Pemigewasset, New Hampshire, US

3) North Woodstock–Woodstock

Usual Difficulty	II (for normal flows)
Length	4.25 Miles
Avg. Gradient	27 fpm
Max Gradient	38 fpm

Gauge Information

Name	Range	Difficulty	Updated	Level
PEMIGEWASSET RIVER AT WOODSTOCK, NH
usgs-01075000	350 - 1500 cfs	II	20d19h07m	219 cfs (rc= -0.9 )

River Description

Class II river good for novice and intermediate paddlers. The two most difficult sections are right at the begining and at the take out. Both can be easily avoided by portaging.

Technical info

Put in elevation........718'
Take out elevation......605'
Total drop..............113'
Average drop/mile.......27'
Distance................4.25 miles
1st mile drop...........38'
2nd mile drop...........30'
3rd mile drop...........12'
4th mile drop...........20'
River width average.....40'
River geology...........small granite boulders and lots of ledge 
River water quality.....Good, clarity good.
Scenery.................Good, but highway, homes, and a race track can be heard
                        but are usually just out of sight.
Wildlife................Deer, Moose, lots of hawks. 

Directions

Put in

From Rte Interstate 93, take exit 32 in North Woodstock. Take a right at the end of the exit ramp (from north and southbound ramps) and head west to traffic light about 1/4 mile
Left on NH route 3 South 1/4 mile to Woodstock fire station, left to parking behind station.

Take out

Continue south on NH route 3 from the put in.
1/4 mile take a left on NH route 175
Continue on NH route 175 for approximately 4 miles passing the exit 31 highway access. About a 1/3 mile after passing over the river look for "Death Valley Road" on the right which is a short dirt road directly across the street from the "other" Woodstock Fire station.
Another alternative way to get to the take out is to head back to Interstate 93 from the put in then head south
Take exit 31 and take a right then an immediate left on NH route 175 then continue as above.

Campgrounds

The following is a list of campgrounds more suited for tents and small campers, there are a variety of private campgrounds that cater especially to RV's, they are not listed here but can be found in any national campground directory.

Hancock: National Forest campground on the East Branch of the Pemi in Lincoln open year round, 4 miles east of Lincoln exit 32 off of I93 on route 112 (Kancamaugus highway).

Russell Pond: National Forest campground open May to Columbus day, located on a high elevation lake in Woodstock, take exit 31 off of I93, head east on Tripoli road toward Waterville Valley, take a left at the sign for Russell Pond campground, 2 miles to the top of the hill.

Tripoli road: Primitive roadside camping with no facilities, open May to Columbus day, take exit 31 off of I93, head east on Tripoli road toward Waterville Valley, just after the left for Russell pond campground there is a forest service trailer, stop here and pay for your camping permit.

Osceola campground: National forest campground located in Waterville Valley, open May to Columbus day, great views of surronding mountains, take exit 31 off of I93, head east on Tripoli road (dirt) 8 miles toward Waterville Valley, look for the campground sign on your left, this one is rather far from the rivers.

Campton campground: National forest campground located in Campton/Thornton, open May to Columbus day, take exit 28 off of I93, head east on NH 49 toward Waterville Valley, 3 miles to sign, group camping on the right individual sites located on the left.

Branch Brook: Private campground located on the Pemigewasset river in Campton, open May to Columbus day, take exit 28 off of I93, head east on NH 49, 3/4 of a mile to the campground on the right.

Scheduled trips
May 18, 2003 (Sunday) -- PEMIGEWASSET RIVER, Upper Section (MODERATE)
Meet 9:30am. Leaders: Sharon and Mark Lacroix (603) 726 -3701. Call to confirm trip, depends on water level. Sponsored by the Merrimack River Watershed Council. Co-sponsored by NH Rivers Council.