Green (Hoosic River Trib.)
Hopper Rd, Rt. 43 to Hoosic River
| Difficulty | II-III |
| Length | 4.3 mi |
| Avg Gradient | n/a |
| Gauge | Green River at Williamstown, Ma |
| Flow Rate as of 46 minutes | 81 cfs |
| Reach Info Last Updated | January 18, 2019 |
River Description
The Green River is a classic low gradient, low volume, class II-III river that runs off the Berkshires, including Mt. Greylock. It contains 3 definable class IIIs, all short, and lots of old mill drops. There are a few strainers here or there, so keep watch. It is mostly very chill, fast-moving, class I-II, interspersed with some short drops.
The most commonly used put-in is at the bridge for Hopper Rd, at 'Hopper Dropper' the first class III (II+ at low flows). There is a parking lot on river right after you cross the bridge off 43. You can put in higher up, at various locations in Mt. Hope Park, but parking is trickier, and there are no substantial rapids. If you put in at the parking lot on Hopper Rd., gear up and then walk across the road along the path on river right (walking upstream). Put in anywhere here.
From the Hopper Dropper the river is primarily class I until the river takes a hard left and there is a tall smokestack. This is Old Mill (class III, which appears as a substantial horizon line). This is an old mill, so be careful and scout from river left. The general line is river center working river right. Be respectful of the condominium owners here.
Immediately after the Old Mill is the 3rd class III, Accelerator, and perhaps the most fun. A short bedrock slide, that ends in a flushy hole. Run river left to center. At lower flows, you'll feel the bumps on the hull of your boat. Below this rapid is a fun surfing hole, that becomes moderately retentive at flows greater than 350 cfs.
The rest of the river from here until the the Route 2 bridge is class II, with another mill drop or two. Be careful of rebar here or there. After the route 2 bridge (run river right) one can take out in the long public park that parallels river left for a ways. I would recommend scouting a good location for this prior to running. Otherwise, continue down to the confluence with the Hoosic (one logjam in this section) and take out on river left along
...River Features
Hopper Dropper
The first rapid of the run, it can be scouted from the Hopper Bridge. Put in just upstream of the bridge on river right. At low flows, down the center is the only available line. At higher flows, a few options open up, including a boof on river right into the middle flow. There is an undercut rock at the bottom, and a recovery pool. At low flows it's an easy class II+, at higher flows, a class II+/III-.
Dough Boy
This is the playspot directly below Accelerator - a fun, river wide, playspot with eddy-service. At levels about 350 cfs, it becomes a bit-retentive, but I've always been able to get out whilst upside down.
Take Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportThe Hopper at 600cfs.