Put-In for this section is at what is currently listed on Google Maps as the
Gardiner Dog Park. Driving West out of downtown Gardiner on Rt 9/126, you'll see the dam on your right with a road going down the hill back the way you came, that's the one you want. The building there controls the outflow of the dam, and historically the dam manager has preferred that boaters not park down there at the turnaround, though he is fine with folks driving down to unload boats there. Park in the
dirt lot across the road from Spruce Street.
Take-Out parking is the
Municipal Parking on Arcade Street, though if water is high and things are pushy, it might be easier to use the
Gardiner Landing for your take-out.
500cfs is on the low side for this section (runnable but you'll scrape). 800cfs is a nice medium level. 1000cfs+ and things get pushy but not too crazy. There is not necessarily an upper runnable limit for this section, and higher water for the most part does not make any moves significantly more difficult. This is all true for kayaks, duckies, OC1, decked canoes, rafts, etc. Open tandem canoes might have some trouble on this section at higher flows, as there are not many spots to stop and dump your boat.
Typical put in is below the outflow from the station, though many choose to launch as close to the dam as possible, which offers a fun, slightly steeper upper section. Take caution if doing this, as the embankments can be tricky. Scout this section before putting on, as there aren't a lot of stopping points once you're in the rapid.
At the hydro station, things open up pretty wide and shallow, but they quickly narrow again into the next rapid. This one has a surf wave in it that can be caught on the fly or from the eddy on river right.
This rapid flushes into a large dam-created pool. Paddle down the length of the pool and take out on the left side to portage around the dam. Rumor has it the dam is runnable in a kayak, but only at very high flows.
Be careful of the strange currents below the old dam when putting back on, they can be quite surge-y and swirly. Continue downstream past the old factory/warehouse and before the bend to the left there will be a surprising hole on river right that has flipped a fair share of canoes and small unsuspecting rafts. After the bend to the left, the river cuts back to the right, and there's a bit of a straightaway before going under a railroad bridge. The next to last opening in the bridge is the best one to go through, and the last is a fair alternative. This is one of the trickier spots on the river due to the tightness of the bridge openings and the abrupt 90 degree turn.
Below the bridge, the river splits around a small island. The smaller channel to the left is fun when there's more water, but can be bumpy at lower levels. The right line is the standard line.
Continue downriver through some boogie rapids, nothing of major consequence. There are two car bridges below the train bridge that you'll go under. The second one has a surf wave just upstream of it and a hole underneath it. The take-out is just after the second bridge.
From a comment, 2008:
"I ran this stretch years back in an inflatable kayak, I would say it was more class III. Good size waves when we ran it. Put in at old factory, took out near Hannaford, before confluence with Kennebec. Fun but short, made multiple runs."
See also the
Cobbosseecontee Lake to Pleasant Pond reach.