Hudson River Gorge

About

From the Indian River confluence down to North River, 17 miles of Class III-IV whitewater cut through the Adirondack Park's most sustained big-water gorge. The Hudson River Gorge runs at 4,200 CFS average through Essex and Hamilton counties, with optimal flows between 2,500 and 8,000 CFS on gauge 01315500. The upper section from Indian River to Harris Rift serves as warm-up water at Class III before the gorge proper opens up. Harris Rift to Blue Ledge contains the heart of the run — Class III-IV drops through granite walls where log drives once thundered during the Adirondack timber boom from the 1850s through 1910. Below Blue Ledge, the gradient eases into Class III big-water runout down to North River. When the Adirondack Park was established in 1892 with its "Forever Wild" constitutional protection, these waters became some of the first legislatively protected whitewater in the country. Hudson River Rafting Company and Wild Waters Outdoor Center run commercial trips through the gorge, though private boaters with solid Class IV skills make up most of the traffic.