Green River
Location - Williamstown, MA
Difficulty - Class II-III-IV Length - 7 miles
Level - low Date - Spring 1996
Difficulty - Class II-III-IV Length - 7 miles
Level - low Date - Spring 1996
The Green River is a small stream in western Massachusetts
flowing through a pastoral valley nestled between two high
ranges of mountains. This small river seldom has enough water
to paddle and is even less seldom run, although it does contain
several nice class IV rapids. Although much of the run is shallow
class II, I would have to say that the three or four steeper drops
made this run my first foray into creek boating. I was probably
sixteen years old when I paddled the Green and running the few
steeper ledges was addicting.
The river starts out pretty shallow and runs through continuous
class II rapids for about a mile until it reaches the first significant
drop at Mt Hope Farm. This class IV rapid is recognized by a
bridge over the river at a left hand turn hiding the top of a steep
chute through angled shale and slate ledge. The ten foot drop is
a straightforward plunge on river left through a medium sized
hydraulic, and while it gave me no problems, it certainly was
exciting. I had paddled plenty of class IV at this point in my
boating career, but this was the steepest and most confined drop
I had seen. Although the drop is very clean, the remains of an
old dam or mill works makes you wonder what could be lurking
under the water.
Below this interesting ledge the river resumes its shallow nature
and is full of easy quickwater and splashy class II rapids. A
strainer or two partially blocked the river back in the mid 1990’s,
but they were quite easy to avoid. At higher flows this flat stretch
would move along quickly. Soon the river flows into the outskirts
of Williamstown and a brick mill comes into view on river left.
The left hand turn at this mill marks the top of the next class IV
drop, which consists of a double ledge with somewhat sticky
holes that are nearly river wide. At higher flows these uniform
ledges could get very nasty, but when I ran the river there was a
simple river left line. Many alternative routes exist and at lower
levels it didn’t look like anything here would cause trouble.
flowing through a pastoral valley nestled between two high
ranges of mountains. This small river seldom has enough water
to paddle and is even less seldom run, although it does contain
several nice class IV rapids. Although much of the run is shallow
class II, I would have to say that the three or four steeper drops
made this run my first foray into creek boating. I was probably
sixteen years old when I paddled the Green and running the few
steeper ledges was addicting.
The river starts out pretty shallow and runs through continuous
class II rapids for about a mile until it reaches the first significant
drop at Mt Hope Farm. This class IV rapid is recognized by a
bridge over the river at a left hand turn hiding the top of a steep
chute through angled shale and slate ledge. The ten foot drop is
a straightforward plunge on river left through a medium sized
hydraulic, and while it gave me no problems, it certainly was
exciting. I had paddled plenty of class IV at this point in my
boating career, but this was the steepest and most confined drop
I had seen. Although the drop is very clean, the remains of an
old dam or mill works makes you wonder what could be lurking
under the water.
Below this interesting ledge the river resumes its shallow nature
and is full of easy quickwater and splashy class II rapids. A
strainer or two partially blocked the river back in the mid 1990’s,
but they were quite easy to avoid. At higher flows this flat stretch
would move along quickly. Soon the river flows into the outskirts
of Williamstown and a brick mill comes into view on river left.
The left hand turn at this mill marks the top of the next class IV
drop, which consists of a double ledge with somewhat sticky
holes that are nearly river wide. At higher flows these uniform
ledges could get very nasty, but when I ran the river there was a
simple river left line. Many alternative routes exist and at lower
levels it didn’t look like anything here would cause trouble.
A big river left eddy is found after this ledge and immediately
below the Green River drops through the most challenging rapid
of the run. This class IV ledge probably drops ten feet and has
lines on river left and river right. The left side is fast and has
several diagonals and a hole at the bottom, while the right side
has less water but is generally steeper. I didn't like the look of
the diagonal hole at the top and decided to head for the river
right line. This rapid is visible from the small yard behind a bike
shop and outdoor store on Water Street in Williamstown and the
owners do not mind people looking at the river or scouting from
their property.
After this fun drop the river makes a right hand bend with class III
rapid and a vertical stone wall on river left. Recent road
construction may have altered this rapid since the late nineties,
but it was not difficult. A few large stone blocks do litter the river
bed and some metal rebar is set into ledge, so avoid rolling. The
Green mellows and makes a few more bends before the final
drop on the river. The last rapid is another ledge at what
appears to be the site of an old mill dam. Most of the water at low
levels funnels through a channel on the left that holds a
somewhat sticky hole. At higher water there is the potential for
this whole ledge to form a type of low head hydraulic, so it would
probably be best to look things over before running the rapid.
The run is over now and the low route 2 highway bridge can be
seen downstream. The best take out is on river right at the
cemetery where there is ample parking and space. Apparently
the gates to the cemetery can be closed without warning, but
there are also places to park by some maintenance buildings
outside of the gated area.
All in all the Green is a nice introduction to slightly steeper rivers
for boaters just graduating into exploring lower volume creek
type runs. It is runnable at a wide range of flows, but paddleable
levels last for a very brief time each year. Mainly this can be
caught in the spring, but any heavy rainstorm is likely to produce
boatable flows. The run is conveniently located very close to
downtown Williamstown and would be a good option if time is
limited and you are looking to paddle something close to home.
This is not really a river that would be worth traveling a long
ways to paddle, but if you happen to be in the area it has a
couple of interesting rapids and does not take very long to
descend.
below the Green River drops through the most challenging rapid
of the run. This class IV ledge probably drops ten feet and has
lines on river left and river right. The left side is fast and has
several diagonals and a hole at the bottom, while the right side
has less water but is generally steeper. I didn't like the look of
the diagonal hole at the top and decided to head for the river
right line. This rapid is visible from the small yard behind a bike
shop and outdoor store on Water Street in Williamstown and the
owners do not mind people looking at the river or scouting from
their property.
After this fun drop the river makes a right hand bend with class III
rapid and a vertical stone wall on river left. Recent road
construction may have altered this rapid since the late nineties,
but it was not difficult. A few large stone blocks do litter the river
bed and some metal rebar is set into ledge, so avoid rolling. The
Green mellows and makes a few more bends before the final
drop on the river. The last rapid is another ledge at what
appears to be the site of an old mill dam. Most of the water at low
levels funnels through a channel on the left that holds a
somewhat sticky hole. At higher water there is the potential for
this whole ledge to form a type of low head hydraulic, so it would
probably be best to look things over before running the rapid.
The run is over now and the low route 2 highway bridge can be
seen downstream. The best take out is on river right at the
cemetery where there is ample parking and space. Apparently
the gates to the cemetery can be closed without warning, but
there are also places to park by some maintenance buildings
outside of the gated area.
All in all the Green is a nice introduction to slightly steeper rivers
for boaters just graduating into exploring lower volume creek
type runs. It is runnable at a wide range of flows, but paddleable
levels last for a very brief time each year. Mainly this can be
caught in the spring, but any heavy rainstorm is likely to produce
boatable flows. The run is conveniently located very close to
downtown Williamstown and would be a good option if time is
limited and you are looking to paddle something close to home.
This is not really a river that would be worth traveling a long
ways to paddle, but if you happen to be in the area it has a
couple of interesting rapids and does not take very long to
descend.
The author drops into the slot rapid just downstream of the bridge to Mt Hope Farm. Notice the
"face" in the river left ledge made from potholes that have been scoured into the rock.
"face" in the river left ledge made from potholes that have been scoured into the rock.
Here I am running the fun ledge next to the mill while Steve looks on from below. At high
water this drop actually produces a really mean looking series of holes. .
water this drop actually produces a really mean looking series of holes. .
The run out of the trickiest spot on the Green River is immediately behind the outdoor store
on Water Street in Williamstown.
on Water Street in Williamstown.
Here I am running the fun ledge next to the mill while Steve looks on from below. At high
water this drop actually produces a really mean looking series of holes. .
water this drop actually produces a really mean looking series of holes. .
I elected to run the straightforward river right side of the toughest drop on the run, but river left
would have gone just fine.
would have gone just fine.
A lot of the run on the Green is shallow and splashy class II, but there are enough fun rapids
to make the river worth while if you find yourself in the area with nowhere else to paddle.
to make the river worth while if you find yourself in the area with nowhere else to paddle.