Ashuelot, New Hampshire, US

3. Ashuelot to Hinsdale (Lower Ash)

Usual Difficulty	II-IV (for normal flows)
Length	3.5 Miles
Avg. Gradient	55 fpm
Max Gradient	80 fpm

Gauge Information

Name	Range	Difficulty	Updated	Level
ASHUELOT RIVER AT HINSDALE, NH
usgs-01161000	4.50 - 7.00 ft	II-IV	18h29m	4.49 ft (rc= -0.0 )

River Description

Technical info

Put in elevation........430'
Take out elevation......239'
Total drop..............191'
Average drop/mile.......55'
Distance................3.5 miles
River width average.....85'
River water quality.....Poor to fair, water clarity fair.
Scenery.................poor in spots, a few factories along the way. 

Directions

Put in

From Keene NH take NH route 10 south for approximately 13 miles. Take a right onto NH route 119. About 2 miles to the put in just upstream and river right from the Ashuelot covered bridge.
From Interstate 91 in Vermont take exit 2 onto route 9 into downtown Brattleboro. Take a right then follow the signs to NH 119. Follow NH 119 approximately 8 miles to the put in.

Take out

From the put in take NH 119 west 3.5 miles into downtown Hinsdale. Look for a small dirt parking area next to the river. The new owner of the warehouse at the take-out in Hinsdale is friendly to paddlers, but requests that we park head-in by the picknick table, so as not to block a truck backing into a dock at the rear of the building.

Description

The river is broken up into three sections. Each section is seperated by a dam which must be portaged. The upper section is a nice warmup class II. The second gets a little more difficult... up to class III. The last section is the toughest...class III-IV depending on water level. The McGoldrick Dam was removed by the NH Department of Environmental Services in 2002 thereby eliminating one portage on the lower section.
Only two portages left since the other dams have either been washed out or removed. The first portage is between the Class II and III section. The second between the III and IV.

This river holds water very well since it is at the bottom of a huge watershed, it is usually one of the last rivers in New England to be running during the spring.

Flood of 2005

On October 9th of 2005 the Hindsdale gage peaked out at well over 10000 cfs from the remains of a tropical storm that inundated southwestern New Hampshire.  Flood damage along this section is significant and still being evaluated at this time.  Apparently the two dams (upper and lower Robertson dams) were breached during this hydroligical event.  There are also reports of paper mill machinery washed into the river.  Be aware and paddle with care.