The North Branch of the Contoocook River is a 17.9 miles (28.8 km) river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

 located in southwestern New Hampshire

New Hampshire

New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...

 in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It is a tributary

Tributary

A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...

 of the Contoocook River

Contoocook River

The Contoocook River is a river in New Hampshire. It flows from Pool Pond and Contoocook Lake on the Jaffrey/Rindge border to Penacook , 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...

, part of the Merrimack River

Merrimack River

The Merrimack River is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into Massachusetts, and then flows northeast until it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Newburyport...

 watershed

Drainage basin

A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...

.

The North Branch begins in a highland region of lakes, swamps, and intricate stream networks in the town of Stoddard, New Hampshire

Stoddard, New Hampshire

Stoddard is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,232 at the 2010 census.Between 1842 and 1873, the town was home to four glass manufacturers. The glass produced by these works, now known as Stoddard glass, is noted for its deep amber colors and design...

. The New Hampshire GRANIT geographic information system

Geographic Information System

A geographic information system, geographical information science, or geospatial information studies is a system designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present all types of geographically referenced data...

 places the beginning of the North Branch at the outlet of Rye Pond in the extreme southeast corner of Stoddard. Additional significant flow quickly arrives when the outlet of Highland Lake

Highland Lake (Stoddard, New Hampshire)

Highland Lake is a water body located in Sullivan and Cheshire counties in southwestern New Hampshire, United States, in the towns of Washington and Stoddard. The lake has two outlets. The north outlet feeds Shedd Brook, while the south outlet flows through Island Pond to the North Branch of the...

 and Island Pond

Island Pond (Stoddard, New Hampshire)

Island Pond is a water body located in Cheshire County in southwestern New Hampshire, United States, in the town of Stoddard....

 joins from the north. From here to Franklin Pierce Lake

Franklin Pierce Lake

Franklin Pierce Lake is a reservoir located in Hillsborough County in southern New Hampshire, United States, in the towns of Hillsborough and Antrim. It is named for Franklin Pierce, the 14th president of the United States, who was born in Hillsborough at a site now inundated by the lake...

, the North Branch consists of a stairstep-like series of flatwater and wetlands interspersed with sections of whitewater that are popular among New England

New England

New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...

 kayak

Kayak

A kayak is a small, relatively narrow, human-powered boat primarily designed to be manually propelled by means of a double blade paddle.The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each seating one paddler...

ers. Below Franklin Pierce Lake it is a short distance to the Contoocook River in Hillsborough

Hillsborough, New Hampshire

Hillsborough, frequently spelled Hillsboro, is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,011 at the 2010 census...

. Beards Brook

Beards Brook

Beards Brook or Beard Brook is a stream located in southern New Hampshire in the United States. It is a tributary of the North Branch of the Contoocook River, part of the Merrimack River watershed....

 enters the North Branch in Hillsborough just upstream of the river's end at the Contoocook.

New Hampshire Route 9 follows the North Branch for most of the river's length.