A Whitewater River Guide for the Lower Winni
The Winnipesaukee River is one of the most popular Class III-IV sections of whitewater in New England. It is easily accessible and convenient to get to, and it is connected to a vibrant downtown community with restaurants, breweries, and shops. The whitewater run is 1.25 miles long and drops 77ft per mile. This topography enables the river to drastically change character as the flow increases. At flows of 1200 and up, the most challenging rapids blend together which makes the whitewater very consistent. The Winnipesauke River Trail is adjacent to the whitewater park and Trestle View Park which makes walking a shuttle very accessible, enables you to walk with a non-paddling companion, or opens up the possibilities to a multi sport day of adventure.
The Upper Winni Class I-II section begins on Rt 140 at the boat ramp near the Holiday Inn and ends at Riverfront Park upstream of the Clement Dam.
The Lower Winni begins at the Cross Mill put in (the Blaze conservation parking lot) and is 1.25 to Downtown Franklin and ends at feature 3 of the whitewater park above the Stevens Mill Dam. The lower Winni is Class III+ and Class IV at high water, 1200CFS or more.
Below the Stevens mill dam is the bottom Winni - class II - and circumnavigates Odell Park.
Here is a whitewater river guide for the Lower Winni:
Starting at the Roger and Gloria Blais Riverview Conservation Area - a dirt path that leads to the side of the river upstream of the Cross Mill Bridge.
.06mile The first Rapid (Class II) Cross Mill Rapid which has a wave train down the middle, two large eddies on river right and river left and most people warm up with a surf at one of the two spots within the wave train.
.13mile Second Dam (Class II) is immediately after the first rapid. It is extremely similar to the previous rapid with eddies on river left and right. At higher flow, the eddy on river left is very strong and recirculates up to the top quickly. It is a very fun place to get vertical to do stern squirts and mystery moves.
.21mile Snowmobile (class II+ III-) the river takes a long turn sharply to the left and back to the right through this rapid. Most people enter slightly left at the beginning so that they are sure to line up for the splat rock on river right about a quarter of a mile down and then navigate the many eddies and surf spots. This rapid is more stereotypical of the Lower Winni river character with lots of moves, lots of catch on the fly surfs, and fairly consistent rapids. When snowmobile turns back to the right hard, there will be a second splat rock on the left where you can postage stamp if you are okay with some down time.
.55mile Iron Ring (class II+) named for the iron ring drilled into the top of the largest boulder in the rapid - it is said this was a tie down point for the dam. For people in rafts, there are 3 different spots to surf. Near the beginning there is a large boulder on the river right bank. The rabbit hole is next to that. It is an easy controlled surf at most water levels and a fun place to hang out. Across the top of the rapid is an angular pour over that is a much more violent surf if you can catch it. At the bottom of the rapid, with flows of 700CFS or more, water goes over a pour over which can be very retentive. If you choose to surf, you have 0.1 miles before Coliseum to pick up your mess.
.65miles Coliseum (Class III+) At the top of Coliseum it is common to eddie out on river left, gather your group, and come up with a safety plan. The two most technical rapids will be back to back with very little break between them. Coliseum is one of the most iconic rapids on the river due to the remnants of Harry’s Mill which are still standing lending to its name. Harry’s Mill was once a massive mill building in which all that remains is the rock foundation and brick wall. There are 2 different routes - most people drive their boat hard left up entering and use the eddies to slow the rapid down. They then work back to the middle and are set up well for the next rapid. People wanting a harder line will do the Alpine route - to do this you need to drive hard river right and blind boof into an eddy next to the wall remnants. From there you can continue the Alpine route by staying right and negotiating the rock at the bottom. You will be slightly river right but have plenty of time to work your way back to the middle before the next rapid.
.7mile Upside down aka the Upside Down/ Sulphite Bridge (Class III+) longest and pushiest rapid on the river and most consistent rapid on the river. It starts with boogie water immediately after Coliseum. Towards the top of the rapid there is a boof rock right of center that is fun to hit with speed and keeps you from the pour overs on river left. As you approach the hard left turn you will start to see many rocks and pour overs appear. You will also see the upside down bridge, aka the Sulphite Bridge, which is a historical artifact contributing to the city. It is here at the top of the rapid where you should have a plan of which channel you are going through under the upside bridge. The river right side is an abrupt drop which can be boofed but can also be retentive at certain flows. Whereas river left channel has a wave train under the bridge but it can be harder to get to. What makes this rapid difficult is your decision on where to go and how effectively you can negotiate the numerous boulders and pour overs between you and your channel.
After upside down, there are two different locations paddlers pull over to take a rest. The first in on river left in a somewhat slow moving pool usually closely surrounded by brush and trees. Or just a little bit further down stream running over a few small waves into a big eddie on river right that looks over the next rapid.
.88 mile Sulphite rapid (class II+) starts center to river right - this is the deepest part of the river. There are still a few shallow rocks that you can eddie behind. In this straight away section before the river turns to the right about halfway down there is a glassy surf wave at most flows. After this the river turns and is mostly read and run, boogie water. When the river straightens out you will be able to see a large surf wave and eddie right of center. Many people will pull over and surf here. Behind the surf wave is a tight pour over dubbed “unemployment” which you can surf out of but at some flows it will be tight and could give you a whoopin. From unemployment you can see feature 1 of the whitewater park.
Feature 1 is at 1.03miles and where the whitewater park begins.
Note: The next 2 features of the whitewater park are under construction! Check out Mill City Park to stay updated on the progress!