See all 6 routes on Raquette River
New York | St. Lawrence County / Adirondack Park
Raquette River
Dead Creek State Route 3 access to Jamestown Falls Hand Launch / Landing
Route planning details, access notes, and local verification guidance.
Route location
Loading the route coverage map.
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 distinct 14.5-mile Raquette River whitewater corridor from the Dead Creek Route 3 access to Jamestown Falls Landing. NYSDEC documents the public access, rapid sequence, long carries, dangerous falls, private-bank and bridge hazards, summer timing, and the expert-only posture; the Raquette Boreal Complex adds Class II–IV context, intermediate hand launches, and designated camping support.
Plan a shorter segmentOptional
Access planner
Pick a shorter segment
This changes launch and take-out logistics, not today's river score.
Peltier Lake to Long Lake is the full route. Shorter access pairs are useful when wind, time, or group energy changes the plan.
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
Dead Creek State Route 3 pull-off and informal put-inDead Creek is an informal put-in at a Route 3 pull-off and picnic area, not a fully developed DEC hand launch. Verify the DOT parking area, kiosk, traffic exposure, path, and water entry on site.
Take-out
Jamestown Falls Hand Launch / LandingMoody Falls and Jamestown Falls are waterfall/portage boundaries, not invitations to run or land wherever convenient. Confirm the marked carry, falls position, and safe route before committing.
Plan this segment
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- Dead Creek is an informal put-in at a Route 3 pull-off and picnic area, not a fully developed DEC hand launch. Verify the DOT parking area, kiosk, traffic exposure, path, and water entry on site.
- Moody Falls and Jamestown Falls are waterfall/portage boundaries, not invitations to run or land wherever convenient. Confirm the marked carry, falls position, and safe route before committing.
- NYSDEC notes that some access points are not signed or maintained, and the route includes private shoreline and bridge context. Keep an offline map, current access notes, and a bailout/extraction plan.
- The route ends at Jamestown Falls Landing. Extending into Carry Falls Reservoir is a separate open-water plan with wind, waves, camping, and Brookfield launch considerations; do not combine it into this card.
Watch for
- USGS 04267500 unavailable, rapidly changing, or inconsistent with the river scout; no numeric runnable threshold is published for this route
- dangerous falls, long carries, Class II–IV rapids, strainers, shallow rock, bridge hazards, cold water, and rapidly changing weather
- Dead Creek DOT parking and informal path, Moody/Jamestown carry status, private bridge/island, marked campsite rules, daylight loss, and failed shuttle
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 | Raquette River at South Colton, 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 | NYSDEC provides summer timing, class/hazard guidance, and named portages but no numeric runnable threshold; use regulated South Colton telemetry only as proxy context |
| 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 corridorDead Creek to Jamestown Falls Landing; 14.5 miles; difficult whitewater
NYSDEC publishes the bounded route, endpoint sequence, mileage, rapid/falls chain, long portages, summer recommendation, and novice exclusion.
- Public water accessDead Creek Route 3 access, Moody Falls hand launch, and Jamestown Falls hand launch
NYSDEC identifies the Dead Creek pull-off/picnic-area entry, Moody carry, and Jamestown hand launch/carry. The Dead Creek coordinate is retained as an access-area anchor pending field verification.
- Whitewater and portage guidanceClass II–IV broader section; two dangerous falls and several long, hard carries
NYSDEC explicitly advises experienced paddlers, scouting, and portage decisions; no numeric flow band is published.
- Regulated proxy gaugeUSGS 04267500, Raquette River at South Colton, NY
USGS provides live stage/discharge but notes regulation by Carry Falls Reservoir and a downstream station position, so this is trend context only.
- Camping and endpoint supportDesignated primitive camping and Jamestown Falls campsite/privy context
NYSDEC identifies designated campsites and the accessible Jamestown Falls campsite area; use only marked legal sites.
- Image decisionApproved same-river South Colton USGS station context image
The image is labeled as Raquette River context rather than an exact Dead Creek-to-Jamestown rapid photograph.
- Same-river proxy gaugeUSGS 04267500, Raquette River at South Colton, NY
USGS 04267500 provides live stage and discharge downstream at South Colton. USGS notes that flow is regulated 16 miles upstream by Carry Falls Reservoir, so the station is retained as a regulated same-river trend proxy rather than a route-local go/no-go signal; compare it with current weather, release/operations information, and on-site scouting.
- Safety and river conditionsCheck live gauge, recent rainfall, trend, debris, bridges, and access conditions before launch
NYSDEC Fishing and Canoeing the Raquette River / Raquette Boreal Complex 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.
- NYSDEC Fishing and Canoeing the Raquette River / Raquette Boreal Complex route record
- NYSDEC Raquette Boreal Complex access and camping map
- NYSDEC Dead Creek to Jamestown Falls route and portage notes
- NYSDEC Raquette Boreal whitewater, access, camping, and safety guidance
- USGS 04267500 monitoring location
- USGS 04267500 current conditions
- Raquette 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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Keep exploring
More routes to check next
Compare another stretch on this river, or jump to nearby options before you pick a plan.
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Quick answers
Raquette River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Raquette River?
Paddle Today watches Raquette River at South Colton, 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 Raquette River route start and end?
This route starts at Dead Creek State Route 3 pull-off and informal put-in and ends at Jamestown Falls Hand Launch / Landing, about 14.5 river miles from Dead Creek to Jamestown Falls Landing on the water.
Is this Raquette 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.
Flag a change
See something outdated?
Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.