Travelling from Spanish Chutes to Aubrey Falls on the Mississagi River over 10 days. Looking for a few adventurous folks to join us for an early fall trip.
We will be doing the Opeongo River on Saturday, levels permitting, and then the lower Madawaska on Sunday. We shall camp at a nearby cottage property on the Saturday night.
Saturday morning we will meet at the Shall Lake Access Point, #17, at 10 am, and then complete the necessary shuttle. As this river is in the Park there is a day fee that must be paid. By this time of year the ice on the lakes in the Algonquin area is usually off, and the water levels in the rivers are high. The Opeongo River is a brilliant spring run, with class 2 to 3 water, that is fairly continuous. The Lower Madawaska is more of a drop and pool scenario.
This is definitely an intermediate level whitewater trip. You should not be a novice whitewater paddler.
A last minute whitewater day trip on the crazy MAD River (near Creemore Ont) , just 90 minutes from Toronto. Fourteen kilometers of fast moving whitewater fun (the river at this time of year rarely slows down) . Your leader for the day has run this section of the river a number of times in the past few years and is familiar with the spots that often jam with debris. This trip has been on my wish list for a number of years, but I left the river alone for the past three years beside of several large log jams that made spring whitewater trips a challenge. The rains of April 5, 2023 gave us a flood on the MAD river, that washed out the known major log jams between our put-in place at Riverside Dr / County 9 in Creemore. It looks like a relatively safe place to play, once again.
The trip is 14 km of class 1 swifts and fast moving water. The river rarely slows down this time of year. There may be a odd tree in the river to dodge, and a few sweepers, however your leader inspected the river course from several road access points since the April 5 flood happened, and most of the historic "bad corners" have been scrubbed clean. Please bring canoes that can handle hitting a few rocks (not your fancy kevlar or carbon fiber boats please) . It is spring. Cold water., Wear wetsuit or drysuit. PFD required. WW helmet if you have it. Gloves suitable for the day
We will doing the Upper Salmon River water levels permitting.
Starting at Gull Creek and running this spring whitewater river down to Beaver Lake Area. I last did this river in 2019 and it was a lot of fun. Ranging from class 1 to 3. There are a few Class 4/5 water falls we will portage around. This is a wilderness river and fairly tight. The river is around is around 10 km long.
Participants should meet in Tamworth on Sunday, at 10:00 am
Note: My plan is to do the Moira River on April 15, 2023, which Bill Ness is organzing. Once finished drive to Gull Creek put in and crown land back country camp in the woods near by. On Sunday morning, meet everyone there. If you want to join me shoot me an email.
The Black River empties into Lake Simcoe south of Washago. There is a fun short section from the HWY 169 bridge crossing to the next concession road crossing to the west where the river loops around through many small rapids separated by flat sections. The section ends with an optional more challenging technical chute, followed by a Class 2 rollercoaster ride. This is an ideal spot for budding moving water paddlers to get some experience, and practice ferries and eddy turns. I'm happy do give informal pointers, and we're in no rush. The section of river is short enough that if you get cold or wet, you can quickly paddle out. However, if you want to work the section, you can play all afternoon. As a bonus, we meet at 11:00 so you don't have to haul yourself out of bed early to get there. We'll also finish around 3:00, so plenty of time to get back to the family dinner. Bring a lunch and we'll eat on the river. As the water will still be cold, you will need a dry suit or wet suit. This is a relaxed day of paddling play & practice on a fun, forgiving stretch of river.
Optimal water flow is around 40-60 CMS. If it gets much above 60 CMS, the river gets washed out and is not much fun. In that case, we can move the date to the following Saturday. The river does come down relatively quickly. You can check the online gauge to see how things are shaping up as our trip date approaches.
As this is one of the best sections of easy moving water for learning whitewater paddling skills that is convenient to the GTA, if people want to come back at a later date when it's warmer for a day of skills drills, we can arrange that.
On a spring day, the Moira River north of Belleville provides a fun paddling trip from Lost Channel to Latta.
The river provides a great opportunity for good novice moving water paddlers to move up to an intermediate level river. We'll meet at Chisholm's Mill at 9:30, do a car shuttle, and then warm up on the easier lower section down to Latta. The rapids are not difficult, just a fun rollercoaster ride, with some surfing waves along the way. We'll go back to Chisholm's for lunch at the cars, and then do a shuttle to run the more technical and challenging Lost Channel section. We should finish up around 4:00, and then we traditionally hit the nearby Maple Dale Cheese store along the highway for ice cream and cheese. (Real Canucks can buy cheese curds here for homemade poutine.)
All canoes must have full flotation, and you are required to have a full wetsuit or drysuit as the water will be cold. If you arrive without these, you will not be able to participate.
Please note that as at the time of posting the river levels and weather cannot be predicted, the date could be changed if levels are not suitable, or the weather is inclement. I like to play, and float along chatting with people. My idea of a fun outing isn't paddling in freezing rain muttering to each other "don't worry, we'll soon be finished if we hurry." So if you sign up, you needn't worry that you are committing to a survival exercise-just a fun day.
Join me on this classic early spring favourite of Toronto area paddlers. We’ll catch the Credit in Streetsville and run down to the mouth at Port Credit. The river is a delightful continuous Class 1 to 2 with lots big bouncy wave trains and play spots.There are loads of opportunities to practice easy ferries and eddy turns as we work our way down the river. However, downed trees over the winter can create sweepers, and participants need to be able to manoeuvre a canoe in moving water to avoid them. As well, the water will be cold. You need solid basic moving water skills. A full wetsuit or a drysuit is required to participate (no exceptions). Boats should have air bags in them. We'll have lunch on the river at a park near Dundas Street, so bring something to eat. We usually finish the trip around 3 PM.
At this time of year, weather is unpredictable. As the weather is unfavourable on Saturday, we've re-schedule the trip for the Sunday.
Build a solid foundation of skills and knowledge for paddling and traveling on rivers. Gain the confidence to perform rescues and make smart decisions.
Take this course and achieve international certification that’s valid for 3 years. During that time, you can upgrade to the ‘technician’ level with the 3-day Whitewater Rescue Technician Bridge course.
Please join us for our traditional WCA Canada Day summer weekend at Palmer Rapids on the Madawaska River. You can stay at Jessup's campsite right on the river at the rapids. This is an enjoyable weekend for both novice and experienced white water paddlers and an opportunity to meet WCA members and plan trips. Probably more people have had their first taste of moving water here than in any other spot in Ontario. There are a couple of sets of Class 1-3 rapids almost outside your tent door. Bill Ness and other seasoned WCA members will provide informal paddling pointers to new river runners.
On Sunday, depending on the weather and water levels, those with some experience will likely take a run down the Lower Madawaska.
This is a lovely trip for families. There's a sandy beach where the kids can play or swim. For those who aren't into paddling, there are restaurants and shops nearby in Wilno and Barry's Bay.
Most will camp from Friday evening to Sunday but you can come & go at any time.
If you wish to learn to paddle in moving water you'll need a whitewater canoe with flotation, and a helmet, along with the usual PFD and paddle. Canoes and kayaks can be rented nearby at Paddler Co-op (www.paddlerco-op.com), or from Madawaska River Rentals (www.MadRiverRentals.ca). If renting, tell them you want thigh straps in the canoe.
On Saturday evening for those wanting a break from camp cooking we’ll enjoy the Polish buffet at the famous Wilno Tavern: www.wilnotavern.com
Sign up and we’ll link to a Google spreadsheet to coordinate shared equipment and carpooling.
This is a solid white water river that tumbles off the Canadian Shield into the Hudson Bay Lowlands, and joins the Moose River about 20 km upstream of Moosonee/Moose Factory. I have excellent maps already prepared and all the logistics already worked out. This will NOT be an expensive trip; the trips costs will be driving up and back to Cochrane, probably two nights in modest hotel, shuttle costs (100$ each at most), the cost of the train returning to Cochrane ($150 each), and of course the food costs. We will be sharing all food and its preparation on the trip. The trip is fairly hard int the beginning as this is not a well traveled trip and the portages are NOT easy and frequently used. We have detailed information from people who have done it in the last few years though. The whitewater we will do is upwards of class 3 at times, and the portages will be challenging themselves. This will be a trip you will not forget easily. The group will need to be prepared to travel light and work together well. We already have 4 people/2 canoes for the trip. We are looking for at least 2 more people/one more boat.
