The Mad River is a

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainag ...

to the

Winooski River The Winooski River (formerly the Onion River) is a tributary of Lake Champlain, approximately long, in the northern half of Vermont. Although not Vermont's longest river, it is one of the state's most significant, forming a major valley way from ...

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the ...

. It has its headwaters in Granville Gulf, then flows north through the towns of Warren,

Waitsfield Waitsfield is a town in Washington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,844 as of the 2020 census. It was created by a Vermont charter on February 25, 1782, and was granted to militia Generals Benjamin Wait, Roger Enos and ot ...

, and Moretown before entering the Winooski River just downstream from

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbourin ...

. Other towns within the Mad River watershed are the entire Town of Fayston and a portion of the Town of Duxbury. Relative to other rivers in the state, the Mad River is fairly rocky and clear, making it a popular for swimming. In the summer of 2008,

didymo ''Didymosphenia geminata'', commonly known as didymo or rock snot, is a species of diatom that produces nuisance growths in freshwater rivers and streams with consistently cold water temperatures and low nutrient levels. It is native to the nort ...

, or Rock Snot, was found in the upper portions of the river. The Mad River Valley is a popular region with tourists due to its picturesque scenery and two ski areas, Mad River Glen and

Sugarbush Resort Sugarbush Resort is a ski resort located in the Mad River valley in Warren, Vermont, owned by Alterra Mountain Company. It is one of the largest ski resorts in New England. The resort encompasses more than 4000 acres (16 km²) total, 484 ...

. Since 1990, the Friends of the Mad River – a non-profit formed to preserve and protect the recreational, ecological and aesthetic resources of the Mad River – has been engaged in citizen-based water quality monitoring, river restoration, land conservation, and public education and outreach on behalf of the Mad River watershed.

References

Rivers of Vermont Bodies of water of Washington County, Vermont Tributaries of Lake Champlain {{Vermont-river-stub

See also

References