Black River at Washago

Submitted by NessBill on Mon, 03/07/2022 - 16:54

Whitewater

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.

The Basics

Event Location:

Black River south of Washago

Date(s) & Time:

Saturday, April 23, 2022 - 11:00

Event Duration:

1 day

Difficulty Rating:

Novice

Participant Info

Maximum Group Size:

10 boats

Itinerary

Itinerary description:

Please see above.

Required Items to Bring:

Whitewater boat with air bag flotation. Drysuit or wetsuit. Bring a lunch in your boat as we will stop to eat on the river.

You will also need a face mask for the car shuttles. These days best practice for group paddlers would be to keep a mask in a baggie in the pocket of your PFD so it's always on hand. There will be a limit of 4 occupants to a vehicle on shuttles.

How to Get There

Event Directions:

Those coming from the eastern GTA will take HWY 48 north to HWY 12. Then north on 12 to just past the village of Brechin, where you exit right onto HWY 169. Follow HWY 169 north for about 10 minutes to where the Black River goes under the highway.
Those coming from the western GTA will go north on HWY 400 to Barrie, and then continue north on HWY 11 to the exit for Washago at the north end of Lake Couchiching. Exit right onto HWY 169 and follow it south to the river.
For a signpost, look for Black River Wilderness Park on the west side of the highway. The park is just north of the river.
We put in on the northwest side of the bridge. Then, we do a quick 5 minute car shuttle to the bridge at the first concession road to the west.

Event Coordinator/s Contact Information

Contact (Name):

Bill Ness

Phone:

1234567

Email:

wness@rogers.com