SACANDAGA RIVER whitewater paddling

June 22, 2014 - SACANDAGA RIVER from Wells to Hope. Class II whitewater. Hope gage at 2.88' - hit many rocks, some really nice fun sections but one probably does not want to do this at lower levels. River L has some light development, river R mostly wild. Stopped for lunch at the Sacandaga State Campground. The 2 kayaks in our group ran the dam at the campground with some bumping, the 2 canoes carried around the dam. The W Branch enters below the campground & the added water helped. Some longer class II/II+ stretches after the confluence. Nice playspot on R ~7 miles in. Merganser family, vultures. No bad bugs. 8.6 miles, 4 hours. Dagger Katana kayak. Much daylight so drove over to Benson Rd & bushwhacked S lookout for any trace of new Northville-Placid Trail, no markers or flagging found after an hour, some mosquitoes.

Jul 27, 2007 - SACANDAGA RIVER from Wells to Hope (DOT). Class 1 & 2 whitewater; not usually runnable in summer except after heavy rains. Runnable if gauge at Hope reads over 3' - 3.4' today. Very nice scenery, just wish the road was farther away. Met another small group in rec kayaks - one had capsized, lost the boat, paddler ok - floatation bags & spray skirt would have helped, not to mention helmets & other safety items. Lunch break at state campground then paddled over a small dam (hit bottom of canoe but just keep paddling) then long stretch of class 2 rapids with waves & rocks to dodge. Things get easier as one gets closer to Hope; there is a play spot on river R where a ledge comes 20' out into the river & another play spot to the L of an island where the L channel drops over a ledge with standing waves below (after surfing the waves we got the gunwale in the water but avoided a capsize). 8.6 miles, 4 hours. Afterwards, swam from village beach on Lake Algonquin & picked blueberries by the E Br Sacandaga River. Dagger Legend 16, a 16' tandem river-running canoe (this model is now being made by Mad River) - with center & end floatation bags, thigh braces for better control.

Apr 27, 2003 - SACANDAGA RIVER , Wells to Hope. Put-in: below Lake Algonquin dam (bridge over the river is being rebuilt so we had to drive all the way around the lake so as to put in on river right (the right side of the river as you are looking downstream); take-out Town Garage in Hope. Class 2 whitewater, guage at Hope read 4.35'. Good size waves, big enough to swamp a canoe without flotation bags but did see recreational & small touring kayaks make it. Had the pleasure of paddling with Chet Harvey & Kathie Armstrong, editors of the new ADK guidebook soon to come out, Canoe & Kayak Guide: East-Central New York State - they have promised to do a book signing in the store when it finally comes out - Chet is 80 & Kathie in her 70s yet they paddle with the exuberance of 20 year olds. Just a beautiful clear day with temp near 70. Hepatica blooming in the open woods, mergansers "dating" on the rocks, a hawk flying high overhead. You could paddle this section in 2 hours but we took 5 hours - taking a couple of breaks & time to play in the waves & holes. Rt.30 & some light development are never too far on river left but you don't notice much - river right is mostly wilderness (steep hills), the Silver Lake Wilderness stretches 15 miles to the west till you hit a road again. Dagger Crossover , a 12.5' whitewater/touring kayak is not as maneuverable as a pure whitewater kayak but is fairly forgiving - appreciate the dry storage compartment - think it may actually be a better small touring kayak. Waygassy loves the Dagger GT 8.1 , the latest in river-running whitewater kayaks, but has some trouble fitting his 6'3" frame in it comfortably (he still won't give it up).

June 2, 2002 - Sacandaga River whitewater canoeing, Wells to Hope. Too windy for blackflies - saw a few during break at campsite. Guage at Hope at 3.3' - a little lower than Apr. 21 trip - bit less waves, more manouvering around rocks. Section is generally not runnable in summer. Dam at campsite still runnable but stern does hit (keep paddling hard). Rapids below campsite have good size waves & some rocks to dodge. Most rapids are class 1 & 2. 9 miles. Dagger Legend 15, a 15' tandem/solo canoe, paddled solo. Took in a cup of water early on but stayed dry the rest of the way. Had flotation bags fore & aft. The L15 was just about perfect for this trip - a nice blend of turning ability & tracking - only change I might make is to put in some thigh straps. Traded boats for the last 2 or 3 miles. I tried out a Probe 14, a 14'2" solo/tandem pure whitewater canoe with 6" of rocker (the L15 has 2"). Had to work harder to keep the P14 in line in the quickwater sections especially in gusty winds - still was able to control it with a j-stroke but played with the forward stroke/stern pry (on flatwater, Bill Mason calls this the "goon stroke") to note the difference (the more you know, the more there is to learn). Turns very easily & stays very dry. Less primary stability but firms up real strong on edge. The P14 would be better suited to class 3 & 4 or class 2 that had a lot more playspots on it than the Sacandaga. Wore: polypro socks w/Chota Mukluks, Aqua Shell pants w/Palm splashpants, long-sleeve polyester top w/Mountain Surf short-sleeve fuzzy rubber - removed Stohlquist Gore-tex semi-dry top at first break.

Apr. 21, 2002 - Sacandaga River kayaking, Wells to Hope. Put-in above bridge just below dam in Wells, take-out at Hope garage & Town Hall on Rt.30. Guage at Hope read 3.9' - an ideal level for this trip - if close to 5' expect larger waves; if close to 3' expect to dodge more rocks. This 8 mile stretch is generally considered Class 2 whitewater. Waves up to 2' were fun in the kayak & I only needed the occasional manouver to miss a rock. River is wide, 100' to 200'. Reach Sacandaga State Campsite in 3 miles - good spot for a break & chance to scout out a small dam before bridge - can be run fairly easily at this level (Sam Itchy, hotdog that he is, went over sideways). Played in some waves on the West Branch which enters from the R. Rest is mostly quickwater with Class 1 & 2 rapids - some spots allow for a little surf'n'play along the way. River left (as seen looking downstream) has some camps & Rt.30 is never too far. River right is mostly undeveloped mixed forest slopes - new yellow/green leaves are beginning to appear on the deciduous trees - a hawk (Northern Harrier?) & turkey vultures fly overhead. Dagger Crossover, 12.5' whitewater/light touring kayak handled everything well - rated for up to Class 3 rapids - not quite as manouverable as a pure whitewater kayak (I missed a couple of small eddies) - compare with Waygassy's GTX which is 8'2" long & more heavily rockered. Crossover does have a hatch which can carry extra food & gear, tho. Cool at the start but warmed up nicely with the sun.

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