Section 3

This is the toughest section of river on this trip. Just below the dam you will be passing a paper mill. There is a lot of trash in this area from that mill. Just below the factory bridge is the toughest rapid on the lower Ash. This is Papermill rapid. There is a rather clean straight line through this rapid just right of center. To the left is a series of holes that can swallow an open boat. The rest of this section is continuous class III+ water with little let up.

This section of the river can be easily scouted from the road on river right that you can pick up a mile or a mile and a half downriver from the put in, off of 119.

At 700 CFS (about 4.5 feet), this section is a 2+; at 1000 (4.9 feet), it is a good beginner's class 3.  At 1500 cfs (5.35 ft), the river becomes much pushier.  At this level, Paper Mill Rapid becomes a big water class 3+ to 4, depending on your rating system.