Pemigewasset River - Robbins Nest Road to Blair Bridge

Beautiful trip down the Pemigewasset on a mostly cloudy 52F fall day. The heavy rain forecast for Saturday did not end up raising the water level as high as expected but still high enough that the current was swift, did not need to get out/drag through any of the numerous gravel bars. The river is very wide, any fallen trees did not cause problems, no portages on this trip. The water level on the Woodstock gauge 3.24 ft, 456 cfs.  Bike shuttled back along the hilly Rt 175, caught glimpses of the Beebe and Mad Rivers.  The Pemi has that White Mountains feel with rounded boulders, many sandy beaches, some gravel bars, scenic mountain vistas, and beautifully clear water. Foliage was not quite peak but saw some nice colors. Made a side trip up the Mad River, made it about 50 yards before the current turned me back. One small negative, the highway noise from I-93 becomes more prominent the 2nd half of this trip. Bucket List river ✅.  

Start: Robbins Nest Road, Thornton, NH

End:  Blair Covered Bridge, Campton, NH

Trip time:  3 hours, 5 minutes  

Trip distance: 9.5 miles

Three pics from the bike shuttle back to the put-in: 

Crossing Blair Covered Bridge

Crossing the turbulent Beebe River via Rt 175

Outlet of Campton Pond, the Mad River continues to the Pemi

The put-in at Robbins Nest Road under the Cross Road Bridge

Looking upriver from the put-in

And downriver...

Blue skies turned to gray

Rail bridge and first I-93 crossing in the distance

Stopped for lunch on this nice beach

Lunch-time view

Gorg foliage

Sandy cliffs

End of the line?

Not quite peak colors here

Started up the Mad River...

...but didn't make it too far up the Mad before the water turned "angry"  😜

Blair Bridge comes into view, take-out on right below the bridge

One last look upstream to the mountains.  Great trip!