See all 4 routes on Boquet River
New York | Essex County / Keene and Elizabethtown
Boquet River
Route 73 North Fork Boquet access to the public DEC primitive site above Split Rock Falls
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.
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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 planning-only approximately 3.9-mile Class IV–V upper Boquet River reach from the public DEC Boquet River parking/access area on Route 73, through the North Fork/main-branch confluence, to the DEC primitive tent-site riverbank immediately upstream of Split Rock Falls. American Whitewater identifies the route’s whitewater character and hazards, while NYSDEC identifies public Route 73 access, the public riverbank camping area, and the hard Split Rock Falls boundary. This card ends above the falls and does not endorse running or scouting the falls from the water.
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
NYSDEC Boquet River Parking Area / Route 73 North Fork accessThe Route 73 coordinate is the DEC Boquet River Parking Area and public-access context, not a formal DEC hand-launch listing. Confirm the exact river entry and unloading position from the ground.
Take-out
NYSDEC Boquet River primitive tent-site riverbank above Split Rock FallsThe primitive-site coordinate is an approximate public DEC riverbank/campsite anchor derived from the DEC description and mapped Boquet River Primitive Area. Confirm the marked campsite, waterline, legal carry, and current occupancy before relying on it as a take-out.
Plan this segment
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- The Route 73 coordinate is the DEC Boquet River Parking Area and public-access context, not a formal DEC hand-launch listing. Confirm the exact river entry and unloading position from the ground.
- The primitive-site coordinate is an approximate public DEC riverbank/campsite anchor derived from the DEC description and mapped Boquet River Primitive Area. Confirm the marked campsite, waterline, legal carry, and current occupancy before relying on it as a take-out.
- Split Rock Falls Parking Area is a public sightseeing parking area, not a substitute for a water take-out. The route ends above the falls and does not claim a downstream landing or portage.
- Do not land, scout, portage, or camp on private banks, road shoulders, bridge structures, or unmarked paths. Reopen the route if DEC or local managers publish a more precise paddling access point.
Watch for
- USGS 04275500 unavailable or inconsistent with local Boquet flow, rapidly rising rain-fed water, cold water, low water, and poor daylight margin
- Shoebox, boulder gardens, Andy’s Hole, strainers, bedrock ledges, steep banks, and Split Rock Falls
- Route 73 parking/carry, primitive-site marker and occupancy, Route 9 traffic, private-bank boundaries, and the mandatory take-out above the falls
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.
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 | American Whitewater provides route-specific recommended-flow context through an East Branch Ausable proxy gauge, but no numeric runnable cutoff is asserted here; local visual inspection and expert judgment control |
| 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 advanced corridorRoute 73 to Split Rock Falls; Class IV–V; approximately 3.9 miles
American Whitewater publishes the matching route, class, length, Route 73 North Fork start, whitewater character, Shoebox, Andy’s Hole, and Split Rock Falls hazard boundary.
- Public upstream access contextNYSDEC Boquet River Parking Area on Route 73 and easy public access along Route 73
NYSDEC lists the Boquet River Parking Area at 44.1051, -73.6920; its North Fork survey states there is easy public access along Route 73. Verify the water entry in the field.
- Public riverbank endpoint and campingDEC primitive tent site on the Boquet River bank just upstream of Split Rock Falls
NYSDEC describes the primitive site as being on the Boquet bank and usually accessible by hiking or paddling. This route uses the site only as a conservative take-out boundary above the falls, pending field confirmation of the landing.
- Route-specific flow referenceAmerican Whitewater’s East Branch Ausable proxy gauge context
The listed gauge is not on the Boquet. USGS provides current continuous and daily records, but the station is used only for broad trend context and no numeric cutoff is asserted.
- Safety and public-navigation boundaryNYSDEC land rules, public access, and public-navigation guidance
DEC’s current land pages document parking, public river access, camping, and safety resources; separate navigation guidance does not create a blanket right to use private banks for access or egress.
- Approved route imageSplit Rock Falls on the Boquet River
The Wikimedia Commons photograph is route-specific context for the named falls and is not presented as a current flow or runnable-line image.
- Same-river proxy gaugeUSGS 04275500, Ausable River near Au Sable Forks, NY
USGS 04275500 is a current continuous/daily Ausable River station used by American Whitewater as the route flow reference, but it is not on the Boquet and cannot certify local runnable flow. Treat it as a broad regional proxy only; local water level, recent rain, trend, temperature, wood, and scouting control.
- Safety and river conditionsCheck live gauge, recent rainfall, trend, debris, bridges, and access conditions before launch
American Whitewater / NYSDEC Giant Mountain Wilderness / NYSDEC Hammond Pond Wild Forest 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.
- American Whitewater / NYSDEC Giant Mountain Wilderness / NYSDEC Hammond Pond Wild Forest route record
- NYSDEC Adirondack access and camping pages for the Boquet River corridor
- USGS 04275500 Ausable River near Au Sable Forks proxy conditions
- NYSDEC Hammond Pond Wild Forest safety and access guidance
- USGS 04275500 monitoring location
- USGS 04275500 current conditions
- Boquet 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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More routes to check next
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Quick answers
Boquet River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Boquet 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 Boquet River route start and end?
This route starts at NYSDEC Boquet River Parking Area / Route 73 North Fork access and ends at NYSDEC Boquet River primitive tent-site riverbank above Split Rock Falls, about Approximately 3.9 river miles from the Route 73 North Fork access to the DEC Boquet River primitive-area endpoint above Split Rock Falls on the water.
Is this Boquet 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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