Hanging out in an eddy at Livermore right before doing a peel out.

With this indian summer we’ve been having this winter in New Hampshire I decided to take the canoe out after hitting the slopes at Loon Mountain this morning. That doesn’t happen very often. So I took advantage of this nice weather and decided to go down the Pemigewasset River. My friend Becky and I started at Livermore Falls in Campton, NH and ended up right behind the courthouse in Plymouth, NH. It was a fun 1.5-2 mile stretch of the river where you go over a few rapids mainly all class 1 with maybe an EASY class 2, all depending on the CFS that is. Today the CFS was 846 this means 846 square foot cubes of water are moving past a single point in one second. Make sure to check the CFS before you go out on any moving body of water. With that being said this part of the river is doable for a beginner to novice paddler at the CFS we had today (give or take some). When starting you can park in the dirt parking lot of Livermore Falls, next portage your canoe down to the beach where you will see an abandoned bridge and this is where you put in. You will be right above the first rapid and you are now at the start of your adventure, which shouldn’t take you more than 45 min. You know you are close to the end when you go under the I-93 bridge in Plymouth, this is only about 1/3 of a mile to the end. Then once you get to the courthouse there will be a boat launch to take your canoe easily out. Grab your second car that you parked by the courthouse, there is 25 cents an hour parking or you can go right past the senior center where there is free parking in the dirt parking lot. Strap your canoe up, go get your other car and you have completed yet another adventure! If you have done this part of the river good for you, it is serene, wild and beautiful, all in one!

FYI

• Check the CFS
• Too little CFS and the river will be too shallow to paddle in some parts
• The higher the CFS the more water will be flowing, which means the rapids will be more difficult
• Wear a PFD
• Park one car at the beginning and one at the end (unless you have another plan)
• You can portage around any of the rapids you don’t feel comfortable going over
• You can make this trip longer if you choose (both distance and time)

Getting There

To get to Livermore Falls ,travelling on I-93 take exit 25 onto Holderness Rd. (175A). Then in one mile you take a left onto Rt.175 , travel on this road for about 1.8 miles until you see Livermore Rd. on your left. Take this left and not far up you will see a dirt parking lot on your left where you can park your vehicle. There is gate that you will portage your canoe past and down to the beach.

Getting to the courthouse or senior center near where you will park your second vehicle take exit 25 off I-93 as well. Go right onto Holderness Rd. (Rt.175A) and take the first left right before the rotary onto Green st. All the way at the end is the free parking in the dirt parking lot. Between the courthouse and the dirt parking lot you can pay to park for 25 cents an hour.