4. Twin Mountain to Pierce bridge

Stone Church Put-In (upper): Access the river close to the route 3 intersection (park behind St. Patrick's Church). The first 2 miles are good for a Class I / II warm up before encountering the continuous class II waters below. Rest Area Put-In (lower): To bypass the extended warm-up section above, find the rest area on state route 302 about two miles west from the intersection of state route 3 in Twin Mountain. Look for a convenient riverside paved pull off across from Beechwood Drive. From the Rest Area Put-In: the river starts with typical boulder strewn class II sections that wend around corners. Look for lots of small play waves and eddies. The first major rapid is Fish Camp Rapid, where the river narrows over class II ledge drops and small holes to dodge. After several quickwater sections alternating with boulder strewn sections, the river gradient increases and comes to a more difficult class II+ section called Boat Breaker just about a half mile upstream of the take out at Pierce Bridge. There is a clear path through river center with some left and right zig-zags to avoid the larger holes. It is easy to boat-scout from resting eddies above each steep portion of this section. The take out is found on the immediate river right after the large concrete abuttments of Pierce Bridge. Most of the river is secluded and out of site of the road with tall northern spruce along the banks. There are occasional camps along the way. ### Technical info ``` Put in elevation........1286'Take out elevation......1167'Total drop..............119'1st mile................46'2nd mile................30'2.9 mile................43' (48' average)Average drop/mile.......41'Distance................2.9 milesRiver width average.....70'River geology...........Small to medium granite bouldersRiver water quality.....good to excellent, clarity good.Scenery.................Nice Mountain scenery, most of this stretch runs away from the road.Wildlife................Deer, hawks, moose, beavers, mink. ```