Introduction
Canoeing, It is a re-discovered pleasure in my life. Why has Canoeing really taken the top spot in my activities? Canoeing has many elements to it that combine to make it a fantastic outing. It is an activity that can be enjoyed right away, with family outings to the lake. Providing the ability to get away from the rat rat race. Be it is fishing, or exploring the bays of a lake, pushing your skill in white water, or a lazy float down a river, it has the makings of a great trip.
Canoing has a nice learining curve, allowing for skills progression, and enjoyment for years as the canoest moves from relaxing paddles out on a lake, to tripping down rivers, and the thrill of extream white water paddeling.
Below you will find the Canoe trips that I have done, they were originally entered for my own benifit. They tend to be some what poorly written, but may be a reasonable resource. I tried to define each trip so that a user can find the start and takeout, as well as a indication of the skill level required for the trip. After that is the trip report from the days paddle.
At the bottom of the page you will find a "links" section to other resources, particualarily thouse that provide information in my neck of the woods. I am currenlty setting up an online trip entry capability. Hopefully others will be interesting in adding reports of the trips they have been on.
Trip Reports
CANADA
Alberta
Alberta is my home, thus the bulk of my trips are here. I've got enough trip reports now that I've broken out Alberta to some sub regions that I haunt. Most of my paddles are in South Western part of the province, in or near Calgary.
Kananaskis Area
Sometimes it is hard to justify driving to Banff, when Kananaskis is closer, and has fewer tourists. Espcially on days I forget my park pass.
Kananaskis River, Canoe Medows to Sebee oct 2004.
In K-country, A fairly small fast grade II- river, at least in this section.
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Kananaskis River, Widowmaker to Race course oct 2004.
A picture gallery of some of the features between the Widow maker and the Canoe medows race course.
Calgary vicinity
My home town.
- Bow River calgary Summer 2002: This is where I live, just a short after work trip in the local river.
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Ghost Dam to Cochrane, Bow_River Another three hour paddle
on the Bow. The river was High today, and it was more exciting
than the lower reaches. Grade 1+.
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Bow River: Ghost to Cochrane April 2004, the local river in Calgary
Alberta. This paddel is just west of the city. The day was warm, but the
water was cold. Shockingly cold.
- Cochrane to Calgary,Bow_River A three hour river trip, into at the lake resulting from Bear's Paw Dam.
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Elbow River Sandy Beach to Bow River Oct,2004. A short
after work late season paddle, down the smaller of the two rivers that
run through Calgary.
Central Alberta
- N. Saskachewan R Hornburg to Rocky Mtn House Day Trip on Grade II River into Rocky Mtn House Alberta.
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N. Saskachewan R, Nordeg to Rocky Mtn House (May 2006). A three day trip from Nordeg to Rocky Mountain house.
- Red Deer River Content Bridge to Dry Island buffolow Jump Prov park : (5-July-2008)A two day canoe paddle on the Red Deer River, from Content Bridge to Dry Island Buffalo Jump. This is a slow section of grade 1 river, with only one grade I (reported II at some levels) rapid in it. The scenery transitions from park land to the beginning of the bad lands. We traveled 50km in 5 hrs moving time. Split evenly between two days. Water level is fairly high: about 120 m3/s where normal average is about 55 m3/s, this means we have a faster than normal river flow rate. Adding to this we have good back wind on day one. No wind on day two, overall we made considerably better time than suggested by our trip planning resources.
- Title: Red_Deer_River_Content_Bridge_to_Dry_Island_buffolow_Jump_Prov_park
- Country: CANADA
- Province: Alberta
- LocationRoute: Red Deer River
- Title: Red_Deer_River_Content_Bridge_to_Dry_Island_buffolow_Jump_Prov_park
Rest of Alberta
- Lake_Louise_to_Castle_Mtn_Jcn : (23-July-2006) The Bow River running through Banff National Park in Calgary. Class II, with the rapids near the start of the run, finishing of with a easy paddle for the second 2/3rds of the run.
North West Territories
10 Day trip Nahanni River, Nahanni National Park
- Nahanni_Day1_Flight_and_virgina_Falls : (30-Aug-2006) Nahanni river, the West Coast Trail of Canoing. Day 1 and 2 of 11. The f light in, Virgina Falls, and hiking up Sunblood Mtn.
- Nahanni_Day_2_Sunblood_and_Portage : (31-Aug-2006) A Day off Canoing, hiking up Sunblood Mtn, and portaging some of the gear around Virg inia falls.
- Nahanni_Day_3_Virgina_Falls_to_Flat_River : (24-Sept-2006) Paddle through Painted Canyon (or 5 mile Canyon, or 4th Canyon). Through Figure 8 Rapid, Wrigley's whirlpool, and then on to Mosquito island in the Flat river delta.
- Nahanni_Day_4_Flat_River_to_3rd_Canyon : (27-Oct-2006) A short Day chasing the thunder clouds, down the Nahanni River, from Flat River to the third canyon
- Nahanni_Day_5_-_The_3rd_Canyon : (29-Oct-2006) Paddle down the Nahanni's 3rd Canyon, including: the Gate, and pulpit, Canoe sucking whilpools, Bear tracks at camp.
- Nahanni_Day_6-7_Deadmen_s_Valley_and_4_Star : (4-Nov-2006) Canoeing out of 2nd Canyon, through deadmen's Valley. Then a stay over at 4-Star campsite. Just after George's Riffle.
- Nahanni Day 8 Four Star to Lafferty Creek: (3-Dec-2006) Short 1/2 day run, got to float with some spanyards, Massive canyon, white spray spring, and a hike up Lafferty creek
- Nahanni_Day_9_-_hike_up_side_of_Lafferty_creek : (9-Dec-2006) A day off canoeing down the Nahanni, with a short scramble up the side of the canyon wall, to a triple arch, and then to the mouth of a cave.
- Nahanni_Day_10-11_Lafferty_Creek_to_take_out : (10-Dec-2006) Paddle from Lafferty Creek, through the splits, to Nahannie butte (twn), then on to Swan Point on the Liard River.
Rest of Canada
MEXICO
No trip reports entered for the rest of Mexico
USA
- Ten Thousands Islands - Picnic Key : (21-Mar-2008) A one night Canoe-camping trip amongst the mangroves of the 10000 islands just out from Everglade City - Florida. >
Submitted Articles gallerys, etc related to canoeing
- Gallery from the Canmore Canoe Course Days 1 and 2. Taken June 2005, Bow River in Banff National Park.
- Gallery from the Canmore Canoe Course Days 3 and 4. Taken June 2005, Vermilion (sp?) River in BC (I think), and and Bow River in Banff.
Links to Canoe Resources and groups
Links related to the differnet trails are now captured in a single "Links" page.
Books worth reading on Canoeing and Kayak touring
I've moved these references to the "misc" page.
Notes and Disclaimer
All descriptions, and classifications of the river are provided as a rough guide. They must not be taken as absolute. Rivers change over time, they change with flow rate, and grading by one author will often not match the grade given by another even if run on the same day.
Ultimatly all paddlers must take full responsibility for their own safety. This means not running rapids beyond your ability, staying alert and scouting rapids, ensuring you have appropreate equipment and skill for the trip type, and conditions.
Reader input
I hope to get others in the area to add trip reports for this site.
In the future I will have a 'form' that may be filled in that would
automatically generate the trip report. however that could take years.
In the mean time, if you know HTML, then feel free to write up a trip report
and send it in, I can unzip it with any pictures onto my site, and link it
in. If interested, you can send it to me at
