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Season begins April 5th and 6th.
SEE OUR NEW
WHITE WATER RAFTING VIDEO! CLICK
HERE!
Volunteer positions available
for rafting program. See Lock Tending: CLICK
HERE
Read about what Channel
7 calls a great escape!
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The same rapids and waterfalls that brought the textile industry
to Lowell, now power one of the most thrilling and interesting
raft trips in the United States. You'll raft on class III and
IV whitewater through the green heart of Lowell. Your trip concludes
with passage through an 1850s lock chamber, which is a National
Historic Landmark and a featured attraction at the Lowell National
and State Parks.
You'll see Lowell and learn its history from a unique perspective:
great blue herons and swallows will pass overhead, ancient rock
outcropping line the rapids, you'll pass beneath elegant stone
arched bridges. Our trips pass former mill sites and the oldest
power canal in the city. You'll find out why we call this reach
of the Concord "Thoreau's Portage."
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Your trip includes two trips through three sets of rapids - Twisted
Sister, Three Beauties, and Middlesex Dam, lead by expert guides
from Zoar
Outdoor. Whitewater on the Condord River is rated class III/IV
on the International Scale of Difficulty.
Trips generally begin the first week of April and run every weekend
through the end of May (Mid-week group reservations are also available.
Please call to inquire.). Trip times are 9am and 1pm. SEE
OUR NEW WHITE WATER RAFTING VIDEO! CLICK
HERE (May take a few minutes.)
Unlike other rafting rivers in New England, trips on the Concord
River depend entirely on natural river flow. There are no dams
upriver to turn the water on and off. We schedule our trips based
on the average annual river flow. After May, there is typically
not enough water to raft. If your trip is canceled for lack of
water, your fee is completely refunded.
We give you everything you need to raft - paddles, personal
flotation devices, helmets, and wetsuits. Changing rooms and showers
are available before and after your trip at the DoubleTree
Hotel Lowell, our host hotel - directions
to the DoubleTree)
 
You'll need to bring a bathing suit, towel, and an old pair of
sneakers or water shoes. Wool socks will help keep your feet warm.
Wetsuits are supplied complimentary for each rafting participant.
The Concord River is rated Class B, fishable and swimmable. That
means it's safe for water contact sports like whitewater rafting.
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Trips cost:
$80.00 per person
For groups of 12 or more the 12th person rafts free
Special youth group rates are available
(10 youth and 2 adults minimum, 10% off group rate)
Gift Certificates Available
Advanced reservations are required.
We accept Visa and Mastercard.
Children must be 14 years old. Wetsuits are supplied complimentary.
The Spring 2008 rafting season begins on April 5th
and 6th.
You can make your reservation online
or by calling 800-532-7483
The Lowell Parks & Conservation Trust is also seeking
Volunteers to be Lock Tenders
in support of the historic canal lock portion of each rafting
trip. Click Here for details.
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Zoar Outdoor trips go regardless of the weather with the exception
of weather conditions deemed dangerous by Zoar Outdoor.
IF YOU CANCEL...
• More than 30 days in advance of your trip date, we retain
a $10 per person cancellation fee.
• 30 days or less in advance of your trip date, you forfeit
the entire cost of your trip.
• Money forfeited may not be applied to any outstanding
balances.
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The Concord River is the ideal location
to try rafting for the first time for several reasons:
1. We're close by - You haven't invested in a full weekend or
a four hour drive to Maine. It only takes half a day to find out
that the best rafting is right in your backyard.
2. Safety vehicles, emergency response, and medical supplies are
less than a half mile away. There are numerous places along the
river where you can get off the raft. We're in the middle of the
city, not the wilderness, so if we need emergency help it's close
by.
3. The whitewater's as exciting as any place in New England. If
you can raft here, you can raft anywhere.
4. The apres rafting is the best you can find with first class
museums and ethnic and family restaurants right in Lowell.
Rafting on the Concord River is possible because of a dam breach,
which provides this unique recreational opportunity, as well as
the Trust's recent work toward restorating the historic run of
the alewife (river herring).
"The Lowell Park & Conservation Trust has done a remarkable nature
conservancy job... If you're looking for whitewater, who needs
Maine?" - Boston Magazine "Best Urban Adventure" 1997
"Part adventure, part history lesson... spring runoff makes the
Concord River as raft-jostling as the Kennebec in Maine." - Yankee
Magazine
"The Concord River: As good water as you can find." - The Boston
Globe
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Our Concord River White Water trips received a 1997 Best of Boston
Award for the best urban adventure in greater Boston.
You can check the current flow rates on the Concord River here:
Concord River Flow Gauge
Directions to the DoubleTree Hotel are here.
If you are considering taking the commuter rail into Lowell, we recommend making a Saturday 1pm reservation, because of the limitations of the bus schedule. Otherwise, please plan on taking a taxi from the Lowell commuter rail station (LRTA/Gallagher terminal). To catch the bus for the DoubleTree Hotel, take the 11:50am or 12:30pm "Downtown Circulator" bus (from bay #B-1 outside) and get off at the Lowell District Court stop. To get back to the commuter rail station, take the 3:30, 4:10 or 4:50 bus, which has various nearby pick up locations (see route 9 map: http://www.lrta.com/fixedroute.html There is no bus service on Sundays.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact
us.
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We thank the DoubleTree
Hotel for generously providing in-kind services towards
our rafting season this year. |
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