About Us

The New Hampshire Appalachian Mountain Club paddling group is filled with people who know how to have fun on and off the river. Like other AMC groups, the NH AMC paddling group is for outdoor enthusiasts with an interest in paddling as well as a concern for protecting and conserving our waterways. Paddling trips for all skill levels and moods are offered nearly every weekend from early March until late October. An experienced leader and co-leader, rated according to AMC standards, guides each trip.

The leaders coordinate the trip. They are knowledgeable about the rivers - where the proper put-ins and take-outs are, where the tricky rapids are, where the best spots for lunch or (intentional) swimming are. They check on water levels so you do not drive two hours just to look at a rocky river bed too dry to paddle. They will occasionally switch a trip to another river with enough water for paddling.

If you have ever tried paddling a river on your own you know the problems associated with trying to get back to your car many miles upstream at the end of the day. The trip leader coordinates all the shuttle logistics.

Paddling with the NH AMC group, you will always find willing friends to paddle with, weekends and weekdays. In addition to the regularly scheduled trips, "bootleg" trips are often organized overnight when a heavy rain brings up a normally unpaddleable river. An easy, casual attitude permeates all trips, along with a responsible, healthy respect for the river and its potential hazards. Kayaks, tandem, and solo canoes are all welcome.

Despite its name, the group paddles rivers throughout New England, sometimes joining with other chapters for joint trips. You don't have to live in New Hampshire to belong! Many members are from Massachusetts, Maine and Vermont. (In fact many out of state members have told us they joined because they like the spirit of the group so much, even though they have similar groups in their own state.)

Trips range from flatwater touring trips to Class IV whitewater trips for expert paddlers. The most common and popular trips are the Class II trips. Trips are designated according to difficulty of the rapids. For example, a Class II trip will be run on the river section where there are primarily Class II rapids. Such a trip may contain one or two short Class III rapids. If this occurs, these are well defined ahead of time and scouting and extra care is taken when running them. These Class III rapids may be portaged around if desired, and the group always respects those who want to take a conservative approach to the river.

Many members also take paddling trips to very exciting and remote places, sometimes to rivers that are not ordinarily paddled. Members have recently taken paddling trips to the Grand Canyon, the Salmon and Snake Rivers in Idaho, the Coppermine and Nahanni Rivers in the Canadian NWT, the Noatak in Arctic Alaska, and several rivers in Northern Quebec and the Arctic. As you come and paddle with us, you'll get to meet these paddlers, hear their stories and see their pictures, and get invited to come along on more of these great adventures.

Read our Annual Report for 2007 to find out more about what we do.

Also see:
Frequently Asked Questions
Current By-Laws
Committee Members

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