See all 6 routes on Middle Branch St. Regis River
New York | Franklin County / St. Lawrence County North Country
Middle Branch St. Regis River
St. Regis Falls to Fort Jackson (Silver Staircase)
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
An 11.1-mile Middle Branch St. Regis River whitewater corridor from the Town of Waverly’s St. Regis Falls Scenic Campsite through the Silver Staircase to the Fort Jackson take-out area. American Whitewater documents continuous Class III+ water with a Class IV feature, dam and slide hazards, and a spring/high-water character; the town campground supplies water-adjacent basecamp context.
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
St. Regis Falls Scenic Campsite river access areaThe St. Regis Falls campground is a documented riverfront facility, but paddlers must check in and obtain current permission for launching or overnight staging.
Take-out
Fort Jackson St. Regis River take-out areaNicholville is retained as an emergency/bailout anchor from route reports, not as a guaranteed public boat ramp or parking facility.
Plan this segment
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- The St. Regis Falls campground is a documented riverfront facility, but paddlers must check in and obtain current permission for launching or overnight staging.
- Nicholville is retained as an emergency/bailout anchor from route reports, not as a guaranteed public boat ramp or parking facility.
- The Fort Jackson endpoint is a route-map access-area anchor. Confirm current legal parking, water entry, carry, and private-property boundaries before relying on it as the take-out.
- USGS 04268800 is on the West Branch near Parishville and is a proxy for the Middle Branch; use route-specific scouting and recent-rain review as the decision gate.
Watch for
- USGS 04268800 unavailable, rapidly rising, or inconsistent with the Middle Branch visual; no standardized numeric threshold is published
- St. Regis Falls, dam drop, bedrock slides, slot/gorge features, bridge hydraulics, island channels, strainers, and cold water
- campground permission, Nicholville bailout legality, Fort Jackson parking/landing, private banks, daylight, and a failed shuttle or extraction plan
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 | West Branch St. Regis River near Parishville, 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 Silver Staircase Class III+(IV) guidance; no standardized numeric runnable threshold published |
| 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 corridorSt. Regis Falls to Fort Jackson; 11.1 miles; Class III+(IV)
American Whitewater publishes the Silver Staircase boundary, mileage, difficulty, continuous-rapid character, spring/high-water use, and feature hazards.
- Water-adjacent endpoint basecampTown of Waverly St. Regis Falls Scenic Campsite
The town documents tent, RV, cabin, and lean-to camping beside the river; obtain current permission before using it as the launch/basecamp.
- Proxy flow contextUSGS 04268800 West Branch St. Regis River near Parishville
American Whitewater and USGS provide live West Branch telemetry used as same-watershed context only; it is not a local Middle Branch waterline.
- Endpoint map supportSt. Regis Falls and Fort Jackson map-derived water-entry anchors
The route map publishes the endpoint coordinates; current landing, parking, and private-property conditions remain field checks.
- Image decisionApproved same-river USGS West Branch station context image
The image is labeled as St. Regis River context rather than an exact Silver Staircase rapid photograph.
- Same-river proxy gaugeUSGS 04268800, West Branch St. Regis River near Parishville, NY
American Whitewater uses USGS 04268800 on the West Branch near Parishville for this Middle Branch reach. The station is a live same-watershed proxy, not a local Middle Branch waterline; branch inflow, dam operations, rain, wood, and the route’s bedrock features can diverge materially.
- Safety and river conditionsCheck live gauge, recent rainfall, trend, debris, bridges, and access conditions before launch
American Whitewater Silver Staircase / Town of Waverly / NYSDEC 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 Silver Staircase / Town of Waverly / NYSDEC route record
- American Whitewater and Riverfacts Silver Staircase endpoint map
- USGS 04268800 West Branch St. Regis River near Parishville current stage and discharge
- American Whitewater Silver Staircase rapids and hazard guidance
- USGS 04268800 monitoring location
- USGS 04268800 current conditions
- Middle Branch St. Regis 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.
Share your trip
Keep exploring
More routes to check next
Compare another stretch on this river, or jump to nearby options before you pick a plan.
More in New York
All 296 routesMore on Middle Branch St. Regis River
All 6Nearby routes by distance
Quick answers
Middle Branch St. Regis River paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Middle Branch St. Regis River?
Paddle Today watches West Branch St. Regis River near Parishville, 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 Middle Branch St. Regis River route start and end?
This route starts at St. Regis Falls Scenic Campsite river access area and ends at Fort Jackson St. Regis River take-out area, about 11.1 river miles from St. Regis Falls to Fort Jackson on the water.
Is this Middle Branch St. Regis 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.