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NB Rivers Water Level Reference Guide |
These are the rivers featured on this website. My goal is to provide the optimal water level for each of these rivers as measured on the nearest Environment Canada hydrometric station.
I can't do this alone, I need your help. Please click here to tell me which New Brunswick river you ran, the dates, and whether the water level was too low, too high or just right. You be Goldilocks, I'll be Papa Bear.
| River | Gauge | level | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aroostook | Gauge | 4.5 | Jeffkimball say, "When the gage is reading 4.5ish the wave is in. This spot is best when most of the runs around here turn into hiking trails. Above 4.6 is getting sketchy as to whether the wave will be there anymore." |
| Barnaby | |||
| Bartholomew | Blackville | 1.7 | Mitchell said: When I did it last fall, the water level was 1.7m at Blackville but I wouldn't do it much lower than that. |
| 2.0 | NRGotN says, "Ideal water level, just one or two sandbars near the mouth as the level dropped to near 1.5 on the third day of the trip." | ||
| Becaguimec | Coldstream | 1.3 | Mitchell said: A group of nine paddled the Becaguimec this saturday. Water level was quite high. The level at Coldstream was 1.3m. We put in off the Pole Hill Rd at 10:30 am and off the river by 3:30 pm in Hartland for a total of 24 kms. The shuttle is very quick and the roads are great. The first half of the trip to Coldstream was flat but quick. We spoke with a local walking dogs just above Coldstream. He told us a rapid called Hells Eddy could not be run and may be too steep to be portaged. I always wonder when locals say this....did they run it once drunk in a coleman? We proceeded cautiously after the bridge. There were some sharp turns with some drops that could easily be avoided on the opposite side because of the high water. The stream was moving very quickly with some nice wavetrains. We never did quite figure out where Hells Gate is but everything is completely runnable. I would be interested in trying in lower water as I think it would be much more technical. Glad I finally got to run it. |
| 0.42 | Jeff K. says, "Eight canoes put in at 2:30 pm on May 2nd and we were at the bridge in Stormdale by 5 pm with a short ½ hour break along the way. The water level was a bit too low for a really good paddle. Everyone had to do a little bit of pushing here and there in the worst spots but overall a great, super easy, trip." | ||
| Big Presque Isle | Tracey Mills | 1.3m | Gjlydon says, "What a blast! At this water level the majority of the river was running at a class 1 and several portions at class 2." |
| Cains | Blackville | 1.4 | Owl says, "The water level was just enough and I mean "just"." |
| 1.2 | Josh says, "Four of us paddled the Cains from Rt. 123 to Blackville (taking out at the municipal park) on June 6 to June 8, 2008. This was primarily a fishing trip. First off, this is a beautiful stretch of river and has no significant rapids at this time. Perfect for paddlers just starting out or those that just want to float and enjoy the view. I am certain that the bow man in Canoe B (as we call them) never even touched a paddle!" | ||
| 0.8 | Bob says, "Water was low and slow. My son and I, (both big guys, 250lbs plus) put our OT Tripper XL in the Cains at Bantalor for a day trip. It was cool to slide over huge rocks in barely 2" of water and watch the cooler rise and fall." (slightly edited) | ||
| Cross Creek | Narrows | 5.45 | Mitchell says, "There was not a single deadwater the whole length. We had to haul around 5 sweepers or so but it was quick and painless. We were able to run all rapids at this height which is probably about as low as I'd want to paddle it. The shuttle was less than 15 mins as well." |
| Dennis Stream | Dennis Stream guage | 2.3 | Derek says, "One of the most beautiful whitewater streams in Charlotte County, New Brunswick! This run was paddled at 2.3 meters, but it could be done as low as 2.0. There are some real nice rapids on this run, but also some parts are nearly blocked with sweepers so a person has to be a bit careful. About .5 km from takeout is a drop that can be challenging, but very rewarding so long as you stay tight river left." |
| Dungarvon | Blackville | 1.4 | Canyak says, "I just paddled this beautiful river today in a 16 ft kayak. There was just enough water on the Dungarvon for a kayak, as long as you don't mind scraping some rocks. The run between the Holtville Road bridge to Ledgie Landing bridge was 15k, and took me 2 hours of good paddling. The run through "The Jaws" and "The Narrows" was fun with just adequate water. The more quiet stretch from Ledgie Landing to the Renous was very pleasant and with deeper water. I took out at the Grainfield bridge over the Renous. It was about 48 k, and was 6 hours of fast paddling. This stretch could be done by canoe now, but the first 10k below Ledgie Landing has some bump and scrape sections. Don't take yer fancy cedarstripper." |
| Eel | Meduxnekeag Gauge | 1.8 | Greg V. says, "Great level. Ran from Benton to Meductic portaging the falls. About 4 hours of paddling total. Great day!" |
| Gaspereau (into Grand Lake) | Salmon River at Castaway | 10.3 | Beevar says, "10 hours of brutal slogging on what is a 4 hr run during good conditions." |
| 10.44 | NotN says,"Just enough water to get down. I had to push off a few rocks, glad I had my 6-foot snubbing pole. We didn't get off the river till late evening." | ||
| Green | The City of Edmundston releases water from its dams every day at 10:00 a.m. You may meet many other canoeists on this trip. | ||
| Hammond | Kennebecasis at Apohaqui | 8.6 | Cosmo says, "A friend and I had a great day, we kayaked from Silver Hill on the old St Martins to Sussex highway to the Deep hole near the end of Stock farm road, 34kms!" |
| Kedgwick | The guage at Environment Canada near the Restigouche | 1 meter | Godfreyk says, "This is an easy steady flow river at that level. Great for beginners." |
| Keswick | Narrows Mountain on the Nashwaak | 5.78 | Dangerous height for open boats, lots of water, big waves, some of us swamped and went for a swim. The big drops were avoided on the inside turn. Be alert for trees across the stream on the turns around islands. |
| 5.43 | Sean says, "Paddled down the West Branch of the Keswick; water level read 5.43. We scraped a few rocks but all the corners were negotiable and we were able to make it down to Highway 104 in less than 4 fours." | ||
| 5.49 | Perfect height, lots of water, no dragging. | ||
| 5.55 | Sean says, "The water level was perfect all the way from Valley Forest Road to Burtt's Corner. No dragging at all and there were multiple lines through all of the rapids." However... "During the first hour, we encountered a LOT of blowdowns and needed to portage." | ||
| Little | |||
| Little Southwest Miramichi | Lyttleton | Aaron F. says, "Little Southwest Miramichi- From Flaherty's Pitch (by Libbies Brook) to Parks Brook, you could get away with 1.4, but 1.5 is much better for the next section down to Catamaran Brook or Pine Tree Pool. 1.4 would be fine for a kayak or slightly scratchy in a canoe out of the channel in the lower part." | |
| Paul H. says, "We like to see it over 2 to make it real fun." Note: Paul H. is a kayaker. | |||
| Magaguadavic | Elmcroft | 1.95 | Mitchell says, "The level was at a really good height. Not too many rapids on the first day but Long rips and Mcdougall falls had some nice waves. Most rocks were under water through the rapids." |
| 2-2.3 | Ryan says, "This is a wonderful run at this water level, some interesting rips and drops that are worth scouting if you're unfamiliar, and you can portage MacDougall Falls if you're not feeling brave." | ||
| McKenzie to Youngs Brook | Narrows | 5.60 | Kyle says, "not a bad run, a few logs to power over, a few sweepers to drag over and an old bridge to drag around just past the new highway bridge under construction. Not as thrilling as we would have thought from the topo info. The current and grade are pretty constant. At this level there was plenty of water, once the streams merge there were some nice little wave trains, nothing morre than 3 feet. A nice little ledge under the bridge where rte. 8 crosses, but no monster drops or huge waves that we hoped for." |
| Main Southwest Miramichi | Blackville | 3.1 | big water all the way from mckeil to rocky brook. huge standing waves... |
| 1.8 | esspeegee says, "The water was perfect.." | ||
| 1.8 | Tom says, "I would say 1.5 is probably the lower limit." | ||
| 1.25 | Carm says, "Very scratchy going with loaded canoe; lots of rocks everywhere." | ||
| scale on bridge at Half Moon | various readings | Mark E. says, " The river is a great canoe run between 1.5 and 3 on the bridge at Half Moon, lots of great rapids not to many rocks. Below 1.5 scale on the bridge it begins to get very technical and a lot like work. Over 4 on the bridge the river is very fast the standing waves are very high , not for beginners or the faint of heart at this level , especially when the water is cold . I have personally run the river from Half Moon to Norrad’s bridge more than 25 times. Likely the nicest stretch of technical canoeing in New Brunswick. Many named and legendary sets of rapids ( Big Louie , The Narrows , Slate island , Push or Be Dammed , Burn’t Hill Rapids , Rocky Bend Three mile rapids are just a few) to test your skill. This stretch of river at the 3 level will take about 12-14 hours on the river to complete the 50 miles. A must do canoe trip for the avid canoeist." | |
| Meduxnekeag | Belleville | Ian says, "I think 1.2 would be low, 1.4 medium and so on. I know this is what we base kayaking the North Meduxnekeag (Briggs Falls and Surveilance Falls and gorge (old dam) section) on. The gauge is below the North branch. I've canoed Jackson Falls down to Woodstock a few times years ago and I would suspect that the low level could be reduced some for a river canoe trip. Possibly to 0.8m?" | |
| one metre | The Meduxnekeag River Association says, "Good canoeing needs water levels a metre or higher at Bell Forest; much lower than that, expect scratches or worse." | ||
| Nashwaak | Durham | 19.6 m | Treacherous. See Mitchell's trip report |
| 18m | Stay home, shallow, rocky, hard hard work. | ||
| 19.1 | Adam says, "We canoed from Stanley to Taymouth, perfect, fast current." | ||
| 18.7 | Adam says, "We canoed from the bridge over the nashwaak on the mill rd to Stanley.Most rocks covered, 4.5 hours, lots of fun." | ||
| 18.45 | Riveraddict says, "Finally got to run from Gorby Gulch to Stanley on the weekend, and it was a great level- no scraping." | ||
| Nashwaaksis Stream | Middle Branch Nashwaaksis Stream at Sandwith's Farm | 0.65 | Mitchell says, "If you look upstream from the bridge on the douglas highway and all rocks are under water, it will be a good run. The water should also be over the footing of the kingsley rd bridge pier. " |
| 0.7 | Ryan Ward says, "So my girlfriend Sonya and I attempted (attempt being the key word) the Nashwaaksis Stream this evening. The Sandwith Farm gauge read 0.70, the water was over the footing of Estey's Bridge 4 inches, and all the upstream rocks were underwater. (All reference points I obtained on this site as I had no experience with this stream). There was certainly no worries about bottoming out, scraping or pushing based on the little section we were on. Sonya in her 11ft kayak, and I in my 16ft sea kayak set off for a rare fall opportunity to paddle. We lasted about 400m according to my GPS. We pulled out just on the far side of the mouth of the West Branch. At every turn the FAST FAST current swept you into a logjam, or a row of sweepers, or a giant rock and it was way too fast to maneuvre in my big sea kayak over to the calm side. Sonya fared no better in her little 11ft. We could see the beginning of rapids ahead decided to call it off. We didn't swamp, but came close every 25-30m. An hour of pulling the boats through the woods, and taking turns shooting across the West Branch in the little 11ft, then dragging the 16ft across on the end of a rope, spinning and flipping and fighting the whole way brought us to the far edge of the field where you put in. My experience is limited, but I think I'll use my 8ft whitewater kayak next time, and i'll be prepared for a wild fight the whole way down. This stream is not a peaceful calm evening paddle where you can float and chat with your partner and enjoy the scenery. It is an adrenaline filled adventure. Take rope, a hand saw, and be ready to swim. " | ||
| 0.5 | NRGotN says, "We went last evening, one canoe and one river kayak, starting around 7ish, and had an excellent run. The water level, .5, was perfect. We never scraped, and could choose our way down without worrying about strainers. There were some trees across the stream where it widened out in the bottom half, but there was enough room to squeeze through on the right bank by the treetops." | ||
| .46 | Junkyard says, "The water level was .46 and about 1 ½ inches below the concrete at the base of Estey’s Bridge. Still a very easy paddle but it looks like the ideal water level is .5 and could be manageable down to around .4." | ||
| Nepisiguit | Middle River near Bathurst | 1 to 1.5 | High water, excellent paddling. I'm not sure this guage reflects the upper Nepisiguit, though. You might call the dam at 546 2519 to find out how much water they are releasing over the spillway. I don't have data to make a call what level might be good, though. |
| Between .9 and 1.0 | Tickles says, "Our boats are all just under 13'. Water I would say was too low between Bathurst Lake and Popple Depot for canoes but after that you probably could make it. We still did some scraping in some place with our kayaks though." You might call the dam at 546 2519 to find out how much water they are releasing over the spillway. I don't have data to make a call what level might be good, though. | ||
| New | Lepreau | .75 | Derek says, "New River is located in southern New Brunswick. This run features many small drops and a slide or two as well. Part way down there is a significant set of falls. You'll know you're there when you can see the river part, but with most of the water going to the left. The fall isn't canoable. I don't recommend this run to an open boater unless you have floatation." |
| North Oromocto | Tracy | 1.5 m | Kyle says, "it's really fun when the water level on the NB gauge is reading 1.5 m or so." |
| Aaron F. says, "Lower limit is around 0.8, which means putting in at 0.9 for an overnighter." | |||
| North Renous | Blackville | The water levels for North Renous " should " correlate to those of the Main Southwest Miramichi. | |
| North Rusagonis | N Oromocto at Tracy | 1.4 | Carm says: " We started at Charter's Settlement and water was lower than what I expected for this time of year, didn't have to get out and push but definitely scratchy. So many alders and turns that I wouldn't start a newbie there. If you put in lower you'll be fine, avoid the alders and the widowmaker beside a large field, water was waist high there. " |
| Patapedia | Restigouche gauge near Kedgwick | 1.08 | DBradford says, "Our timing was good because I figure in another few days it would be a bit too low." |
| Piskahegan | North Oromocto at Tracy | 0.8 | It was scratchy at 0.8 and we passed on it, and it's known to drop fast. I'd say you need 1.0 or more. | 1.5 | Crissy S. says, "The Piskahegan was excellent. I portaged most of the class 3 rapids but the class 2 rapids were fun. We went from the 785 to Brown Ridge Road - 13 1/2 KM's." |
| Magaguadavic at Elmcroft | 2.8 | David J. says, "The water was a perfect level." Note: There are falls below the last Bridge. | |
| Restigouche | Kedgwick River | Tom says, "1.1 m at Kedgwick River gauge is as low as I would go, only had to drag a few times, 1.6 is fast and fun with some really big waves in places." Carm says, "based on below Kedgwick station, @ 1.28 meters is fine, only scratching taking place due to inattentiveness." Dwight C. says, "We put in the Restigouche at Downs Gulch on July 22/2012 and motored down to Red Bank. A few bumps along the way but not too bad if you’re careful. Water level at the site below Kedgwick river was 0.95 and dropping. Got some rain on the 24th but level didn’t rise until the 25th. Coming back up was okay, (didn’t have to get out of the boat but had to pick you’re route wisely). Not the best level if you don’t want any scrapes or bumps, but manageable." | |
| Salmon | Castaway | ||
| Serpentine | Tom says, "Serpentine River (Hazelton Brook to Forks)- 2.0m at Riley Brook. | ||
| Shogomoc | Shogomoc | Ian says, "Shogomoc Stream, or the lower part, from about 2 kms up from the highway to the headpond, is classified as follows. 0.95m low, 1.2m medium, 1.6m high. These should be used for kayakers. There might be people in this world in a whitewater canoe that would be capable, and I'd like to see it. I don't think we'll see it though." | |
| South Rusagonis | N Oromocto at Tracy | 1.6 | Espeegee says, "Leisurely cruised the S. Rusagonis from Highway 101 to the Covered Bridged in less than 90 minutes. Lots of fast water but nothing that would come close to swamping an open canoe. The "Washboard" was runnable and safe (enough) but we did bottom out going over the first drop." |
| St. Croix | guage | Godfreyk says,"It should be flowing at least around 800 to 1000. 1100 at the dam at Vanceboro is a really good level to go down." Tom says, "St Croix - 600 to 700 is still ok, just a few more rocks to avoid, no dragging." Espeegee says, "St. Croix at 1600 cfs is fun and easy for anyone who is even relatively comfy in a boat. Big waves and no rocks." | |
| St. Francis | |||
| South Tay Creek | Nashwaak River @ Durham Bridge | 18.18m | Pete says, "If the water is at the top of the pier footing on river left it is too low. We ran it at this level a few weeks back and pushed our boats down through, didn't have to get out but you don't get a break or else you will be sitting still."
Tom says, "Don't go if below pier, 6 inches above is good, 18 inches above is a blast." |
| 18.54m | Rudi says, "Could have used another foot of water, but still very runnable." | ||
| 19.16m | John Smart says, "At put-in on rte 620, water was about 4"-6" over concrete footing. Most rocks covered, some only just. Quite fast running. Lovely!" | ||
| 20.06m | Rob M. says, " A few of us ran the South Tay in late October last year at 3 feet plus over the pier and I would describe it as a purely defensive run. Thankfully no one flipped in the upper half as canoe retrieval would have been a challenge. The extra foot of water changes this river from a casual fun run to a serious nervous run. We did flip on an eddy line right after the falls on a tight right line and went about a mile before getting the boat to shore. " | ||
| 19.2m | Tom says, "Just enough water, lots of rock to avoid but not many big waves. About 4 inches of water on pier when we started. Caution!! There is a new channel about 1-2 km above the old fish hatchery. DO NOT TAKE THE NEW CHANNEL. The original channel makes a 90 degree right hand turn, with the new channel going straight and looks to be completely blocked by sweepers. About 3/4 of the river flow takes the new channel but there is still plenty of flow in the old channel. The remainder of the river is otherwise free and clear of debris." | ||
| Tobique | Riley Brook | 1.9 | Tom says, "Little Tobique (Nictaux Lake to Forks) - good." |
| Upsalquitch | Restigouche River above Rafting Ground Brook | 1.15 | Nicolas says, "The river was fairly low for this time of year (June 6.) Also, plenty of sweepers from the 10 mile down to the forks." |
| Upsalquitch Village | 1.4 | NRGotN says, "The river was at a perfect level, no scraping." |
This may take time to crystallize, but it may prove to be a valuable resource. If you have a stream to add, let me know.
