Saco, New Hampshire, US
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Conway Rips (Confluence of Swift & Saco rivers to Meeting House Rd)
| Usual Difficulty |
II (for normal flows) |
| Length |
2.65 Miles |
| Avg. Gradient |
11 fpm |
Gauge Information
River Description
Conway rips is a popular class II run which commonly has enough water in late June and will often
come up when we have extended rainfall in the Fall months. The 2 covered bridges offer scenic photo
opportunities and the much of the river side is undeveloped, we can hope it remains this way. If
you put in at the West side road bridge over the Swift be careful of the strainer that is on the
center bridge abutment especially in high water.
The Rapids between the Swift river put in and the Saco River put in are a normally a fairly easy
class II with some maneuvering required in easy current. Below the Saco River Covered bridge is
flat water for about 1/4 mile till the next rapid which is short and a very easy Class II then
another 1/4 mile of flat water to Power Line rapid a nice wave train with 2 to 3 foot waves at
normal levels. at higher levels some nice surfing on right, catch an eddy about half way down Power
Line rapid, there are 2 waves but at the right level the one is sweet.
After Power line there is a fairly long stretch of flat water before you arrive at the top of the
302 bridge rapid the last rapid of the trip. On river left just before the 302 bridge rapid you
will find the USGS gage station.
The last rapid is the longest of the trip usually with slightly smaller waves than power line but
with more maneuvering required. At Medium levels the holes don't look to ominous but there has been
a report from Tina Sweet & Darron Laughland of large a large nasty hole that develops at high
levels near the top on the left.
There are a number of excellent Class II play spots on this run which makes it a good run for a
group with mixed abilities. Darron Laughland wrote, "there are some ledges. great side surfing,
medium big water can spin and throw ends. some funky currents below that. at meduim and higher
levels there is a great surf wave about 15 yards from the top of the rapid, eddie on river right.
its a surf all day wave. several others below that. also - some sticky ledge holes on right about
half way down - can also flat spin and pop enders. avoid swimming through this area as there is a
vertical crack in one of them thats a bit scetchy."
Directions:
Put In: Is near the Confluence of the Swift and Saco Rivers
Driving North on Rt. 16 Take a left at the light in the village onto West Side Road, drive about
1/4 of a mile and you will see a covered bridge on the right you can drive across the bridge and
park in the parking lot on the right and put in at the beach or you can continue on West Side road
till you cross a bridge over the Swift river take a right after crossing the bridge and you can put
in under the West Side road on the Swift river and catch a couple hundred yards of mild class II
rapids to start your trip.
Take out: Is behind the Center Conway Police station.
Driving on Rt. 113 towards Fryeburg take a left onto Rt. 302 at the light cross over the Saco and
look for the first right, Turn right onto East Conway Road, the Police station is on the corner,
immediately after the Police station turn right onto Meeting house road and drive to the end you
will find a parking area at the end of the road this is the take out.
Thanks to Steve Nason for providing this information.
StreamTeam Status: Not Verified
Last Updated: 2005-11-04 06:23:08
Editors
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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,
to on the top of the rapid above the Rt 302 bridge - is a great flat spinning ledge hole. The hole
itself is fine - sticky fun vs "nasty". The hazard that may be a concern for class 2 paddlers - is
that the left side of the river has several shallow ledges amidst some large boulders that create a
lot of funky water that might be challenging to a class 2 paddler and make for an unpleasant swim.
The conservative line is center or just right of center all the way down. River left at the top has
some cool play - mostly side surfing and spinning, and the river right has a couple waves adjacent
to eddies. Halfway down on the right are two larger pourover holes that can be surfed and spun in.
We paddled it last week and were reminded that it is a great run with good play and real easy
access. Darron L Edit