North Branch of the Westfield River
Location - Chesterfield, MA
Difficulty - Class II-III Length - 15 miles
Levels - Medium Date - May 2006
Difficulty - Class II-III Length - 15 miles
Levels - Medium Date - May 2006
The Westfield River drains the heart of the Berkshire Hills in western
Massachusetts and its watershed makes up one of the most remote areas of
the state and over forty miles of its length has been dedicated as a wild and
scenic national waterway. As it make sits way through the old and heavily
eroded Berkshire Hills the river has a surprisingly uniform gradient that
produces miles and miles of excellent whitewater. The North Branch is the
longest of the Westfield three stems, and when it has enough water to paddle it
contains over thirty miles of nearly unbroken class II and III rapids. In addition to
being an outstanding whitewater resource, the river is also impressive in that it
is one of the few streams supporting active spawning grounds for Atlantic
Salmon in Massachusetts.
The classic run on the North Branch of the Westfield is locally referred to as
“The Pork Barrel” a name that allegedly comes from a huge pothole that used
to exist somewhere along this stretch of river but has since been filled in. This
run extends from the iron bridge on Route 9 to a dirt pullout just upstream of the
Chesterfield Gorge near the small community of Chesterfield. For southern
New England this seven and a half mile run feel tremendously remote and once
the river turns away from Route 9 at the confluence of the Swift River no signs
of mankind are present. The steep and rocky nature of the watershed means
that water levels rise and fall quickly after rain events and boaters have to be
quick to catch this great run at a good flow.
Massachusetts and its watershed makes up one of the most remote areas of
the state and over forty miles of its length has been dedicated as a wild and
scenic national waterway. As it make sits way through the old and heavily
eroded Berkshire Hills the river has a surprisingly uniform gradient that
produces miles and miles of excellent whitewater. The North Branch is the
longest of the Westfield three stems, and when it has enough water to paddle it
contains over thirty miles of nearly unbroken class II and III rapids. In addition to
being an outstanding whitewater resource, the river is also impressive in that it
is one of the few streams supporting active spawning grounds for Atlantic
Salmon in Massachusetts.
The classic run on the North Branch of the Westfield is locally referred to as
“The Pork Barrel” a name that allegedly comes from a huge pothole that used
to exist somewhere along this stretch of river but has since been filled in. This
run extends from the iron bridge on Route 9 to a dirt pullout just upstream of the
Chesterfield Gorge near the small community of Chesterfield. For southern
New England this seven and a half mile run feel tremendously remote and once
the river turns away from Route 9 at the confluence of the Swift River no signs
of mankind are present. The steep and rocky nature of the watershed means
that water levels rise and fall quickly after rain events and boaters have to be
quick to catch this great run at a good flow.
When I was first learning to kayak this was one of my favorite
springtime runs. It contains constant class II-III rapids full of
small surf waves and countless eddies. For a beginner or
training intermediate there are endless ways to make this
stretch of river exciting. At levels over 5 feet the entire section
gets very fast and some truly outstanding surf waves develop,
while at lower flows the river is more technical and advanced
paddlers will appreciate it for its scenery. I’ve been fortunate
enough to make this run in February when it has been
shrouded in snow and ice and in late May and June when the
banks have been vibrant green and flowers sprouted from
every inch of ground. The group of boaters that taught me to
paddle used to spend hours out on this run and my skills
definitely benefited from the long surfs and endless eddy
hopping sessions.
The pictures here are from a longer run I made down the North
Branch with Michelle in May of 2006 when the painted gauge
on the Route 9 bridge was reading about 3 feet. This is a
strong medium level and made for great non technical boating
without being too big for our open canoe. On this drizzly spring
day we ran about 16 miles of river in about three hours. Our
put in was several miles above Route 9 on the Windsor Jams
Road and our take out was just upstream of the gorge in
Chesterfield. Few other rivers offer such a long stretch of
continuous class II and III rapids in such a gorgeous setting.
The North Branch of the Westfield is a truly unique gem that
seems as if it were made for canoeing.
Where we began our run the river is narrow, averaging about
fifty feet in width, and the current is fast with continuous
splashy class II rapids. The volume is low and the gradient is
completely uniform so the 80 foot per mile drop does not seem
so steep. A few trees get in on the act through here, but we
managed to pass each of these without much trouble. Side
streams are very numerous in this stretch and the volume of
the river grows quite quickly, especially near the bridge in West
Cummington where the river’s volume nearly doubles. Just
above this first bridge a ledge is encountered that is a solid
class III and forced us to aggressively drive into a large river
left eddy to avoid a sizeable hole in the center of the river.
The river divides around a low island just below here and a
somewhat heavy rapid is encountered. Soon the first Route 9
bridge is passed and the river bends away from the road for
about a mile.
Constant splashy class I and II rapids continue and we had to
stop to dump water several times through this stretch. The
most difficult rapid that we encountered in the sixteen miles we
paddled is also hidden in a sweeping left hand turn not far
below the Route 9 bridge. Class II rapids build into II+ and the
blind corner leads to a distinct horizon line created by a steep
class III ledge dropping into a big hydraulic. We were caught in
the center of the river just above this drop and forced to make
a scary last minute ferry to river left where a clean chute lay
almost hidden from view. Michelle did an awesome job of
drawing around our bow while the canoe slid down the drop
and we managed to avoid dumping in this tricky drop. A clean
line existed on river left all the way through this stretch, but we
missed it from above and kept being forced to the center of the
river by a series of barely submerged rocks. If this was as
close as we would come to dumping for the rest of the day that
would be perfectly fine with me. The fast nature of the river
would have made getting all of our gear to shore a production.
springtime runs. It contains constant class II-III rapids full of
small surf waves and countless eddies. For a beginner or
training intermediate there are endless ways to make this
stretch of river exciting. At levels over 5 feet the entire section
gets very fast and some truly outstanding surf waves develop,
while at lower flows the river is more technical and advanced
paddlers will appreciate it for its scenery. I’ve been fortunate
enough to make this run in February when it has been
shrouded in snow and ice and in late May and June when the
banks have been vibrant green and flowers sprouted from
every inch of ground. The group of boaters that taught me to
paddle used to spend hours out on this run and my skills
definitely benefited from the long surfs and endless eddy
hopping sessions.
The pictures here are from a longer run I made down the North
Branch with Michelle in May of 2006 when the painted gauge
on the Route 9 bridge was reading about 3 feet. This is a
strong medium level and made for great non technical boating
without being too big for our open canoe. On this drizzly spring
day we ran about 16 miles of river in about three hours. Our
put in was several miles above Route 9 on the Windsor Jams
Road and our take out was just upstream of the gorge in
Chesterfield. Few other rivers offer such a long stretch of
continuous class II and III rapids in such a gorgeous setting.
The North Branch of the Westfield is a truly unique gem that
seems as if it were made for canoeing.
Where we began our run the river is narrow, averaging about
fifty feet in width, and the current is fast with continuous
splashy class II rapids. The volume is low and the gradient is
completely uniform so the 80 foot per mile drop does not seem
so steep. A few trees get in on the act through here, but we
managed to pass each of these without much trouble. Side
streams are very numerous in this stretch and the volume of
the river grows quite quickly, especially near the bridge in West
Cummington where the river’s volume nearly doubles. Just
above this first bridge a ledge is encountered that is a solid
class III and forced us to aggressively drive into a large river
left eddy to avoid a sizeable hole in the center of the river.
The river divides around a low island just below here and a
somewhat heavy rapid is encountered. Soon the first Route 9
bridge is passed and the river bends away from the road for
about a mile.
Constant splashy class I and II rapids continue and we had to
stop to dump water several times through this stretch. The
most difficult rapid that we encountered in the sixteen miles we
paddled is also hidden in a sweeping left hand turn not far
below the Route 9 bridge. Class II rapids build into II+ and the
blind corner leads to a distinct horizon line created by a steep
class III ledge dropping into a big hydraulic. We were caught in
the center of the river just above this drop and forced to make
a scary last minute ferry to river left where a clean chute lay
almost hidden from view. Michelle did an awesome job of
drawing around our bow while the canoe slid down the drop
and we managed to avoid dumping in this tricky drop. A clean
line existed on river left all the way through this stretch, but we
missed it from above and kept being forced to the center of the
river by a series of barely submerged rocks. If this was as
close as we would come to dumping for the rest of the day that
would be perfectly fine with me. The fast nature of the river
would have made getting all of our gear to shore a production.
The next six miles of river gave us plenty of time to wind down as the North
Branch flows through a wide valley and passes under the highway again. Fields
are found on both sides of the run as the Westfield passes by Cummington, but
trees line the banks and all but a few buildings are hidden from view. We
paddled steadily through this long stretch of class I water and reached the put-
in for the standard Pork Barrel run in a little under an hour. My parents were
running shuttle for us while out on an afternoon drive and they were nice
enough to have lunch waiting for us here. We happily eddied out and ate with
them before running the next stretch of river.
Below the iron bridge the gradient of the river increases and the first two miles
offer very fun class II+ rapids full of waves, rocks, and holes. Although the road
follows this first stretch of the river pretty closely it is not very noticeable. The
more difficult stretch of the run is about to start when the North Branch bends to
the right of the road and a distinct class II+ drop leads to a pool lined by a tall
river right cliff. Not far below here a tricky class II-III rapid leads down to the
confluence with the Swift River where the Westfield nearly doubles in size once
again and makes a ninety degree right hand turn.
For the next five or six miles the river flows through a remote and scenic river
valley in what is essentially one long class II rapid with a strong class III in each
turn. In several places waterfalls tumble over ledges and plunge directly into
the river adding to the scenic quality of this run. At 3 feet on the gauge not
much technical maneuvering is required, but each bend contains heavy class III
rapids. It is generally possible to run dry lines by skirting the largest waves, but
there are a few places were we were forced to run big wave trains. By
backpaddling and selectively driving through these four foot waves we were
able to successfully negotiate all of the drops. There are several spots were
running the largest waves in a rapid would certainly result in a swamped open
boat and novices should avoid paddling this part of the river alone as its
continuous nature would make self rescue quite difficult.
At levels below 2 feet this entire stretch becomes quite technical and a great
deal of skillful maneuvering is required to get a tandem canoe through cleanly.
On a low water tandem canoe trip with my dad we found that the sideline routes
available at higher water were no longer an option and we were forced to eddy
hop through the meat of the rapids. At lower levels the gradient in the riverbed
is also more noticeable and in some ways the run is more entertaining. Still, for
pure excitement, the higher level that Michelle and I made the run at can’t be
beat.
The first sign that you are nearing the end of the run comes when a powerline
crosses the river. A heavy rapid lurks somewhere in this area and soon a back
road can be spotted up on river right. Solid whitewater continuous down to and
under the next bridge, which signifies that about a mile of river remains to be
run. This last stretch contains more continuous class II and II with a couple of
class III wave trains thrown in for good measure. The last rapid of the trip is
class II+ or easy III with a clean line to the center left. Immediately below this
drop the river slams into a cliff face and bends ninety degrees to the right. A
large eddy and a nice beach are found here and a dirt parking area is a few
steps away up a hill.
Chesterfield Gorge lies about a quarter mile below this take out and it provides
a fun class IV-IV+ rapid for boaters looking to end the day with some
excitement. At lower flows many lines exist, but beware that the ledge making
the large drop is significantly undercut. When I ran the gorge the river was
flowing at a medium level of about 2 feet, and it was definitely worth scouting.
The Westfield makes a sharp left hand turn and the last chance to take out is
on river right on the outside of this bend. From here the vertical slate and shale
walls of the gorge are obvious and make scouting from river level impossible. A
swirly class III entrance rapid with several fun eddies leads to a short moving
pool above the main drop, which falls about 8 feet into a big hole being strongly
fed by a river left eddy. From 80 feet up it looked like a good line cold be found
where the hole was flushing tight to the river right bank, and a steep river left
line through a twisting crack also looked feasible.
Branch flows through a wide valley and passes under the highway again. Fields
are found on both sides of the run as the Westfield passes by Cummington, but
trees line the banks and all but a few buildings are hidden from view. We
paddled steadily through this long stretch of class I water and reached the put-
in for the standard Pork Barrel run in a little under an hour. My parents were
running shuttle for us while out on an afternoon drive and they were nice
enough to have lunch waiting for us here. We happily eddied out and ate with
them before running the next stretch of river.
Below the iron bridge the gradient of the river increases and the first two miles
offer very fun class II+ rapids full of waves, rocks, and holes. Although the road
follows this first stretch of the river pretty closely it is not very noticeable. The
more difficult stretch of the run is about to start when the North Branch bends to
the right of the road and a distinct class II+ drop leads to a pool lined by a tall
river right cliff. Not far below here a tricky class II-III rapid leads down to the
confluence with the Swift River where the Westfield nearly doubles in size once
again and makes a ninety degree right hand turn.
For the next five or six miles the river flows through a remote and scenic river
valley in what is essentially one long class II rapid with a strong class III in each
turn. In several places waterfalls tumble over ledges and plunge directly into
the river adding to the scenic quality of this run. At 3 feet on the gauge not
much technical maneuvering is required, but each bend contains heavy class III
rapids. It is generally possible to run dry lines by skirting the largest waves, but
there are a few places were we were forced to run big wave trains. By
backpaddling and selectively driving through these four foot waves we were
able to successfully negotiate all of the drops. There are several spots were
running the largest waves in a rapid would certainly result in a swamped open
boat and novices should avoid paddling this part of the river alone as its
continuous nature would make self rescue quite difficult.
At levels below 2 feet this entire stretch becomes quite technical and a great
deal of skillful maneuvering is required to get a tandem canoe through cleanly.
On a low water tandem canoe trip with my dad we found that the sideline routes
available at higher water were no longer an option and we were forced to eddy
hop through the meat of the rapids. At lower levels the gradient in the riverbed
is also more noticeable and in some ways the run is more entertaining. Still, for
pure excitement, the higher level that Michelle and I made the run at can’t be
beat.
The first sign that you are nearing the end of the run comes when a powerline
crosses the river. A heavy rapid lurks somewhere in this area and soon a back
road can be spotted up on river right. Solid whitewater continuous down to and
under the next bridge, which signifies that about a mile of river remains to be
run. This last stretch contains more continuous class II and II with a couple of
class III wave trains thrown in for good measure. The last rapid of the trip is
class II+ or easy III with a clean line to the center left. Immediately below this
drop the river slams into a cliff face and bends ninety degrees to the right. A
large eddy and a nice beach are found here and a dirt parking area is a few
steps away up a hill.
Chesterfield Gorge lies about a quarter mile below this take out and it provides
a fun class IV-IV+ rapid for boaters looking to end the day with some
excitement. At lower flows many lines exist, but beware that the ledge making
the large drop is significantly undercut. When I ran the gorge the river was
flowing at a medium level of about 2 feet, and it was definitely worth scouting.
The Westfield makes a sharp left hand turn and the last chance to take out is
on river right on the outside of this bend. From here the vertical slate and shale
walls of the gorge are obvious and make scouting from river level impossible. A
swirly class III entrance rapid with several fun eddies leads to a short moving
pool above the main drop, which falls about 8 feet into a big hole being strongly
fed by a river left eddy. From 80 feet up it looked like a good line cold be found
where the hole was flushing tight to the river right bank, and a steep river left
line through a twisting crack also looked feasible.
I remember running the river left line and being very surprised at
how much steep the drop was than I had anticipated. Scouting
rapids from the tops of gorges has the tendency to flatten things
out and it frequently causes trouble for boaters. One of the
other paddlers we had met on the river this day decided to run
the main part of the drop, and I could already see that the
hydraulic was far worse than it had appeared on the scout. I
jumped out with a throw bag and sure enough, by the time I was
in position this guy was already being violently surfed in the
swirling hole. He swam and was recirculated for about twenty
seconds, but I was hesitant to throw the rope into such a violent
hole. Just as I was about to toss the bag the river released the
swimmer and I pulled him into the eddy where my boat was.
Luckily we managed to gather up all of the gear within a quarter
mile of the drop which prevented a long hike back up to the take
out. People running the gorge should be prepared for a solid
class IV drop at any level, and know that some flows produce a
somewhat dangerous hydraulic that takes most of the river.
Many boaters that enjoy this section of the Westfield will
probably find themselves quite intimidated by the gorge
regardless of how high the river is running. For those up to the
challenge it is a great way to end an otherwise mellow but
enjoyable day.
how much steep the drop was than I had anticipated. Scouting
rapids from the tops of gorges has the tendency to flatten things
out and it frequently causes trouble for boaters. One of the
other paddlers we had met on the river this day decided to run
the main part of the drop, and I could already see that the
hydraulic was far worse than it had appeared on the scout. I
jumped out with a throw bag and sure enough, by the time I was
in position this guy was already being violently surfed in the
swirling hole. He swam and was recirculated for about twenty
seconds, but I was hesitant to throw the rope into such a violent
hole. Just as I was about to toss the bag the river released the
swimmer and I pulled him into the eddy where my boat was.
Luckily we managed to gather up all of the gear within a quarter
mile of the drop which prevented a long hike back up to the take
out. People running the gorge should be prepared for a solid
class IV drop at any level, and know that some flows produce a
somewhat dangerous hydraulic that takes most of the river.
Many boaters that enjoy this section of the Westfield will
probably find themselves quite intimidated by the gorge
regardless of how high the river is running. For those up to the
challenge it is a great way to end an otherwise mellow but
enjoyable day.
We had to stop frequently to bail water and fill up the leaky air bag that
was in the center of our canoe on this great May day on the river.
was in the center of our canoe on this great May day on the river.
While not as bold as the vibrant displays of autumn, spring in New England creates a
colorful array of greens that bring the world to life after a long and cold winter.
colorful array of greens that bring the world to life after a long and cold winter.
Here we are taking on a class II rapid typical of those found on the small upper section of
the North Branch of the Westfield River.
the North Branch of the Westfield River.
The river is rather small near the put in as seen here, but by the take out it has easily
tripled in width and volume.
tripled in width and volume.
When the Westfield runs at higher flows its muddy waters are typical as
the runoff usually happens very quickly.
the runoff usually happens very quickly.
Michelle works at warming up her hands shortly below where the river
turns away from route 9 and the Swift River joins.
turns away from route 9 and the Swift River joins.
Our fifteen foot Mad River Explorer is on the small side for a tandem canoe and to
successfully get it down rivers takes a good deal of maneuvering.
successfully get it down rivers takes a good deal of maneuvering.