Whitewater

We will be paddling the lower mad on the Tuesday and a separate Wednesday paddle of the middle Madawaska River.

Please contact Larry or Jonas trip leaders.

We will be at paddlers coop Monday night through Wednesday night. We can plan some joint meals as well.

We assume you have your own canoe, whitewater paddles and PFD.

Please contact larry mchenry  trip lead  larry.mchenry@sympatico.ca  M 613-621-0533 Please advise the trip lead your WW experience level.

We assume swimming ability is good to strong, helmets mandatory, as its july dry suits wet suits not mandatory.

Min group size 3 boats with max 10 craft.

Come for the day or the weekend. Class I-II learning river. Great for beginners to learn basic white water skills with a couple more challenging sections which can be skipped. My paddle partner and I will be camping on the river at Black River Wilderness reserve.  We will be at Island 2 - Site 1 if you'd like to book a nearby or adjacent site.

The weather looks amazing and water levels still good.

Quick run from Streetsville to Erindale Park. Levels should be good with continued rain in the forecast.

Paddle Canada: Introduction to Tandem Moving Water Canoeing Location: Palmer Rapids, Ontario Course Dates: June 21–22, 2025 Meet-Up: 8:00 PM, Friday, June 20 at Paddler Co-op Cost to WCA members is $399, which includes camping fees at Paddler Co-op and a full set of rental equipment. Discounts apply if you bring your own gear. $100 off the price to the public. Course Overview: Learn the skills and confidence to paddle tandem canoes in whitewater! This Paddle Canada-certified course is ideal for paddlers transitioning from flatwater to moving water. Held on the scenic Lower Madawaska River, the course covers: • River reading and hazard identification • Eddy turns, ferries, and S-turns • Tandem boat control and communication • Throw bag use, rescue techniques, and safety awareness Who it’s For: This course is ideal for paddlers with some existing flatwater experience who are tired of portaging around every feature! Not sure? Contact me to check your readiness. What’s Included:

Canoe and gear rental (2 days)

Campsite at Paddler Co-op (Friday and Saturday)

Two full days of instruction

Small group sizes for personal feedback

Paddle Canada course certification (upon completion) What to Bring:

Personal paddling gear (if you have it)

Clothing suitable for river paddling and immersion

Meals, snacks, and water

Camping supplies

Willingness to learn and get wet! Limited Spots Available – Register Early!

Going to paddle the nith if the flows are right, otherwise Glen Morris to Paris on the Grand should be some good flow through there.

We successfully ran the M|AD River today, Sunday April 27. Flow levels were 5.7 cu Meters ./second to 5.54 cu M /s. Flow levels were excellent, more than enough for easy navigation. Also at these levels, the water is moving at a much slower speed, making it a safe trip over all. If flow levels stay up above 4.5 cu M/s for May 4, please consider joining us on that date. The channel of this river is narrow, fast flowing and the top half has poor visibility on the corners. For this reason, every time I run this river, I scout it from shore from more than eight different road bridges and shoreline access points (because I live local and can do so easily) . I will inspect for the upper section in the final days before the trip (and subject to water levels) but we now know that flow levels above 5.5 cu M/s are adequate for this river. If you need a seat in a boat, contact me and I will pair you up. I also have a spare canoe to lend. Now that I have run the river, I will accept both solo and tandem canoes for the trip.

We have reached our max of 8 boats. Quick trip down the Credit River Streetsville to Erindale Park

Looking for a boat or two for a run down the West branch of the Spanish River, July 1st to July 6th. Plan is to meet the train on Canada Day, take it up to Sinker Creek and paddle out to Agnew for the 6th. My son and I will be tandem paddling and hammock camping. We're pretty laid back, and easy going, looking for some like minded folks to come along. This is a whitewater river, so trip participants should be comfortable in moving water with tripping boats. We are not pushing very hard each day, so tandem or solo boats are welcome. Train costs $20+HST/adult and $100/canoe

We successfully ran the M|AD River today, Sunday April 27. Flow levels were 5.7 cu Meters ./second to 5.54 cu M /s. Flow levels were excellent, more than enough for easy navigation everywhere. Also at these levels, the water is moving at a much slower speed, making it a safer trip over all. If flow levels stay up above 4.5 cu M/s for May 4, please consider joining us on that date.
In the past we have typically I looked for flows of 7-8 cubic meters per second on the upper section (Riverview Drive down) and love to do the full top to bottom at 11 cu M /s, however since we had an extremely successful day on the river on April 27 at flow levels just above 5.5 cu M/s, and at this moment I have a pretty good idea where the log jams are in the river (until the river floods again and moves them) , I would bring paddlers on May 4th who have good canoeing skills, but less whitewater river experience, and teach you a thing or two about how to scout and navigate rivers. You need to start somewhere. It might as well be here. The river won't be as super fast as the 11 cu M/s levels, but it will still be super fun. If you need a seat in a boat, contact me and I will pair you up. I also have a spare canoe to lend.
Accepting both tandem and solo canoes. now that I have run the river once on April 27 and know what is in it. I will need to interview you before accepting you, just to make sure we all can safely do this adventure.

I have not personally run this river , this spring, however I have emailed and spoken to someone who has ran the river on Sunday April 13. This paddler's information , combined with my own scouting of several miles of riverbank. I am satisfied we paddle the river this year without increased risk, compared to other years (even with this year's ice storm, there was only one extra tree across the river, which was cut last weekend. The channel of this river is narrow, fast flowing and the top half has poor visibility on the corners. For this reason, every time I run this river, I scout it from shore from more than eight different road bridges and shoreline access points (because I live local and can do so easily) . I will inspect for the upper section in the final days before the trip (and subject to water levels) Typically I lo ok for flows of 7-8 cubic meters per second on the upper section (Riverview Drive down) and love to do the full top to bottom at 11 cu M /s, however this spring's ice storm warrant extra caution, so extra scouting will be done by me prior to the day. If high flow conditions are predicted (above 11.5 cu M/s) , the trip may run just the lower section: Avening to Glencairn, at the discretion of the trip leader. If you need a seat in a boat, contact me and I will pair you up. I also have a spare canoe to lend. Due to the damage to the trees in the watershed from ice storm and high water levels, I will only be accepting tandem canoe for this first trip on the MAD this season. I will try to add more trips later that take both tandem and solo boats. thanks for understanding. Too safely achieve a large group, we will split into two groups of five boats each, with two tandems in the forward group. This trip, I will take solo boats if .the river flows are low (7-8 cu M/s and we have enough tandem canoes