The Black River is a great place to experience paddling in northern Vermont. The Irasburg to Coventry section is good for a half-day trip and features some exciting but relatively easy Class II rapids, two covered bridges, two waterfalls, and the chance to spot some rare Vermont wildlife as the river winds through forests and fields.
From the put-in at Lord's Creek Covered Bridge it is a relatively easy paddle (if the water level is high enough) until three Class II boulder gardens make for some exciting paddling. At low water in the summer, there are also some shallow riffles. There are two portages along the route - the first one is short (300 feet) around Big Falls and featured a nice swimming spot, and the second around Lower Falls is a little longer (0.35 miles) and involves hiking up and back down a narrow trail.
This reach is best run in moderate to high water (April-May). Look for at least 200 cfs on the USGS gage in Coventry. To avoid an arduous portage around Little Falls, take out above Big Falls.
To learn more about this region and plan your trip, visit the Northern Forest Canoe Trail website. There you can:
For more information, visit the NFCT website or contact:
Put-in: The informal put-in is at a dirt pull-off on Covered Bridge Road in Irasburg, just north of the Lord's Creek covered bridge. You can access the river by going down the bank.
Take-out: At Ladybird Park in Coventry, the parking lot is off US-5, on the southwest corner of the VT-5/VT-105 intersection, just north of downtown Coventry.
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