Rafting on the Concord River provides thrills as well as an unusual perspective on the historic mill city of Lowell.
04/12/2015
Boston Globe
By Brion O’Connor
Elizabeth Kegley knows rough-and-tumble white water.
“I grew up in Colorado, doing recreational rafting in the summer on the Colorado River through the Rockies,” said Kegley, executive director of the Merrimack Repertory Theatre in Lowell. “I was pretty spoiled.”
So when Kegley had a chance to raft the Concord River in Lowell, admittedly, she was intrigued.
“The rafting on the Concord had better rapids than I expected,” she said. “It was still cold, and different than what I knew of rafting. We went in a record year, I think; the rapids were Class IV. And no one fell out, so no one had to worry about being completely soaked. The floating part was nice, and the rapids were a good time.”
Now is the perfect time to go. In partnership with the Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust and the University of Massachusetts Lowell Inn and Conference Center, Zoar Outdoors, a Charlemont-based outfitter, is offering weekend rafting trips on the Concord River through May 17. Friday afternoon and Monday morning trips are also available for groups of 12 or more. The six-week season takes advantage of the spring runoff from the north, providing the closest white-water rafting to Boston.
“It’s a natural-flow river, which is typically swallowed dry by thirsty trees by around Memorial Day,” said Brian Pytko, a longtime guide for Zoar Outdoors.
“This river is a unique experience. When you think rafting, you think woods, mountains, countryside, not a downtown, urban center. It’s an incredibly fun river to guide, and equally fun to be a guest.”
Given the record snowfall this winter, rafters can expect a banner river-running season.
Typically, the Concord River offers three named sections of Class III white water: Twisted Sister, Three Beauties, and Middlesex Dam.
“It’s shocking to me how many people every day drive over the bridges on Lawrence and Perry streets and have no idea the river and its rapids exist,” said Pytko. “These are really good Class III-IV rapids. People drive hours for this type of white-water experience, or fly across the country for it. Our guests are typically amazed that they essentially own this experience in their backyards.”
According to Pytko and others, the Concord River is a hidden gem, not only because it is an entertaining river, but also because it gives rafters an unusual perspective on a historic city.
“There is an entire ecosystem in downtown Lowell that many people don’t realize exists,” he said. “I had an ornithologist on one trip, and we counted over 20 species of birds. I’ve seen otters, fish leaping from the waters, countless turtles, and families of ducks, and that is only on 1½ miles of river.”
Most trips conclude with passage through a river lock chamber dating to the 1850s, bringing rafters into the center of industrial Lowell.
“When the National Park System came to Lowell in the 1970s, they fixed up the Lower Locks complex extensively and restored the locks for potential reuse,” said Jim Kelleher, a Lowell native who volunteers as a lock-tender for the conservation trust.
As a software engineer, he said, “I enjoy operating what were the technological wonders of their age — the locks — and though they often leak quite a bit, the darned things still work.”
Kelleher grew up in Lowell 300 yards from the Concord River, but he and his five siblings were discouraged from playing by the water. So the thought of rafting the river initially seemed a little far-fetched.
“To be honest, I thought the whole concept was preposterous, like imagining Disney World springing up in your childhood neighborhood,” he said. “About two years ago, I finally took the trip. It was a wild ride, very comparable to an intense roller coaster-type experience. Adrenaline junkies should definitely take advantage of this.”
Tyngsborough resident Dave Tardiff, a fellow trust volunteer, said when the river is high, “Three Beauties rapid is enormous, a massive drop and hit. When the water is at its midstage, every rapid is runnable and the chamber locks are accessible.”
Added Pytko, “When the water is at its lower stages, Three Beauties becomes, without exaggeration, one of the best raft surf holes in New England.”
The rafting trips actually consist of two runs along the Concord River. The first goes to the confluence of the Concord and Merrimack rivers, where rafters disembark and are taken by van back up the river for another run. That second run ends with the trip through the locks in the middle of Lowell.
“I find it hilarious that you have to run the same section twice to get six rapids in, but it’s a unique twist, and you still get a great experience,” said Kegley.
“It’s a really cool view of Lowell – the backyards. You’re traveling behind and by places that you otherwise might not see. It’s more ‘rural’ than you’d think of Lowell, more green space. Then at the end you get to ride up in the locks and get the historic perspective of traveling the canals.”
For details on the rafting trips, visit www.zoaroutdoor.com. A portion of the proceeds from the rafting fees benefits the Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust to protect land along the Concord River, including the establishment of the Concord River Greenway Park.