River Flow Information
Places To Stay
Adirondack River Outfitters was already an established New York whitewater
outfitter in 1983 with outposts on the Hudson, Moose and Sacandaga Rivers. But
ARO's adventure-class rafting was limited to a short season during spring
run-off in the Adirondacks. That's when an acquaintance mentioned to ARO owners
Ron Smith and Gary Staab that the Black River Gorge near Watertown featured
wild-looking rapids...and they flowed all summer!
At first, Smith and Staab didn't believe the tip. After all, there were only
five other rivers in the entire eastern United States that offered dependable
summer class IV whitewater. How could another such resource exist unknown
virtually under their noses?
But it did. Starting just below the Great Falls (the same falls where Pierre met
his untimely demise), they found a seven-mile whitewater run that featured 12
class III-IV rapids and a spectacular 20-foot waterfall. And more significantly,
the summer water levels remained navigable for rafting.
The secret to the Black's dependable summer flows was the massive Stillwater
Reservoir and 16 other impoundments on the Black and its tributaries. The stored
water is doled out from the Adirondack lakes and ponds for power generation
providing adequate levels on the Black throughout the summer.
ARO initiated whitewater rafting on the Black in 1983 and during the following
10 years two other outfitters, Hudson River Rafting and Whitewater Challengers,
also set up operations. And with put-in and take-out spots set up by the
commercials, private hardboaters also flocked to the Black. Suddenly, New York
kayakers no longer were forced to travel to Pennsylvania, Canada or Maine to
find summer whitewater.
The run starts in downtown Watertown with three class II-III rapids that are
often used by novice boaters as a training run or by experienced paddlers as a
site for some quick summer play. The third rapid, Hole Brothers, is a forgiving
hydraulic where paddlers will linger for hours to surf, blast or practice their
favorite rodeo moves. Shuttle is a breeze: boaters can simply shoulder their
boats and hike a quarter mile along a paved riverwalk back to their cars.
. . .The Black is a superb "play" run with waves and
hydraulics that transform the river into a summer playground. . .
Following the first three sets of rapids, the river flows quickly out of town
soon after crossing challenging rapid on the run for boaters and rafters alike.
Knife Edge is a series of three ledges with the final drop proving the most
problematic. At medium and high flows, boat-flipping hydraulics develop on the
left and middle of the river and boats must thread a narrow line between the two
to emerge in a series of large standing waves.
After Knife Edge, the River pools for a half mile before Glen Park Falls, a
three tiered 20-foot waterfall. Rafts portage the falls on the right. However,
kayakers familiar with the river have run the spectacular cascade.
Below the falls the river drops into a narrow gorge with sheer 100-foot
limestone walls. Inside the gorge the whitewater is nearly continuous with only
short pools separating the Class III-IV Three Rocks, Zig-Zag, Panic Rock,
Cruncher, Rocket Ride and Square Rock rapids.
And although the water is never more than a few hundred yards from a road, once
inside the Gorge the river seems far from the madding crowd. The abrupt rock
walls block out signs of civilization and above the Cruncher, a curtain of
waterfalls tumble into the river.
During typical summer flows, the Black's rapids merit a Class III-IV rating.
That translates into a river appropriate for advanced-intermediate kayakers or
rafters of any experience. But more veteran kayakers and rafters should not be
dissuaded from trying the river. The Black is a superb "play" run with waves and
hydraulics that transform the river into a summer playground.
And...keep in mind that summer rains often produce medium to high levels and
more water dramatically increases the intensity of the run. When the Black
features flows of over 3,000 cfs--it is favorably comparable to any whitewater
river in the East.
It's no wonder that to New York kayakers and rafters, the Black is the summer
destination of choice.
Next - Saving The Black