Winooski River

I have been out on the Winooski alot this summer and have become very familiar with what features come in at different levels. There are three main lines to be had at Winooski. After summer rains the level can reach between 5,000 and 10,000 cfs for several days in a row. At higher levels 6,000-10,000 a really fun slide comes in on river right near the walk way that is on the bank. You can put in where there is a sign that says canoe access this is located right at the first drop. This drop is a straight forward V with a smaller surfable wave and hole after the pourover. After this there are several eddy oppurtunities before you get to the slide. You will see where the walk way over hangs the river on the river right and there is a small two foot ledge to boof and then the slide starts the slide is money during high levels. The next line shows up on river left near chase mills, at these high levels 6,000-10,000cfs there is a large rolling pourover over the first drop and it goes into a decent size wave in the middle of the rapid followed by a house sized hole/wave which is the last part of the rapid. This thing gets huge and is seen in the picture shown on the discription. It is flushey and really big and at high levels this line is an easy high class IV rapid. Not for the faint of heart or the intermidiate paddler a bomb proof roll is a must because you will flip when you hit the house wave and about 200 yards down stream there is a damn that would result in immpending death. DO NOT RUN THIS LINE AT HIGH LEVELS UNLESS YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO BE SAFE! Expert level paddlers will have no problem seeing the line and staying on line.

At lower levels the horse shoe in the middle of the set is good fun to go over, good levels for this line are under 1000cfs but if you're a strong paddler it can be run upwards of 1800cfs. At high levels all sorts of fun fast waves form bellow the last drop in the set some of which do have eddy service, just be on point, hit you're roll and get into the eddy line fast otherwise you will have to take out around the ledge next to chase mills. For park and play put in below the rapid and paddle upstream from the route 7 bridge the best high level stuff will be on river left under the house size wave.

-Jay

First ledge lead in

The staircase on river left being deftly negotiated. As an added evening bonus: several bars and restaurants are a stone's throw away!

The setting sun plays beautifully off the falls for a warm April after work park-and-play outing at Winooski Falls,

Ledge above the falls