Sawyer, New Hampshire, US
|
|
Livermore
| Usual Difficulty |
V (for normal flows) |
| Length |
3.5 Miles |
| Avg. Gradient |
190 fpm |
Sean on the Sawyer
Sean on the SawyerPhoto of Sean Quick by Mark Lacroix taken 06/13/02 @ Low
Gauge Information
River Description
Source: Greg and Sue Hanlon's
Steep Creeks of New
England, which has more info on this run. Text used with permission.
Directions: Park on the North side of Rte. 302 next to the highway bridge which crosses
the Sawyer. From late fall through Spring it is necessary to shoulder your boat 3+ miles upstream
to the hikers' lot, which is the normal putin. Hey: sometimes you gotta want your
whitewater! The dirt road is usually open to the public during the Summer (when there is
usually no water.) Go to the National Forest Services "Forest Road
Status" to find out if and when the access road is open.
The first known run of the Sawyer was April 24, 1992, by Boyce Greer, J.J. Valera, Greg Hanlon,
and friends after scouting and removing several trees at low water."
Hanlon cautions that the Sawyer tends to collect logs. "Beware!"
The Sawyer River is among the best class V runs in all the northeast. The continuous steep
gradient over and around massive boulders will challenge the best paddlers.
StreamTeam Status: Verified
Last Updated: 2005-10-08 21:37:04
No rapids entered. If you know names, and locations of the rapids please contact and advise the StreamTeam member for this run. 
User Comments
damage throughout the region, the worst in over 100 years. More than half the rivers in Vermont and
northern New Hampshire recorded their highest flow levels ever. Many roads, guardrails, power
lines, bridges, trees and other debris now litter several rivers throughout the region. River beds
have been scoured and changed course, many new strainers make navigation problematic at best and
downright dangerous at worse. Please realize that the river description you see here may not match
current situation after the floods. Use common sense and when in doubt scout especially on blind
drops. Also, if you run this river in the next year or so please comment on its navigability, even
if there are no problems this will be very helpful. Please report any new strainers or changes to
the rapids that will impact future boating. Thank you,
referring to. Ran it at almost 4' today, that's really high. Be on your game and be prepared to
portage or at least set safety at least once. 5' is probably nuts, although hard to say for sure.
bridge. Looks like 0 is around minimum and 5 is fairly high. Thanks to whomever!