers & deadfall everywhere. Take my word for it this river is in my back yard. If the East Aspetuck has enough water in it to paddle, go to the Shepaugh!
Jan 2011 - Sorry to hear of this creek's degradation - I descended it in the 1970s, when it was in the AMC Guide, and my main recollection was of beaver ponds, though I acknowledge the great whitewater. - Alf Coley