Milk River - Aden Bridge to Pinhorn Ranch

CanadaAlbertaSouth
Submitter & Author Information
Route submitted by: 
Warren Wilson
Trip Date : 
12-13 June 2021
Additional Route Information
Distance: 
48 km
Duration: 
2 days
Loop Trip: 
No
Portage Information
No. of portages: 
0
Total Portage Distance: 
0 m
Longest Portage: 
0 m
Difficulty Ratings
River Travel: 
Novice
Lake Travel: 
Not applicable
Portaging: 
Not applicable
Remoteness: 
Intermediate
Background Trip Info
Water Levels: 
Low
Route Description
Access to Put-In Information: 

Put in: Aden Bridge, 77 km east of Milk River, AB on paved and good gravel roads. Take out: Pinhorn Grazing Reserve, downstream of ranch headquarters. Permission to take out on the Pinhorn Grazing Reserve can be obtained by writing to access.pinhorn@gov.ab.ca . The road to the Pinhorn was good, but would be impassible in 2WD vehicle if it rained.

Technical Guide: 

Flows: 18.5 m3 at Milk River, 23.5 m3 at US border. Wind: 30-40 km/hr out of NW on afternoon of day one, 20-30 km/hr out of the south on day 2. Distance: 48 km. Time paddling: 8.5 hours. Shuttle driver, Milk R. Raft Tours (Kim & Randy Brown) 403-647-3586. The shuttle is approximately 50 km, one way, and takes about 1.5 hours, round trip.

Trip Journal/Log/Report/Diary: 

The first couple of hour or so we dragged our canoes over sandbars often, covering only ~5 km/hour. The paddling generally improved as we progressed, but we did have to get out and drag the canoes over sandbars ~3 times/hour. There were plenty of excellent camping spots away from the cows.  Terrific scenery, birding, & solitude - we didn't see anybody else on the river.  The mosquitoes were abundant when the wind was light. I'm guessing this trip would entail more paddling and less dragging when it's running 30 m3 at the US border.

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