Open Boat, Moving Water - A Paddler's Journal: Connecticut River Camping – Gilman Dam to McIndoe Falls

Sunday, May 26, 2019

Connecticut River Camping – Gilman Dam to McIndoe Falls - May 22-24, 2019

Shuttle to Gilman Boat Launch

I left work early on Tuesday in hopes of beating the rush hour traffic up I-93 into New Hampshire. I was meeting the crew in Littleton for our next Connecticut River camping trip. Clouds and rain hung over the Franconia Notch as I drove through, and I had visions of having to set up my tent in the rain. Fortunately it was clear on the other side.

For the past couple of years, Bill and I have been camping our way down the Connecticut River Paddlers Trail along the NH and VT border. The Connecticut is the longest river in New England flowing south for approximately 400-miles from the Canadian border through four states before emptying into Long Island Sound. On this trip we would have two canoes (me/Bill and Jonathan/Steve) and 3 kayaks (Al, Earl and Conrad). Everyone else had the day off, so I would be the last to arrive.

Taking a break on Moore Reservoir

Since Bill and I have done the sections from Canaan to Blooomfield, Bloomfield to Lunenburg, and Woodsville to Orford, my original plan was to paddle the section from Lunenberg to Woodville to fill in that gap. Not surprisingly, the rest of the crew wasn't big on the idea of portaging five dams in three days. Instead, we decided to set up a base camp at Crazy Horse Family Campground in Littleton and run day trips on the reservoirs from there.

We ended up padding the section from the Gilman Dam to the McIndoe Falls. At one time this section was known as the Fifteen-Mile Falls, and it was as one of the longest whitewater runs in New England. With a 320-foot drop, it was also an excellent place for the construction of hydroelectric dams, which started in the 1930’s with the Comerford and McIndoe Falls Dams. There are now five dams including the Gilman, Moore, Comerford, McIndoe Falls and Ryegate.

Erik and Bill

As I got close to Littleton I got a call from Bill telling me to meet the crew at the 99 Restaurant for dinner. After that, we returned to the campsite and sat round the campfire to plan our trip for Wednesday. Since the forecast called for gusty winds, we decided to start with a one-way trip down the Moore Reservoir from the Gilman Dam to the Moore Dam – about 10-miles.

We got up early on Wednesday morning for a breakfast of omelets, home fries, sausage and blueberry bread from the dutch oven. By 9:30 we were on our way to the put in at the Gilman Boat Launch below the Gilman Dam. We unloaded our boats on Cozy Nook Road in Gilman VT, and lugged them down a short path to the put in.

View of the White Mountains

From the put in we headed south into the Moore Reservoir. The trip was surprisingly scenic with views of the White Mountains to the east and the Green Mountains to the west. As it turned out, the wind was blowing out of the northeast, so it was to our backs and pushing us along nicely.

There were several nice bootleg campsites on the VT side of the reservoir. We stopped at one for a break, and at another for lunch. By 2:00 we were approaching the Moore Dam to check out the portage trail. After that, we headed over to the take out at the Pattonville Boat Launch. By 4:30 we were back at the campsite for cocktails and dinner. We enjoyed Jonathan’s fried fish before settling in around the fire for the night.

Below the Moore Dam

We were up early on Thursday for breakfast and a lively discussion on our next paddling destination. It was decided that we would paddle the Comerford Reservoir from the Comerford Dam to the Moore Dam and back – about 14 miles.

We put in at the Pinegrove Boat Launch and paddled a short distance down to the Comerford Dam to check out the portage trail. When I was getting back in the boat, I tipped over taking Bill with me into the knee deep water – oh well!

Conrad cooking dinner in the rain

We paddled about 7-miles up to the to Moore Dam, which looks entirely different from the downstream side towering 175-feet above the river. From there we paddled back to the put in – 14-miles at an average speed of 3.4 miles/hour. After the trip we headed back to the campsite for cocktails, dinner and another night around the fire.

Dinner was pasta with meat sauce cooked by Conrad in the poring rain while the rest of us huddled under the tarp. Fortunately, the rain let up and we were able to spend the rest of the night around the fire.

Portage at Comerford Dam

It rained on and off through out the night, but stopped at around 6:30 on Friday morning as we emerged from our tents for breakfast and to break camp. It’s funny how everyone falls back easily into familiar routines – coffee, breakfast, break camp, and paddle. We would be losing Jonathan, Steve and Earl, but the rest of us would be paddling the McIndoe Falls Reservoir from the Moore Dam down to the McIndoe Falls Dam - about 6.5-miles.

The portage trail at the Comerford Dam takes you down the backside of the dam on the NH side to a fast moving shoot just below the powerhouse. We knew the water was fast, but we had no idea how fast until Bill and I attempted to ferry over to the VT side, and flipped in the fast moving current. Bill was quickly swept downstream, but I was able to stay with the boat, and with Conrad’s help, slowly push it into an eddy on the VT side.

Below Mcindoe Falls

Once we got back in the boat, it was a quick ride down to McIndoe Falls. The 6.5-mile trip took us about 1.5 hours at an average speed of 4.8 miles/hour. About a mile below the dam, Al clocked our speed at 7 miles/hour, and we weren’t even paddling. Our top speed just below the dam was 10 miles/hour. It was a quick trip.

From the take out at McIndoe Falls, we packed up our boats and shuttled everyone back to the Moore Dam for the ride home. As I headed down Route 93 in NH that afternoon, I was amazed at the amount of traffic heading up to NH for the long weekend. I was glad that we got our trip in early. We still need to paddle a couple of short stretches to complete this section - Lunenberg to Gilman and Monroe to Woodville. Maybe in the fall, or maybe Orford to the Wilder Dam.