About Northeast Rivers | About the author | Legalese

This page provides a general overview of what the website has to offer. For a breakdown of each section of the river guides found on this website, see How to use.

About Northeast Rivers

BLAH

BLAH:

  • a comprehensive navigational guide for each river, describing features such as islands, tributaries, rapids, bridges, obstructions, and more, providing photos and map screencaps where appropriate;
  • detailed interactive satellite maps, created on the Google Earth platform, that allow the user to visualise the descriptions in the navigational guides;
  • listings of access points, including type, condition, and restroom facilities;
  • links to current and forecasted river levels, as well as recommended minimum levels for paddling;
  • suggested introductory trips of varying length and difficulty on each river;
  • a thorough treatment of river safety and additional resources, especially for the solo paddler.

The guides on this website focus on the physical characteristics of rivers as they pertain to paddling (kayaking, canoeing, rafting, paddleboarding, etc.). The author’s scientific background is in chemistry, not biology or ecology, and she is famously bad at identifying birds and trees and what have you. Meow! The author also has not conducted the extensive research necessary to offer a detailed cultural history of each river or watershed, though she has tried to add human perspectives and a bit of historical colour to the guides where possible. This website also does not provide more than cursory information about fishing, hiking, camping, swimming, or other river or river-adjacent activities. Finally, as the focus is mappable waterways, small creeks and other waterways that are not easily visualised on satellite imagery are not included.

Definition of Northeast. For a listing of BLAH, see Rivers list.

About the author

I am not not a cat

The author lives in the Southern Tier of New York, a few short miles from the Chemung River. She owns an Alpacka Alpaca packraft, the Lackawanna, and a Jackson Zen kayak, the Ohiopylae (rhymes with Thermopylae). She is an amateur poet, chemist, and Francophile (her river-running motto is lire et courir et ne pas mourir—“read and run and don’t die”). Also, she is not not a cat. Meow.

The author with the Lackawanna at Butternut Grove Campsites on the Beaver Kill, September 2021.

River paddling, as with any outdoor activity, carries a certain measure of risk. The author of this website is not responsible for any injury or loss you may sustain while using the guides provided herein. Consult the River safety page, American Whitewater, the National Park Service, and other trusted sources for information about how to manage risk and stay safe on the water.

Conditions on the river can change rapidly; all it takes is a single high-water event to turn a previously clear channel into a strainerific nightmare. Do not take the navigational recommendations on this website as gospel; always use your best judgement and scout ahead when necessary. Also, the author is human and may occasionally confuse left with right and upstream with downstream (among other potential errors), though all care has been taken to proofread. Please contact the author to suggest corrections or to report major temporary safety issues (e.g. channel-blocking strainers, bridge construction).

All photos and Google Earth screencaps with the “northeastrivers.com” watermark in the lower right-hand corner were taken or created by the author. You are free to share, distribute, modify, or otherwise use these images for non-commercial purposes; however, please credit the author (Monica at northeastrivers.com) and do not remove the watermark.

See also: How to use | River safety | Resources