Otselic River in New York

Trip Overview

Gauge was in Cincinnatus was 65cfs and .85 ft. We put in at Pitcher Ny and took out at Willet Ny with Cincinnatus being the half way point. About 10 miles total. The trip. The river is quite twisty and interesting, it is fairly remote and quiet, no road or highway noise. A few sections seem to have no main channel, just five or six islands, pick your poison. It was the first trip like this for the people I was with, and the flow was low. So that was a good thing. First half of the trip to Cincinnatus was great, no dragging or walking, no still pools, just a little light action. The second half was a little tougher, either deep still pools or dragging, but still not too bad. We made the trip in about 4 hours, (little more than 10 miles). I would guess if the flow was at 100 cfs or more and the level at 1.5 ft, the trip would have given us more adventure, again just guessing. You can tell this river runs much higher at times. Banks 15 or 20 feet high with a LOT of exposed washed out roots, and like I said, some portions with no real main channel. For a leisurely beginner trip a bit more flow would have been perfect, but the trip was still good. Lot of wildlife. Close up on one big eagle, a wood turtle and other wildlife. It's relatively pristine and quiet. Although I'd wouldn't run it at these low levels again.

Accommodations:

Easy launch areas, you can view them on Google maps.

Directions:

From interstate 81, get off the Cortland exit if traveling south, if you're traveling north you could get off the Whitney Point exit. From 81 just head to Willet and/or Pitcher, they aren't that far from I81.

Resources:

Just other reviews and Google maps