Far Mill River
Shelton to Housatonic River
| Difficulty | IV |
| Length | 3.2 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 80 fpm |
| Gauge | Saugatuck River Near Redding, Ct |
| Flow Rate as of 1 hour | 27 cfsbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | May 4, 2018 |
River Description
It may help to think about this river (really a creek) in two sections, the upper and lower.
The upper section is more continuous than the lower and is about a mile in length. The highlight of this section is the first real rapid, a 10 foot vertical waterfall, followed by a short pool and then a small dam feature that is best run hard left or right. There are several more rapids in the upper section that are all boat-scoutable. When an island separates the flow, follow the right channel into the last set of rapids: a fast approach into a pillow move, followed by a ledge that can be run by sliding down the middle or boofing off the right and then making a quick move to avoid a rock...not bad for Fairfield County whitewater. After passing under the road, take out on the right by the Dunkin Donuts to either go back up and run the upper again or to portage around a pipe and begin the lower section.
The lower basically consists of two very cool Class IV rapids, a few Class II's, and a lot of flatwater. Be prepared for some general unpleasantness associated with the water quality as well. The first Class IV comes at a bend in the creek and is very difficult to boat scout. At present, there is a sizable tree blocking the channel, so visual inspection is preferable. It is a fast, narrow drop that almost makes the flatwater and septic stench worthwhile.
The second Class IV comes towards the end of the run, shortly before the Far Mill empties into the Housatonic. This 12-foot ledge can be run cleanly on the right or left, but the middle looks shallow. One more small rapid and a couple hundred feet of flats brings you to the take-out just upstream of a bridge on Rte. 110.
Shuttle Directions:
The Far Mill can be found off exit 12 on Rte. 8. To get to the upper put-in, head north on Old Stratford Rd., make a right after you pass the Dunkin Donuts (the take-out for the upper section), and then your first left after you cross the c
...River Features
Put In
Take Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reporttook a log out of left turn (z turn), the first major rapid in the second half of the run (the part after the pipe portage behind dunkin donuts)
there seems to be wood in that rapid on a regular basis and the entrance is blind so be sure to take a quick look each time you paddle it.
I had a saw on me and it only took us 10 minutes to get the wood out of there so we could run the drop cleanly.
Just paddled this for the first time Saturday. I think the gage was around 2.1 or so on the AWA site (heard from a fellow boater it was actually around 1.9) however... boney but worth the trip from NYC! Can't wait to see it a few inches or even feet higher. Quick and easy run, nice drops very forgiving. Great intro into creeking for those who want to give creeking a try. Water quality ok... but a pretty run altogether.
Kevc
This is a sweetie! Not super sic, but great for Ct. Ya got to check this one out if you are within an hour.
First main drop on the Farmill is right next to a house so scout on river right only.
at higher water, you want to be just a little bit more river left to catch the flake that will autoboof you half way down the drop and move you past the hole that forms. Far right is not the place to be.
immediately after the first water fall by the house (you can see the house in the background) is this old dam. The safest route is far far river left so you land on the angled rock and avoid the hole in the middle.
at low levels, this drop is good to go anywhere in the center. At medium levels you need to be just a bit left of center to catch the auto boof flake that is half way down the drop, or just barely right of center to boof the highest point of the horizon line. At high levels you need to take the left of center line. At no level do you want to go all the way right. You'll run into a wall and get surfed hard.
Last drop, about 500 ft from takeout
James being James.
Hit the rooster tail for the auto boof and you will be in good enough shape to give the peace sign or whatever you want. Miss the rooster tail and mess up the boof and you might pencil in and find one of the shallow rocks at the base that has fallen in from the old stone wall on river left.
Jeff cranking a boof on the last drop.
Run up and do it again and again and again as the homeowners up on the hill watch.
Jim remembering what Leland taught him by hitting the line and doing a good boof.
just hit that rooster tail and all is good
wait wait wait, grimace then BOOF and land in soft aerated water
also referred to as Z Turn by some paddlers
Henry is in the last drop/hole of this tight rapid
Jim swings wide to take on the full force of the first drop/hole
James takes the corner tight on the left side to set up for some speed through the top drop/hole and carry momentum to the right for the bottom one
Jeff takes the classic middle approach to boof over both drop/holes in this rapid
what would you do if you looked out of your condo window and saw this bunch motley fools pulling a tree out of the river? One of them even has a lozer on his strange rubber skirt
there seems to be a log that must be removed from left turn every year. Good thing this one was small and we had a saw on this trip.
You float into this rapid a bit blind, so it's always worth a quick look before heading down.