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North River upstream of Sunburn Beach
Colrain, Massachusetts
Unofficial North River swim upstream of the old Sunburn Beach parcel in Colrain. 2019 acid-leak history upstream; use conservatively.
At a glance
Overview
This is a North River swim just upstream of the old Sunburn Beach parcel in Colrain, near the Deerfield River confluence. The Johnson family sold the parcel to the state in 2019; that same year a sulfuric-acid leak from Barnhardt Manufacturing upstream killed tens of thousands of fish in the North River. Recreation is returning, but flow is still worth watching — go only in settled weather and scout for debris.
- Also known as
- Sunburn Beach (Former) – North River, North River above Deerfield Confluence
- County
- Franklin
- Region
- Pioneer Valley
- Water type
- River pool
- Swim feature type
- River pool
Know before you go
Public
Conditions
Conditions snapshot
Check posted signs and official updates before entering.
Getting there
From Route 2 (Mohawk Trail), turn north onto North River Road in Colrain and follow it along the river toward the old Sunburn Beach site. The river-right swim is a short walk from informal pull-offs near the confluence.
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