Saugeen River - Walkerton to SouthHampton -FULL

Submitted by HendrickxEmmy on Wed, 02/15/2017 - 11:07

Whitewater

It's definitely for BEGINNERS.- You can think of it as a flatwater trip with a current

Walkerton to South Hampton - it is river - it has a current, but very low, depending on the amount of rain that falls days before the trip - there are 2 very small rapids -
It's fun and we will have a great time.
The goal is to relax and enjoy the trip and the surroundings,
It is not meant as a race or how fast we can do it.
It is a rural river, with lots of access points.
It is about 90 km and we'll do it in 3 days.
Day 1 we meet in Walkerton, where we unload, do the shuttle, have lunch, there is one rapid level 1,
Day 2 we have lunch in Paisley, the best ice cream ever there
we camp at Saugeen Bluffs Conservation Area.
Day 3 is fun as the river meanders in a lot of side arms.
We will also hope that day to see the Bald Eagle's nest again.
We share food, everybody decides upon a meal.
More information closer to the date.

if you need a canoe - let me know - so that we can book those or share a canoe with a fellow paddler

The Basics

Event Location:

Walkerton - South Hampton

Date(s) & Time:

Saturday, May 20, 2017 (All day)

Registration Cut Off:

May1, 2017

Event Duration:

3 days, 2 nights

Difficulty Rating:

Beginner

Participant Info

Who's Invited:

Everyone who wants to canoe and wants to learn about simple river reading

Maximum Group Size:

6 boats

Minimum Group Size:

2 boats

Itinerary

Itinerary description:

DAY 1
Leave Walkerton around 12.00
There is a level 1 rapid within the first hour after leaving near the bluffs - depending on water level pretty easy - but we will scout it for novice
Camp between 3rd and 4th bridge - There is McBeath Conservation area - but because it is long weekend - it is very noisy - loud - and messy and a lot of raccoons - so I prefer to go to crown land just before mcbeath either on right or left side.
It will be a short day paddling - but a lot of us maybe had a long day due to packing /loading and driving

DAY 2
This will be a boring day as there are less water ripples as some people say
But I find it nice and relaxing - time to catch up with fellow paddlers and enjoy nature and the outdoors
Lunch and Icecream will be in Paisley
Camp at Saugeen Bluffs Conservation Area - there is a nice hike to the look out point
For the 'not so wilderness' people there are flushies and showers here

DAY 3
Can be fun as on Sunday there is an event where people build floats and float down the river just past Saugeen to Port Elgin
We will probably still see some on Monday
Lunch under Port Elgin bridge
and then the big event of the weekend - find the Bald Eagle nest
enjoy the currents and the exploring the small creeks of the Delta of the river
NOTE: this can be a long day
We probably will be finished around 5.00 pm depending on how things are going, current/speed on the river, wind.

The bugs are bad, so don't forget bug spray, please remember that any product with deet in it is not good for your clothing or camping gear,
I ran into some poison ivy 2 years ago - so make sure you wear long pants and shoes and socks at all times
Bring a smile and lots of fun.
Im looking forward in sharing this adventure for you all

Required Items to Bring:

life jacket - closed toe shoes for if we need to walk in the river - if level is low

Recommended Items to Bring:

canoe - tent - sleeping and cooking gear - smile - good humour - camera
more to follow
Canoes can be rented, and i have extra tents you can borrow for a small fee

How to Get There

Event Directions:

walkerton - follow Hw 9- 109 to Walkerton
Directions to Lobies Park once in town
more detailed directions follow once I know who all is coming

Carpool Info:

depending who is coming
we can meet at Hw 9 and hw 400 at about 6.00 am
So the goal is we meet in Walkerton in Lobies Park on Saturday May 20, 2017 between 8.30 and 9.00 am
you can join later - around 11-00-12.00 but we'll leave your car then at the starting point. and shuttle at the end
There is an option of camping at lobbies park on Friday night.
once we unload our canoes and gear - we will drive to Southhampton - Dennies Dam - to park our cars - we follow each other - so we won't be searching who is where
As we have enough people, we probably can do our own shuttle - preferably a driver that doesn't have a canoe.
It will take about 2 hours to do the shuttle - so the people that stay behind in Walkerton bring a good book to read - as there will be a lot of people loading and unloading canoes and we don't want our equipment to be lost.

Event Coordinator/s Contact Information

Contact (Name):

Emmy

Phone:

don't give out my phone number on here

Email:

emmy.hendrickx@bell.net