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Piscataquog, North Branch - Lake Horace to Everett Reservoir
Piscataquog, North Branch, New Hampshire, US |
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Lake Horace to Everett Reservoir
| Usual Difficulty | II-IV (for normal flows) |
|---|---|
| Length | 7.2 Miles |
| Avg. Gradient | 42 fpm |
| Max Gradient | 92 fpm |
Joe Fiala at the Big One
Joe Fiala at the Big One
Photo of Joe Fiala by Mark Lacroix taken 10/20/07 @ 2.25 (350 cfs)
Gauge Information
| Name | Range | Difficulty | Updated | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PISCATAQUOG RIVER BL EVERETT DAM, NR E WEARE, NH | ||||
| usgs-01090800 | 165 - 1800 cfs | II-IV | 00h45m | 133 cfs (rc= -0.0 ) |
River Description
This is a 5 mile, class III-IV combination of technical drops, swiftly moving water and flat water through scenic countryside. The river is narrow, less then 20' wide in many spots, providing a tight-but-passable run with many branches and blow downs that can protrude into the river. At times a paddler has to move carefully and occasionally pull off to scout or to portage an obstacle.
The river starts with a bang in swiftly moving water, channels through the trees, and few eddies.
It quickly takes paddlers to the first class IV drop, Slab City Ledge, and short-but-intense
abrupt drop visible from the second bridge. Most paddlers opt to paddle center or far-left just
kissing the wave-hole along the edge. The right side is full of rocks.
The next drop, Woodbury, offers a technical slide for the canoers and a creeky side run for the
kayakers. It's followed by a number of smaller rapids.
About half-way down the river is the 'Big One'. It is a river wide double-ledge slide with a run out through more rapids and holes. Most paddlers follow the curler down a rocky bouncy route and then through some holes at the bottom. The river is shallow here, expect plenty of bouncing and scraping off rocks and the river bed.
Buzzell’s is the most challenging rapid on the river; it's a medium length technical rapid. It requires that the paddler line up on staggered chutes that ultimately drop him or her into a garden of large boulders, deep holes and a gnarly curler.
Many paddlers have trouble (and roll or swim) when they hit the big curler and get knocked over 3/4 of the way down.
After reaching the upper takeout, you'll enter a relaxing and one of the nicest parts of the river - a flatwater paddle through farmland and old homesteads. The river descends through a few more class I -III rapids to the middle takeout.
Below there the river travels through wooded areas, more class I-III rapids, and finally to the
bottom takeout just above Everett Lake.
For an excellend view of the biggest rapids look at this YouTube video.
This river is very small and tends to collect a lot of downfalls every year. Local groups of
paddlers usually remove several of the trees every fall before the annual drawdown, but be aware
new one constantly alpear. Also a note of caution there are the remains of dozens of old milldams
along this stretch. Some of these contain rebar.
Technical info
Drop per mile
Mile 1 .............54'
Mile 2 .............92'
Mile 3..............7'
Mile 4..............35'
Mile 5..............23'
Mile 6..............40'
Mile 7..............39'
Average 42' per mile
Max 92' per mile
Put in elevation 628'
Take our elevation 338'
Total drop 290'
The Upper P-Cat is at a good level and should stay fairly high through early spring. This one disappears quickly and doesn't come up very often through the year, if at all. This is a creek for newbies (but seasoned creekers will like it too). It is II-III, with a couple of easily portageable IV's. It runs close to several roads in Weare, so it is no problem to get to the road at almost any time--good for cold weather. It is a small creek, narrow and mostly quite shallow. Lots of slots. There are a number of 2 ft drops, some nice chutes. Everything is easliy scoutable, most of it from the road as well. It runs along Rt.77, Woodbury Rd., Reservoir Dr. (a short bit), and River Rd. The last section runs into old East Weare, which is the dirt road that bears left off of River Rd. , just east of Peaslee Hill Rd. You can follow the river (and scout) all along the 2 miles or so until you reach the lake. That is the takeout. It begins below Horace Lake and ends at Everett Lake, at the inlet on the opposite end of the dam. There is a fast, tight section over the last 2 miles that is easy to shuttle over and over. This is one of the coolest little rivers you'll ever run. If you don't believe me, ask Marc Aucoin.
We took a walk along the Middle Lower Upper North Branch of the Piscataquog (heretofore known as
the "Middle Lower Upper Branch") and found it absolutely beautiful! The snowshoeing was
luscious and the ice was glacial. While the ice obstacles are significant they are not
insurmountable. Ice out is a ways off but not nearly as bad as I anticipated.
This is the stretch from where the river leaves River Rd. to where it crosses East Weare Road
(this is the beginning of the dirt road into the Everett Dam Flood Control Area). This is not
passable by car in winter (snow trail) or spring floods.
We hiked the stretch above the bridge to River Rd. This consists of slower stretches, deeper
water and unspoiled scenery. Keep your eyes open for wildlife, especially birds (pheasant and
grouse in particular). We found tracks of a hydrophilic rodent, possibly a beaver or fisher,
leading from pool to pool. There are occasional drops of a foot or two to keep things
interesting.
If you want some sweet paddling with a real newbie, put-in at River Rd. and takeout at the bridge
on East. Weare Rd.
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Lake Horace to Everett Reservoir, Piscataquog, North Branch New Hampshire, US (mobile)