See all 2 routes on East Branch Ausable River
New York | Essex County / Adirondack Park
East Branch Ausable River
Hulls Falls Road access pin to Keene East Branch Ausable access pin
Route planning details, access notes, and local verification guidance.
Route location
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Need to know
Why this call
Conditions
Gauge history and hourly forecast
Use the gauge context and hourly forecast to verify local conditions before launching.
Gauge detail
Gauge history & hourly forecastDetailed view
Gauge
Recent trend
Checking preferred range.
Checking trend.
Gauge source
--Checking timestampMN DNR provides the current paddling level here, but not chart-ready recent samples.
Weather
Hourly forecast
Checking weather.
Loading today's forecast.
Next 8 hours
Short-route forecast
Checking the next several hours.
Route overview
Quick facts and what's next
Distance, difficulty, shuttle basics, and the near-term outlook before you commit to the drive.
Quick facts
Plan ahead
Upcoming outlook
These are early planning reads. Re-check live conditions before you commit to the drive.
Waiting on forecast.
Waiting on forecast.
Plan
Plan your trip
Launch points, shuttle details, distance, and access notes.
Route logistics
Access and shuttle
A 6.3-mile East Branch Ausable whitewater route from the Hulls Falls Road access pin to the Keene access pin. Lake Placid publishes the exact endpoint coordinates and Class II–V+ water-level-dependent character, while American Whitewater indexes the distinct reach as IV(V). The route is planning-only because the current endpoint listing does not provide a full ramp description and the available live gauge is downstream of the branch confluence.
Prepare this trip
Take the plan with you
Download the canonical route, add a calendar hold, or send a simple float plan to your group.
Put-in
Lake Placid-published Hulls Falls Road East Branch Ausable access pinLake Placid publishes exact route pins but not a full-service ramp description. Confirm the carry, parking, legal below-falls water entry, current signage, and safe vehicle staging at Hulls Falls before bringing a boat.
Take-out
Lake Placid-published Keene East Branch Ausable access pinThe Keene pin is also the start boundary for the separate Keene-to-Upper-Jay card. Treat it as a mandatory take-out for this route and do not assume the two cards form one uninterrupted public access chain.
Plan this segment
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- Lake Placid publishes exact route pins but not a full-service ramp description. Confirm the carry, parking, legal below-falls water entry, current signage, and safe vehicle staging at Hulls Falls before bringing a boat.
- The Keene pin is also the start boundary for the separate Keene-to-Upper-Jay card. Treat it as a mandatory take-out for this route and do not assume the two cards form one uninterrupted public access chain.
- NYSDEC fishing-rights or roadside viewing areas are not interchangeable with a general-use boat launch. Never cross private land or unload on a highway shoulder without permission.
- USGS 04275500 is downstream after the branches join. Use it with recent rain, local visual inspection, and a group-specific skill decision; do not infer a numeric go/no-go band.
Watch for
- USGS 04275500 unavailable, rapidly rising, or inconsistent with the local branch; no numeric runnable threshold is published
- Class IV(V) whitewater, Hulls Falls, shallow rock, strainers, bridges, cold-water swims, flash-rise debris, and limited bailout options
- unmarked or private access, road traffic, daylight loss, failed shuttle, and the Keene boundary before the separate downstream route
Route gallery
See this route on the water
Photos help show what the access looks like and what the route actually feels like on the water.
No approved route photos yet
Start the gallery with shots of the access, river character, or any detail that helps paddlers know what this run actually looks like.
Score & sources
Data and sources
See the gauge, weather, and source notes behind today's call.
Why this scoreToday's evidence strength is checking
Evidence strength mostly comes down to three things: how direct the active gauge is, how clear the range is, and how fresh the data is.
- Checking evidence-strength notes.
- Checking evidence cautions.
Data behind the scoreGauge, thresholds, and timing
These are the live readings and threshold notes behind today's score.
| Gauge site | Ausable River near Au Sable Forks, NY |
| Discharge | Checking |
| Gauge height | Checking |
| 24h trend | Checking |
| 24h change | Checking |
| Current band | Checking |
| Rain last 24h | Checking |
| Rain last 72h | Checking |
| Air temp | Checking |
| Water temp | Checking |
| Wind | Checking |
| Gusts | Checking |
| Rain timing | Checking |
| Ideal range | Needs paddler reports |
| Known low-water floor | Not calibrated yet |
| High threshold | Not calibrated yet |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Official and local sources |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | No numeric runnable range published; Lake Placid gives Class II–V+ route character and American Whitewater indexes the reach as IV(V), while USGS 04275500 is downstream same-system context only |
| Gauge source | Checking |
| Weather source | Checking |
| Rainfall source | Checking |
NotesWhat to know before you go
These notes cover the access details, route quirks, and source caveats most likely to matter once you get there.
- Named New York corridorHulls Falls to Keene; 6.3 miles; Class II–V+ on Lake Placid, IV(V) in the American Whitewater index
Lake Placid publishes the matching route, endpoint coordinates, distance, and water-level-dependent whitewater character; American Whitewater indexes the distinct reach as IV(V).
- Route-source water accessHulls Falls Road and Keene East Branch Ausable route pins
The route source provides exact endpoint coordinates. The pins remain conditional access-area anchors requiring current public carry, landing, parking, and below-falls verification.
- Whitewater classificationAmerican Whitewater New York index: East Branch Ausable, Hulls Falls to Keene, IV(V)
The index confirms this is a distinct high-consequence whitewater reach separate from the downstream Keene-to-Upper-Jay section.
- Same-system proxy gaugeUSGS 04275500, Ausable River near Au Sable Forks, NY
USGS provides live stage and discharge downstream of the East/West Branch confluence; it is retained only as trend context and does not establish a local runnable threshold.
- Safety and access contextAusable branch paddling, cold-water, private-bank, and road-access safeguards
The APA guide and NYSDEC paddling guidance support conservative access, cold-water, and local-inspection controls; neither converts a bridge or fishing-rights area into a launch.
- Image decisionApproved same-river Au Sable Forks USGS station context image
The public-domain image is labeled as Ausable River context and does not claim to depict Hulls Falls, current flow, or the exact access pins.
- Same-river proxy gaugeUSGS 04275500, Ausable River near Au Sable Forks, NY
USGS 04275500 provides live stage and discharge downstream of the East and West Branch confluence, about 1.8 miles east of Au Sable Forks. It is retained only as same-system proxy context; the Hulls Falls-to-Keene route has no local numeric runnable threshold, and branch flow, wood, bridge hydraulics, and access conditions can diverge materially.
- Safety and river conditionsCheck live gauge, recent rainfall, trend, debris, bridges, and access conditions before launch
Lake Placid / American Whitewater / Adirondack Park Agency / NYSDEC Ausable sources and its linked safety material warn that conditions change rapidly and require local inspection.
- Image decisionApproved watershed/proxy-gauge context image used for route presentation
The image is clearly labeled as watershed/proxy-gauge context and does not claim to depict this exact reach.
Verify it yourselfCheck the source links
Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.
- Lake Placid / American Whitewater / Adirondack Park Agency / NYSDEC Ausable sources route record
- Lake Placid East Branch Ausable Hulls Falls to Keene route access pins
- Lake Placid East Branch Ausable Hulls Falls to Keene route conditions
- Adirondack Park Agency Ausable paddling and access guide
- USGS 04275500 monitoring location
- USGS 04275500 current conditions
- East Branch Ausable River context image
Paddler reports
Recent notes from paddlers
A few quick notes from people who were on this route recently.
Reports
Paddler reports
See recent photos and notes from people on the route.
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Compare another stretch on this river, or jump to nearby options before you pick a plan.
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Quick answers
East Branch Ausable River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling East Branch Ausable River?
Paddle Today watches Ausable River near Au Sable Forks, NY and uses Not calibrated yet as the conservative low-water floor for this route. The ideal range still needs more paddler reports.
Where does this East Branch Ausable River route start and end?
This route starts at Lake Placid-published Hulls Falls Road East Branch Ausable access pin and ends at Lake Placid-published Keene East Branch Ausable access pin, about 6.3 river miles, point-to-point on the water.
Is this East Branch Ausable River route good for beginners?
This is listed as a hard route. Treat the live score as a planning aid, then confirm conditions, hazards, access, and group skill before launching.
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Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.