Housatonic - River Road to Housatonic Meadows - May 20, 2023

Jeff D. running the slalom course

It was slalom race weekend on the Housatonic, so I decided to join Paul D. for his trip on the Covered Bridge section so I could try my luck on the race course. It’s a 3-hour drive from my house, so I needed to get an early start.

The Housatonic originates in the Berkshire Hills of western MA and flows south for 150 miles along the western border of MA and CT before emptying into Long Island Sound. There’s a lot of great paddling on the Housatonic River. The best-known whitewater section is a class IV run known as Bulls Bridge - it's well above my skill level. There are also a couple of nice flatwater sections - one in MA - Sheffield to Ashley Falls, and one mostly in CT - Ashley Falls to Falls Village that we paddled as a fall foliage trip a few years ago.

Rescue practice

We would be running the quickwater section from River Road in Cornwall to the Picnic Area at Housatonic Meadows State Park in Sharon. We met at the picnic area and ran the shuttle up to River Road. This section is about 6-milles of quickwater with a couple of class II rapids – the Covered Bridge Rapid where the slalom course was set up, and the Ledges. The river was low and scratchy (2.5 feet, 500 cfs.) – I don’t think I’d make the trip again at that level. We put in on River Road, and paddled down to the Covered Bridge to run the slalom gates.

In whitewater slalom, racers compete to run a course of upstream and downstream gates set up in the rapids. Each gate consists of two poles hanging from a wire strung across the river. There are 18-25 numbered gates in a course that must be run in the proper order, with green gates being run downstream and red gates being run upstream. Upstream gates are typically placed in eddies. Downstream gates are often offset to require ferries or rapid turns. If a gate is hit a 2-second penalty is given. If a gate is missed a 50-second penalty is given. The paddler’s head and part of the boat must pass through the gate. In New England, slalom races are organized as part of the New England Slalom Series.

Surfing at the Ledges

I brought my Yellowstone Solo, so I knew running the gates would be a challenge – it was. I missed 6 of the 22 gates. The Yellowstone Solo doesn’t spin or side slip as fast a dedicated whitewater or slalom boat, but it was a lot more comfortable when I was running the quickwater sections downstream. Due to the low water, all of the gates were set up as downstream gates, which was unusual. Typically, there are 4 to 6 upstream gates included in the course.

After running the slalom course, we took some time practicing rescues and boat recoveries before heading downstream. We stopped for lunch at the Housatonic Meadows State Park Campground. It was pouring rain for the second half of our trip, the ride home, and most of the night. Over two-inches of rain fell, which gave the river a much needed boost for the slalom race today. Oh well, it was still a fun day.

The crew at the put-in above the Covered Bridge

Links:

My Pictures

Housatonic – Sheffield to Falls Village – October 9 – 10, 2021

Covered Bridge in Sheffield

My springtime trip on the Housatonic got me thinking that this would be a great river for a weekend camping trip. I decided to do a fall foliage trip with RICKA paddling the flatwater sections from Sheffield, MA to Ashley Falls, MA on Saturday, and Ashley Falls, MA to Falls Village, CT on Sunday.

The Housatonic originates in the Berkshire Hills of western MA and flows south for 150 miles along the western border of MA and CT before emptying into Long Island Sound. There’s lots of great paddling along the Housatonic River. The best-known whitewater section is a class IV run known as Bulls Bridge - it's well above my skill level. There is also the quickwater section from Cornwall to Kent that I have run several times.

Paul on the first log pile

Bill and I headed out on Friday to check out the put-ins and take-outs before heading over to the campground at Tatonic State Park in NY. As we checked out the put-in at the Covered Bridge in Sheffield a guy on a bike rode up and asked us if we'd seen any tingleys. “What are tingleys?” we asked.  “They are UFO’s” he said.  Apparently this was the site of a famous UFO sighting back in the 1960’s, but there were no UFO sightings or alien abductions on our trip.

When we arrived at our campsite we found Jim Cole waiting for us. He had made the 1,400-mile drive from FL to NY to join us - how’s that for determination. I originally wanted to stay at Housatonic Meadows State Park in CT, but it was closed for the season. None of us had stayed at Taconic State Park before, but it turned out to be perfect. We had 11 campers for Friday and Saturday nights, and a few even stayed through Columbus Day.

Portaging the broken dam

On Saturday, we did the 9-mile trip from the Covered Bridge on Covered Bridge Lane in Sheffield, MA to Rannapo Road in Ashley Falls, MA. In addition to 11 campers, we had 3 who came out to run this section as a day trip. The river was high – 4.7 feet, 2,500 cfs. on the Falls Village gage, after peaking at 6 feet, 4,000 cfs. on Wednesday. The higher water was a blessing and a curse. A blessing for the fast moving current, and a curse for the steep, slick banks and soggy lunch spots.

We put in at the Covered Bridge and headed downstream. The river twists and turns through fields and meadows along the foothills of the Berkshires. There was some nice color, but we probably missed the peak foliage by a couple of weeks. The trip was uneventful except for two river-wide log-jams that we had to portage, and a tough hill to climb at the take-out.

Jim below the broken dam

After the trip, Bill and I took a detour to check out Bash Bish Falls – the tallest waterfall in MA. We then returned to the campground for a nice potluck supper around the campfire. The food was plentiful and the conversation was great.

On Sunday, we did the 11-mile section from Rannapo Road in Ashley Falls, MA to the Great Falls Dam in Falls Village, CT. This trip begins where Saturday’s trip ended, so we once again had to deal with the steep hill at the put-in. The river had dropped slightly to 2.2 feet, 1,500 cfs. We still had good current but the banks were still slick and our lunch spot was still soggy.

Take-out at Great Falls

The main feature on this section of the river is the broken dam in Canaan. Supposedly the rapid on the right side of the island is runnable, but it would have been difficult to scout, so we all portaged on the left. Once again, a steep bank at the end made for a challenging portage, but we managed fine. 

From there it is about 5-miles to the take-out at the dam at Great Falls. We snapped a group picture and checked out Great Falls before heading out from another great trip.

Housatonic Foliage Weekend from Erik Eckilson on Vimeo.

Links:

My Pictures – Sheffield to Ashley Falls
My Pictures – Bash Bish Falls
My Pictures – Ashley Falls to Falls Village
My Video

Falls Village Gage

Housatonic Paddle Guide - MA

Housatonic Paddle Guide - CT

Housatonic Camping/Paddling Weekend

My trip from Cornwall to Kent got me thinking that it would be great to spend a weekend on the Housatonic. I decided to do a fall foliage trip with RICKA paddling two flatwater sections on Columbus Day weekend - Sheffield, MA to Ashley Falls, MA on Saturday, and Ashley Falls, MA to Falls Village, CT on Sunday.

Sheffield, MA to Ashley Falls, MA

This 8-mile trip begins at the Covered Bridge on Covered Bridge Lane in Sheffield, MA and ends at Rannapo Road in Ashley Falls, MA. The river twists and turns through fields and meadows along the foothills of the Berkshires.

Ashley Falls, MA to Falls Village, CT

This 10.5-mile trip begins where the previous trip ends. We will put in at Rannapo Road in Ashley Falls, MA and take out at the Great Falls Dam in Falls Village, CT. This section also meanders through fields and meadows including Bartholomew’s Cobble – a National Natural Landmark. There is one dam to portage in Canaan.

I originally thought we would stay at Housatonic Meadows, but it is not particularly close to these sections of the river, and I wasn't sure of availability. Instead, we camped at Taconic State Park just over the border in nearby NY - I booked site 87 for Friday and Saturday night.

There are plenty of activities to enjoy at Taconic State Park in addition to paddling - bike the Harlem Valley Rail Trail or hike to Bash Bish Falls (the highest single drop waterfall in MA) or up Brace Mountain (the highest point in Dutchess County).

Links:

Taconic State Park
Campsite Map
Book site on Reserve America

Housatonic - Cornwall to Kent - May 15, 2021

Kent Falls

I wasn’t sure what I was going to do this weekend until I got an email from Paul telling me about a trip on the Housatonic with Bob Rankin and a group from the Hackensack River Canoe & Kayak Club. It would be my first HCKC trip, but I remember Matt McCay talking about them – especially the Shepaug River trip from Washington Depot to Roxbury, which they run every spring. And of course, the most famous HCKC "River Rat" is Fat Elmo from p-net. 

I was up early for the 3-hour drive out to western CT. I arrived in time to get a picture of the Kent Falls and the West Cornwall Covered Bridge before meeting the crew around 10:00. We would be running the section from River Road in West Cornwall to the Wildlife Management Area at the end of North Kent Road in Kent – about 11 miles. The river was at a nice level – 1,500 cfs., 3.8 feet on the Falls Village gage.

Covered Bridge Rapid

The Housatonic originates in the Berkshire Hills of western MA and flows south for 150 miles along the western border of MA and CT before emptying into Long Island Sound. There’s lots of great paddling along the Housatonic River. The best-known whitewater section is a class IV run known as Bulls Bridge - it's well above my skill set. There are also a couple of nice flatwater sections - one in MA - Sheffield to Ashley Falls, and one mostly in CT - Ashley Falls to Falls Village.  

From the put-in we headed downstream to the West Cornwall Covered Bridge - one of the earliest bridges built over the Housatonic River. The gates were set up for the Covered Bridge Slalom. I caught a couple, but missed most of them.  

Al running the Ledges

A little ways below the Covered Bridge Rapid is a shorter class I/II rapid known at the Ledges. From there, the river alternates between flatwater and quickwater. We took a break for lunch at the Housatonic Meadows State Park before continuing downstream. The Swifts Bridge Rapid was at a nice level with 1-2 foot standing waves. We took a break on the Appalachian Trail  at Stoney Brook (look for the stream with the split log bridge - there are also campsites here) before heading to the take out.

Such as great place that I decided to lead a RICKA trip on the flatwater sections in the fall.

Bob running Swifts Bridge

Links:

My Pictures
Housatonic Gage - Falls Village
Housatonic Valley Association - Paddle Guides
Housatonic Meadows State Park
River Description - Falls Village to Kent from American Whitewater
NESS Covered Bridge Slalom

New Year’s Day on the Housatonic – January 1, 2017

West Cornwal Covered Bridge

One of the rivers that has been on my to-do list for a while is the Housatonic.  When I saw that a group would be paddling it on New Year’s Day, I decided to tag along. 

The Housatonic originates in the Berkshire Hills of western MA and flows south for 150 miles along the western border of MA and CT before emptying into Long Island Sound.  There’s lots of great paddling along the Housatonic River. The best-known whitewater section is a class IV run known as Bulls Bridge - it's well above my skill set.  There is also a pretty flatwater section from Ashley Falls (MA) to Falls Village (CT), and a nice quickwater run from Falls Village to Kent.  We would be running part of the quickwater run – putting in above the Covered Bridge in West Cornwall, and taking out at the at Housatonic Meadows State Park.

Running the Covered Bridge Rapid

The day was sunny and traffic was light as I did the 3-hour drive out to western CT.  A light snow covered the Northwest Hills as I met the group at the Covered Bridge in West Cornwall.  We ran the shuttle, dropping our boats off on River Road above the Covered Bridge, and leaving cars at the picnic area below the campground at the Housatonic Meadows State Park.  The river was at a medium-low level – 3 feet, 900 cfs. I guess you can run it down to about 500 cfs, and medium flow is around 2,000 cfs.

The West Cornwall Covered Bridge was first constructed in 1762, and is one of the earliest bridges across the Housatonic River.  Beneath the Covered Bridge is a short class I/II rapid known appropriately enough at the “Covered Bridge Rapid”.  This is the site of an annual spring slalom race.  We spent some time playing in the rapids before heading downstream.

Playing in the Covered Bridge Rapid

A little ways below the Covered Bridge Rapid is a shorter class I/II rapid known at the Ledges.  From there, the river alternated between flatwater, quickwater and riffles.  It took us a couple of hours to do the 5-mile run. 

I’d love to come back in the summer and spend a night or two at the Housatonic Meadows Campground.  We could paddle from Falls Village to the campground on day 1. Paddle from the Campground to Kent on day 2.  And maybe even do the section from Ashley Falls to Falls Village on day 3.  We’ll see.

A pretty section of the Housatonic

Links:

My Pictures

Housatonic Gage - Falls Village

Housatonic River Guide

Housatonic Meadows State Park

River Description - Falls Village to Kent from American Whitewater

NESS Covered Bridge Slalom

Covered Bridge Slalom Video

Clark Outdoors