Yo people the water keeps coming! Water is up from the rain this week at good medium levels and we could get more this weekend. So we've got good surfing at Hartlands with the Main Drag Wave aka 'the Hartlands Wave' coming in for most of the day and night (& Rinse & Spin too) and if you time it right you can hit the Sign Wave when the release bounces up. Well Enough is running too! Not only so, but Sharon Dam is also back in. If the water comes up any more you might be able to hit Bellows Falls Wave or Campbell Hole. And for a bit of a drive outside the region it looks like Crack Pipe is coming in, and that Lake Champlain may be getting low enough for Chambly (location). Surf's Up! Jolyon
Hartlands, Hartlands, Hartlands. That's where my 10 year "reunion" is going to be this weekend. We'll probably have good Main Drag & Rinse & Spin levels, with maybe a big enough release for the Sign Wave. Check levels before you head! Cheers, Jolyon.
I hope it's in your future to get out on the good water we've been seeing. Flows for this weekend look great! The water at Hartlands has been fluctuating between good levels for the Main Drag wave and Rinse and Spin (lower) and the Sign Wave (higher). In between you've got Back-Bennett's. And while the White River has dropped out for the Sharon Dam it's come into range for the Bridge Hole. We've also got fluctuating flows on Quechee Gorge that have been allowing for both the Well Enough Wave (high) and Leaf peeper Hole (lower). So check levels before you go, but it looks like things are shaping up for a good weekend on the water. Peace.
If you're looking to head to the Sharon Dam this is about what you can expect at this level. Pretty flushy but still capable of serving up spins, ends, and the odd loop if you're on your game.
The sign wave looks good for this weekend! Also likely still on the low end of decent will be the sharon dam hole. The dam at the head of Quechee Gorge has been releasing enough for the well enough wave for a couple hours a day, so if you check the levels and time it right you could hit that too, the rest of the time may work for leaf peeper. Weather looks great. Get out there people!
The waves in Bellows Falls are not all that well known, but at some levels they are ridiculous! The best known wave is right at the end of the dryway section of the river and comes in between approximately 15,000 cfs and 25,000 cfs. It is decent (spins & blunts) but not amazing. There are other BIG waves that come in at higher levels on the dryway but my personal experience is limited and info is sketchy. There's one big slightly breaking wave just about 50 yards upstream of the lower water wave near even with the head of what is an island at that level (30-35k total cfs). Huge air may be attained at ?ISLAND WAVE?, but it's a drop-in hike & surf option and I don't know the whole range when this wave is good. Then I've heard tell of an amazing wave under the bridge on the dryway at a level of 22 feet (which is ridiculously high, like 58,000 cfs) but that is entirely hearsay. Anyway, the Bellows Falls Dryway is an interesting place and for an experienced and inquisitive boater could serve up great surfing at a variety of high levels (it will certainly serve up the biggest bigwater paddling to be had in the region, even if it is over quickly).
seek and you will find
Speaking of levels... you can get good info on everything coming down the pike (through the powerhouse & the dryway combined) from the USGS gauge. The power company also puts out flow reports and predictions uses H2Oline, splitting out the current flow by what's in the dryway and what is coming through the powerhouse. AND The NWS puts out data on the 48-hr forecast here. To play at these waves described, drive over to the NH side of the river and park at the public lot at the base of the portage route. Paddle up (and over to river right) for the lower water wave and paddle/hike up for the island wave. If you're going to explore higher up the dryway there is the possibility of getting in trouble for trespassing (or more accurately, freaking people out who don't know all the ins and outs of our rather minor sport). Don't say I didn't warn you.
