Whitewater Run NY Class I-II

2. Downerville to Russell

Grass

American Whitewater
Linked via: Nhdplus discovery 90% confidence Synced 6mo ago
Sign in for Alerts
Gauge Conditions
West Branch Oswegatchie River near Harrisville NY Downstream Primary
Runnable: 400.0 – 4,000.0 CFS

The USGS gauge on the Oswegatchie in Harrisville provides an "approximation". The benchmarks below have many variables, so proper assessment is necessary

Data from American Whitewater & USGS
Run Map
Run Time Estimate
Select put-in and take-out to estimate time.
Sign in to generate an AI timing estimate for this run.
Whitewater timing varies with scouting, portages, and group pace. Use as a planning baseline.
Description
This section is great for beginner kayakers or open boat paddles to be able to get use to moving water. After the North Branch joins the Middle the fun begins. All the way down to Russell is nice class II choppy rapids. With only one real rapid that can easily be naviagated, this section is a great start before paddling the other sections of the Grass. Canton - Cranberry Lake Area Reaches Boland Creek Elm Creek Grass (1. Lampsons Falls to Downerville) Grass (2. Downerville to Russell) Grass (3. Morley to Massena)Grass (4.Woods Bridge Road to Route 47) Grass, Middle BranchGrass, North Branch Grass, Upper South BranchGrass, Lower South Branch (Twin Falls) Oswegatchie, E. Branch (2.)Oswegatchie, E. Branch (3.) Oswegatchie, W. BranchPlumb Brook Google Map of New York Whitewater New York Whitewater Paddlers Facebook Group
Difficulty
Class I-II
Length
2.7 mi
Gradient
20 ft/mi
max 40
Rapids
0
Access Points
Put-in
44.4249, -75.1071
Take-out
44.4278, -75.1494
Shuttle Info
**To the put in**-On Route 24 just north of the town of Russell boaters will see a NY state sign for Downerville, a no-longer existent town at the confluence of the N. branch of the Grasse with the Main branch. Coming from Russell, turn right (SE) onto dirt/gravel Donnerville road, this is just before a Transportation facility center, Continue on Donnerville road until you see an old cemetary on left, take the next right. Follow along the beaver pond, staying right at the fork then downhill to confluence. It is about a mile and a half from main road to take-out. The road is shown on the map is in the wrong spot and is actually above the confluence of the north and main branches not below. **To the take-out**\- The take out is a small park (with a couple of picnic tables) on the River right side as County route 24 crosses over in the town of Russell
Difficulty Classes
I Easy II Novice III Intermediate IV Advanced V Expert/Extreme VI Unrunnable
Current Conditions
5-Day Forecast
Whitewater data from
American Whitewater