Whitewater

Join us for an early spring run (water levels permitting) on the Credit from Inglewood to Glen Williams. Suitable for novices but some competence in moving water is helpful.There are two weirs we must pull over, two other obstacles which generally can be run and possible sweepers to be navigated. A potluck dinner will follow at the home of Rick Sabourin in Erin.

The Kattawagami River is a medium sized river of 200km with numerous rapids. There are several portages, all short and several rapids can be lined. We will arrange a shuttle out of Cochrane to the starting point. At the bottom we will get a boat shuttle to Moosonee where we can catch the Polar Bear Express back to Cochrane. This is a trip that I did 18 years ago and am repeating. It has been described as the best wilderness canoe trip in Ontario because of its isolation and number of runnable rapids.

Date: June 17th, 2017 This very popular annual trip seems to be a great draw for all levels of paddlers. We are now into the 13th year doing this and we’ve enjoyed perfect weather (most times), portage free paddling, and a social barbeque that has followed our outing. This annual event is a wonderful day to enjoy an easy moving water river and to socialize with other WCA’ers. The trip will start in south Cambridge where we will put in and then paddle to Paris. We will pass through scenic farm country, stop at a haunted mill, negotiate some easy grade one water, and stop for lunch along the way. Those interested are welcome to join us back at our house in Cambridge for some food, beverage, and social time.

An easy day drifting down stream on the historic and readily accessible Grand River from Glen Morris to Brantford.. Canoes, kayaks, SUPs.. just about anything that floats high will work well.
Light and shallow rapids in places.
A short but steep-ish portage at the dam in Paris. There is a dock, stairs at the start and a rough ramp at the end

With a length of 125 km, this spectacular whitewater canoe route is filled with breathtaking views, wildlife and classic class 2 and 3 rapids with portage options. The Coulonge is a remote river located in Western Quebec and flows into the Ottawa River.The river is relatively small and the terrain alternates between Canadian Shield rock and sand. The navigatable rapids are long and the portages are short. (The Ottawa Valley Tourist Association) We will be paddling during 5 days following the current trough swifts and rapids and amazing sand beaches where we will be camping every night

This is a 50km loop and we are going to finish in two days with one-night camping by the river. It's a combination of small / big lake water and river travels. There are five rapids on Gibson River and each of them you can choose whether to run or portage through. There are 9 portages on the route. This is a crown land, so the cost is free (you need to bring your own food of course). We will start at the McCrae parking lot, paddle under Hwy 400, up the McDonald River to 6 Mile Lake, then to Gibson Lake. Paddle through the lake to the Gibson River and follow the river to Georgian Bay, and paddle back to our cars along the east shore of Bone Island and into McCrae Lake. To get to the McCrae parking lot, drive up Hwy 400 past Barry, keep on the 400 past Port Severn, look for Exit 168 to Crocked Bay. Take that off ramp and go "under" the 400, turn right onto the south bound on-ramp, look for the "left" down to the parking lot. There is no boat rental at the put in. So you need to bring a boat or find a paddle partner before coming. Please keep in mind the water will be cold. Please wear a wetsuit or drysuit.

 Please join us for our traditional WCA Canada Day summer weekend at Palmer Rapids on the Madawaska River. We stay at Jessup's campsite right on the river at the rapids. This is an enjoyable weekend for novice or better moving water paddlers. 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 1-2 rapids almost outside your tent door. I'm happy to give some informal paddling pointers to new river runners. If the water levels are good, more adventurous types might want to get together to take a run down the Lower Madawaska on Sunday.

This is a great family getaway for the whole family. There's a sandy beach where the kids can play or swim. Plus the fishing here is pretty good. For those who aren't into paddling, there are restaurants and interesting shops nearby in Wilno and Barry's Bay. 

We're going to be there from Friday afternoon to Monday, but you can come & camp or go at any time.

You will need a whitewater canoe with flotation, and a helmet, along with the usual PFD and paddle. Canoes can be rented nearby at Paddler Co-op (see their website www.paddlerco-op.com), or from Madawaska River Rentals (see their website www.MadRiverRentals.ca ), or from Don Adams in Griffith, who will even deliver to Jessup's for a fee (613-333-2240). If renting, tell them you want thigh straps in the canoe. It will make a huge amount of difference to your control.

For those looking to escape camp cookery, try the famous Wilno Tavern: http://www.wilnotavern.com/index.php

The Wilno has a Polish buffet Saturday nights that will fill any hungry paddler. There are also some other good restaurants in Barry's Bay.

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 a number of 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.

you will need a wetsuit or drysuit. This is a relaxed day of paddling play & practice on a fun, forgiving stretch of river.

 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 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 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 should have solid basic moving water skills, and wear a wetsuit or drysuit. 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.

If the weather is unfavourable on the Saturday, we'll re-schedule the trip for the Sunday. It's not much fun paddling in cold rain.