Connecticut River Overall Fastest Known Paddle:

Shannon Nardi and Katie Nardi

10D, 3H, 21M

367.2 miles

unsupported

Shannon Nardi, 32 and Katie Nardi, 30, both of Tacoma, WA

Tandem Women, Unsupported

Start: June 14, 2026 at 7:22 AM

End: June 24, 2026 at 10:43 AM

Total Elapsed Time : 10D 3H 21M

We are two sisters fulfilling a six-year dream of doing this thru-paddle! We are somewhat avid paddlers, doing canoe camping trips, as well as racing in the Seventy48 every year and Ski-2-Sea canoe leg (both in WA) every year! Younger sister Katie used to be a summer camp trip leader for trips in Puget Sound and older sister is a biologist/boat captain and occasional raft guide.

Start: Connecticut River Access, Caanan, VT.

Finish: Boston Museum of Science. Saybrook Breakwater Lighthouse, Long Island Sound, Old Saybrook, CT

Route Description from Shannon Nardi: Route is from the farthest point up where the river is consistently navigable (Canaan, NH [367.2 miles] or Pittsburg, NH [376.4 miles]) to Old Saybrook/Old Lyme, CT. The Pittsburg starting point includes a stretch of 6 class I-II rapids and two additional portages. We are planning on the Canaan starting point but will do the Pittsburg if it looks doable/safe/fun! Still propose FKP start in Canaan to be inclusive for most conditions! No exemptions from standard rules. Portages: Beecher Falls (369), Canaan Dam (368), Lyman Falls (345), Wyoming Dam (318), Gilman Dam (297), Moore Dam (286), Comerford Dam (278), McIndoe Falls (272), Dodge Falls (268), Woodsville Narrows (rapid, 264), Wilder Dam (214), Sumner's Falls (205), Bellow Falls Dam (171), Vernon Dam (139), Turner's Falls Dam (119), Holyoke Dam (83).

States included: NH/VT, MA, CT

Info on Connecticut River Paddlers’ Trail:http://connecticutriverpaddlerstrail.org/

Trip Report: We had a great time! We were able to paddle the whitewater above Canaan (at low flows) so we did that part after hiking to the source lake and plunging in the subsequent lakes. We started the whitewater section at 12:30PM the day before, portaged Beecher Falls and Canaan dam and slept in Canaan that night. We officially started at the Canaan boat ramp at 8:22AM 6/14/26.All portages were as expected; we portaged Gilman Dam, Moore Dam, Comerford Dam, McIndoe Falls Dam, and Dodge Falls Dam (this one we camped at the portage), Wilder Dam, Sumner Falls rapid, Bellows Falls dam, Vernon Dam, Turner's Falls dam, and Mount Holyoke dam. We didn't end up portaging both Lyman Falls breached dam or Wyoming Falls breached dam, both were runnable at the flows we experienced. We read on previous reports that there was an optional portage of Enfield Rapids in CT (mentioned to be class I at summer flows and class III at higher flows) but they were super manageable and easy to avoid any hazards even during the higher flows we were experiencing on this trip. Depending on future conditions, folks could consider portaging these rapids but they were fine at higher flows as well. Flows for the Pittsburg section seemed low (472 on the gauge) when we started but the ensuing rain bumped them up to 1100 the next day and otherwise, for the rest of our trip flows were on the higher side for later Spring/early summer (20,000 cfs at the lower VT/NH and MA dams). We started in a rainstorm and had at least 3 full rainy days of paddling and reaped the benefits from the increased flows but also made sure to wash our hands a lot!Otherwise, it was a great 10 days of paddling with my sister! We greatly enjoyed portaging through town and chatting with local folks; hopefully more people start to thru paddle this trail so two people rolling a canoe through the city streets becomes less of a spectacle!