RICKA trip on Otter Brook - May 4, 2025

Awaiting to launch

Paul posted a couple of RICKA trips on the Whitewater Message Board this spring – both were old favorites. The first was the Knightville section of the Westfield, and the second was Otter Brook.

Otter Brook arises in the town of Stoddard and flows south for 13-miles to join Miniwawa Brook at Route 101 to form the Branch River. The Branch River flows into the Ashuelot River, which eventually flows into the Connecticut River. Jonathan and I did a tandem run down Otter Brook and the Branch River all the way to the Sawyers Crossing Covered Bridge on the Ashuelot River a couple of years ago.

Rapid below the put in

In 1958, the huge Otter Brook Flood Control Dam was completed to protect Keene and the other communities along the Ashuelot River. The flow on Otter Brook is now controlled by releases from the dam. The gage on Otter Brook is no longer active, but the historical releases were around 300 cfs.

I met Paul at McD’s for the drive up to the river. We met the crew at the put-in at the base of the dam. It was not a particularly busy day, but we did see groups from MOC and CTAMC. We unloaded our boats and ran the shuttle. The usual take out on Swanzey Factory Road was filled with construction equipment, so we used a new take out just downstream at the Cheshire Railroad Stone Arch Bridge on the Cheshire Rail Trail.

Running Otter Ledge

We were the first to launch and head downstream. The top of Otter Brook is narrow and rocky as it twists and turns through the woods down to Route 101. We worked our way downstream dodging rocks and running waves. We ran Otter Ledge through the slot on the right, and everyone made it through fine. With additional water from Miniwawa Brook, the river opens up and we bounced down the final section along Route 101.

Taking out at the rail trail bridge adds one more rapid to the trip. On the first run I wasn’t sure where to take out, so I had the crew take out too far upstream. We had to drag our boats across a grassy swamp to the cars. Paul went a little further downstream and found the actual take out on river right just above the bridge.

Down to the new take out

After a slightly confused shuttle we got all the cars, boats and people in the right places for our second run. It was a bomber run, and everyone did fine. This time we took our down by the bridge and ran one last shuttle back to pick up the cars.

On the way home, Paul and I stopped at the Troy Deli and Marketplace for a steak and cheese sub. I’ll bet there will be a RICKA Whitewater trip on the Fife Brook section of the Deerfield this summer.

Links:

My Pictures

River Description from American Whitewater