See all 9 routes on North Branch Grass River
New York | St. Lawrence County / Clare and Russell
North Branch Grass River
Clare Road / North Branch public access to Downerville State Forest confluence access
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
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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
An advanced planning-only 4.7-mile North Branch Grass River section from the Clare Road public-access corridor to the Downerville State Forest confluence access. American Whitewater describes mostly Class II–III water, the mandatory carry around 40–50-foot Harper Falls, wood scouting, and a downstream continuation boundary. Current NYSDEC plans establish public paddling rights in the North Branch public recreation area and public Downerville access, but seasonal closures, access-road conditions, and exact launch/landing conditions must be verified in the field.
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
North Branch Grass River Clare Road access corridorThe Clare Road coordinate is the established American Whitewater access-area anchor; it is not a current NYSDEC ramp coordinate. The Downerville coordinate is the route-source confluence anchor near the DEC PFAR parking/kiosk, not a surveyed dock or guaranteed vehicle landing.
Take-out
Downerville State Forest North Branch confluence accessNYSDEC’s 2026 Church Pond interim plan defines the North Branch public recreation area from the waterline to 200 feet upland and allows paddling only during its permitted season; roads may close for mud, rain, or timber operations. Verify the current access map and signs on site.
Plan this segment
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- The Clare Road coordinate is the established American Whitewater access-area anchor; it is not a current NYSDEC ramp coordinate. The Downerville coordinate is the route-source confluence anchor near the DEC PFAR parking/kiosk, not a surveyed dock or guaranteed vehicle landing.
- NYSDEC’s 2026 Church Pond interim plan defines the North Branch public recreation area from the waterline to 200 feet upland and allows paddling only during its permitted season; roads may close for mud, rain, or timber operations. Verify the current access map and signs on site.
- The route ends before the separate Downerville-to-Russell section. A visible river or road does not establish a public launch, take-out, bank landing, camping right, or emergency bailout.
Watch for
- USGS 04265432 proxy unavailable, rapidly changing, or inconsistent with the North Branch visual; historical local station 0426475505 has no current discharge series
- seasonal-access map, mud-season closure, landowner exclusive-use period, road/gate status, wood, shallow landings, cold water, strainers, Harper Falls carry, post-falls ledges, and limited rescue positions
- Downerville footpath, ford, PFAR parking/kiosk, exact water exit, private banks, leased camps, and mandatory boundary before the Russell continuation
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 | Grass River at Chase Mills, 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 go/no-go threshold is asserted for this reach. American Whitewater describes a spring/high-water Class II–III section with a mandatory Harper Falls carry and uses a different watershed gauge; use the Chase Mills same-river proxy only for broad trend context, then rely on local visual level, wood, weather, access, and rescue checks. |
| 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 moving-water corridorNorth Branch Grass River Clare Road to Downerville; 4.7 miles; Class II–III with Harper Falls carry
American Whitewater publishes the distinct route, endpoint anchors, spring/high-water character, mandatory Harper Falls portage, and wood-scouting guidance.
- Current public recreation rightsNorth Branch Grass River public recreation area and seasonal access corridors
NYSDEC’s current Church Pond Conservation Easement interim plan defines a 200-foot public recreation area along the North Branch and permits paddling during the stated season, subject to closures and landowner-use restrictions.
- Downerville access and campingDownerville State Forest River PFAR parking/kiosk and designated campsites
NYSDEC documents public forest frontage, two parking areas, designated campsites, and the North Branch ford/road safety caveat.
- Feature and flow postureSpring/high-water Class II–III reach; Harper Falls is a mandatory carry; no numeric threshold accepted
American Whitewater supplies route-specific feature and portage guidance. Use Chase Mills only as downstream same-river trend context; the historical North Branch mouth station has no live discharge series.
- Proxy flow contextUSGS 04265432 Grass River at Chase Mills
This is downstream same-river telemetry, not a local North Branch threshold; compare broad trend with local rain, visual level, wood, and cold-water conditions.
- Route imageAmerican Whitewater Harper Falls image used as route-feature context
The image is labeled as Harper Falls context and does not claim to depict the Clare Road launch, downstream landing, or runnable conditions.
- Same-river proxy gaugeUSGS 04265432, Grass River at Chase Mills, NY
USGS 04265432 at Chase Mills is a downstream same-river proxy for this North Branch reach. The historical USGS North Branch mouth station 0426475505 is on the route corridor but currently has no live discharge series; use the Chase Mills trend only with local rain, water level, wood, temperature, and feature checks. No numeric threshold is asserted.
- Safety and river conditionsCheck live gauge, recent rainfall, trend, debris, bridges, and access conditions before launch
American Whitewater / NYSDEC Grass River and Church Pond access plans 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 Grass River and Church Pond access plans route record
- NYSDEC Grass River Complex, Downerville State Forest, and Church Pond public-access plans
- American Whitewater North Branch Grass River flow and feature notes
- NYSDEC Church Pond Conservation Easement public access and seasonal rules
- USGS 04265432 monitoring location
- USGS 04265432 current conditions
- North Branch Grass 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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Quick answers
North Branch Grass River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling North Branch Grass River?
Paddle Today watches Grass River at Chase Mills, 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 North Branch Grass River route start and end?
This route starts at North Branch Grass River Clare Road access corridor and ends at Downerville State Forest North Branch confluence access, about 4.7 planning river miles on the water.
Is this North Branch Grass 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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