Battenkill River in Vermont

Trip Overview

This is a beautiful, fantastic river to paddle. The river is clean and clear and there are huge and beautiful trees everywhere. The river runs alongside of a road but you rarely see it and rarely hear any noise. The first part has a lot of quick water with twists and turns. Knowing how to read a river is very helpful. There is one turn that is very tricky and if you are at all concerned, walk you boat straight ahead. You'll know it when you see it. About half way, the water gets quieter and the paddling more relaxed. Saw deer and a baby beaver.

The difficulty all depends on water height which determines how fast the river moves. On this day the water was unusually high and I loved it. If you are not an experienced paddler, there are choices where you can put in that will make the trip easier. You can do a two hour or four hour or six hour trip, depending on what you want.

You won't regret paddling this river!

Accommodations:

Two campgrounds, one close to the beginning and one at the end. Hotels, restaurants, etc. some fancy, some not. Laid back.

Fees:

Not for the river. But this is a one way river. You either have to bring two cars or use Battenkill Canoe. They charge $17 and explain all the details about the river. You can also rent canoes/kayaks from them.

Directions:

Look on a map, route 7a into Arlington which is in south eastern VT.