Contoocook River

Coordinates: 43°17′11″N 71°35′23″W / 43.2865°N 71.5898°W / 43.2865; -71.5898

Covered railroad bridge in village of Contoocook, New Hampshire

The Contoocook River is a 71-mile-long (114 km)^[1] river in New Hampshire. It flows from Pool Pond and Contoocook Lake on the Jaffrey/Rindge border to Penacook (just north of Concord), where it empties into the Merrimack River. It is one of only a few rivers in New Hampshire that flow in a predominantly northward direction. Two picturesque covered bridges in Hopkinton and one in Henniker span the Contoocook, as does another on the Hancock-Greenfield line. Residents and tourists have made the Contoocook popular for fishing and whitewater boating.

The river gives its name to Contoocook, New Hampshire, a census-designated place (CDP) within the town of Hopkinton.

Principal tributaries

From south to north:

• Nubanusit Brook begins at Nubanusit Lake in Nelson and joins the Contoocook in Peterborough.
• The North Branch of the Contoocook starts in Stoddard and joins the main stem in Hillsborough.
• The Warner River starts in Bradford and joins the Contoocook in Hopkinton.
• The Blackwater River begins at Pleasant Lake in New London and joins the Contoocook in Hopkinton.

See also

• List of New Hampshire rivers

References

Hopkinton Dam on the Contoocook River in Merrimack County

1. ^ New Hampshire GRANIT state geographic information system

External links

• NH Department of Environmental Services The Contoocook and North Branch Rivers
• American Whitewater description of the Freight Train rapids section