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New York | Warren County / Chester and Horicon
Schroon River
South Horicon Bridge hand launch to Starbuckville Dam hand launch
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 short Schroon River moving-water route from the municipal hand launch at South Horicon Bridge to the public Starbuckville Dam hand launch above the dam. Current public-access listings identify both water-entry areas, while the Town of Chester and regional corridor material describe the intervening Schroon section as a canoe/kayak reach with Class II water and bridge/choke-point concerns. The card ends at the dam launch and does not imply running or approaching the dam.
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
South Horicon Bridge municipal Schroon River hand launchThe current launch directory supplies public Schroon River access context at South Horicon Bridge and Starbuckville Dam. Confirm the exact carry, parking, waterline, and current signage in the field rather than relying on a bridge or shoulder alone.
Take-out
Starbuckville Dam public Schroon River hand launch above damThe approximately 2.6-mile distance is a planning estimate between public access-area anchors, not a surveyed wetted trace. Local channel choice, water level, portage, and the dam approach can change the usable distance.
Plan this segment
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- The current launch directory supplies public Schroon River access context at South Horicon Bridge and Starbuckville Dam. Confirm the exact carry, parking, waterline, and current signage in the field rather than relying on a bridge or shoulder alone.
- The approximately 2.6-mile distance is a planning estimate between public access-area anchors, not a surveyed wetted trace. Local channel choice, water level, portage, and the dam approach can change the usable distance.
- The route ends above Starbuckville Dam and is not a route card for the downstream Starbuckville-to-Riverbank reach. Do not substitute a private bank, bridge shoulder, or downstream shoreline for the named take-out.
Watch for
- 01317000 downstream proxy trend, recent rain, local stage, shallow gravel, wood, strainers, bridge constrictions, cold water, and changing current
- South Horicon launch parking/carry, Starbuckville hand launch landing, limited parking, dam exclusion zone, daylight, and shuttle reliability
- private shoreline, unauthorized scouting or landings, posted restrictions, invasive-species controls, and the mandatory above-dam take-out boundary
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 | Schroon River at Riverbank, NY |
| Gauge height | Checking |
| Discharge | 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 cutoff published for this subsection; use a local visual, recent rain, debris, bridge, and dam-boundary inspection |
| 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.
- Distinct public moving-water corridorSouth Horicon Bridge to Starbuckville Dam; approximately 2.6 planning miles
Municipal planning material identifies the Schroon River canoe access at South Horicon Bridge and the Class II water between South Horicon and Starbuckville, with bridge and choke-point concerns.
- Public upstream water accessSouth Horicon Bridge municipal Schroon River hand launch, 43.653657, -73.761558
Current launch listings identify the Chestertown Schroon River hand-launch coordinate; confirm the exact waterline, carry, parking, and posted use conditions.
- Public downstream take-outStarbuckville Dam public Schroon River hand launch, 43.675947, -73.779409
NYSDEC lists the Starbuckville hand launch with limited parking. The access is an above-dam take-out, not permission to approach or run the structure.
- Route-specific safety contextBridge/choke-point, Class II, flooding, wood, and dam-boundary review
Town and regional Schroon River planning material identifies the intervening river section and flags the need to treat the bridge and dam corridor conservatively.
- Same-river proxy gaugeUSGS 01317000, Schroon River at Riverbank, NY
Use current stage only as downstream trend context; local level, debris, bridge features, and the dam take-out control the decision.
- Camping postureNearby managed basecamp only; no endpoint camping claim
Nearby DEC campgrounds are separate road-access facilities and do not authorize camping at either hand launch or along private river frontage.
- Same-river proxy gaugeUSGS 01317000, Schroon River at Riverbank, NY
USGS 01317000 is a live stage station on the Schroon River at Riverbank, downstream of this subsection and below Starbuckville Dam. Retain it as broad trend context only; it does not certify the upstream reach, dam take-out, bridge constrictions, or local debris, and no numeric cutoff is asserted.
- Safety and river conditionsCheck live gauge, recent rainfall, trend, debris, bridges, and access conditions before launch
NYSDEC Warren County launch directory / Town of Chester recreation plan / Town of Schroon river-corridor study 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 Warren County launch directory / Town of Chester recreation plan / Town of Schroon river-corridor study route record
- NYSDEC Schroon River launch map and municipal access context
- USGS 01317000 Schroon River at Riverbank current stage context
- Town of Chester Schroon River access and corridor hazard context
- USGS 01317000 monitoring location
- USGS 01317000 current conditions
- Schroon 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
Schroon River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Schroon River?
Paddle Today watches Schroon River at Riverbank, 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 Schroon River route start and end?
This route starts at South Horicon Bridge municipal Schroon River hand launch and ends at Starbuckville Dam public Schroon River hand launch above dam, about Approximately 2.6 planning river miles from South Horicon Bridge to the Starbuckville Dam hand launch on the water.
Is this Schroon River route good for beginners?
This is listed as a moderate route. Expect more planning than an easy float, and use the live score, route notes, and source links before committing.
Flag a change
See something outdated?
Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.