Has anyone paddled from Rock Lake towards Hinton? What class is it?

Chasman

Where it flows out of the lake it is really shallow and lots of sweepers and log jams. I wouldn't start that far up.
Further down it is a very nice paddle with some Class 2 in higher water. We usually pull out at the group camp site or at the Hwy 40 bridge.
Below the Hwy 40 bridge there are only logging road accesses.

If your planning to go I can dig up better info for you.

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"It's all part of the adventure"

Thanks, D.R. A group of us are going out that way next weekend and it would be great if you had more information regarding put-ins and take-outs. What about water levels at this time of year?

http://www3.gov.ab.ca/env/water/ws/data/hydro/figures/_RWILDHIN.gif
http://www3.gov.ab.ca/env/water/ws/data/hydro/tables/ATH-RWILDHIN-WL.txt
check these for the flows. We usually went in June when the flows were up over 20 but you can paddle it at low as 13-15m3/s. It is really dropping right now but keep an eye on it.
How long do you want to go?
Do you want to fish?
How are the paddling skills of the group?

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"It's all part of the adventure"

We're going to the area for three days, base camping at Rock, or Gregg, or similar. Paddlers are all beginner intermediate in the skills area, but in good physical condition. Class 2 have been done by all and are doable, Class 3 would be new for us. Bringing a Tripper and a Tripper S. The fly rods are coming along for the ride, as are the MTB's.

Hi,
I've paddled the Wildhay a few times in the last few years. I would agree with D.R. about flow levels but I've done it at 11-12 and it was OK. You can book the group campsite (through Forestry, I believe) which makes a great campsite for the weekend or you can camp at the top of the "Good Run" - the highest run that most people seem to do. Mark Lund's book for Central Alberta Paddlers is a good source of info on the Wildhay (and other rivers) but he is a little off on the CFS needed to run this reach.
Access is via the Rock Lake Road off the Grande Cache Highway (it is signed). I am not really sure about distances but you stay on the main gravel road. At about 2-3 km., the road crosses a small creek and turns sharp left (don't turn right) and you follow it until you come to a Y in the road. The left (actually straight ahead) branch leads immediately down a fairly large hill to the group campsite and an access point. This access is the approximate mid-point of the two runs above Highway 40. If you take the right branch of the Y you can access the put-in for the top run. You follow the road for several km. eventually dropping down into the valley. Keep an eye out for an access "road" on the left. This takes you to the put-in for the top run. The road usually has a big puddle about 100-200 m in but the base of the road is hard so you can get through and get very close to the river. People camp here especially off to the left near the river. This run is the more challenging of the two runs. The Wildhay is a tight little river with sweepers, some tight turns and narrow channels. It has some broken ledges and some strong eddylines. I have taken a Tripper down it but it is not really the best place for a Tripper
The lower run goes from the group campsite to Highway 40 which makes for a longer shuttle. It is possible to do the upper run at least twice in a day, more if you don't play too much. It seems to me that both runs take about the same amount of time but my memory ...
It's a great river - have fun.
Ralph

If you have the time the upper river starting at the lake is worth a visit. I paddled it solo on a overcast day with a light and intermittent rain falling. It meanders through an untouched open forest with many sweepers and the occasional logjam. The mood is apprehensive (bigfoot country) and the forest floor is mostly covered in thick spongy moss which made for easy dragging-the-canoe portages when required. I should have brought my fly rod....

http://members.shaw.ca/marklund/centralalbertaguideweb/jarvislk.htm
Visit Mark Lund's site for an alternative if the water is too low on the Wild Hay.

Are going to do some fishing on Rock Lake?
On the south east corner of the lake there is a big weed bed with reeds, there are huge Jacks in there!
On the north shore you will catch lot of Lake Trout around 2 pounds if you paddle near the shore and troll.
If you want the big lakers you'll need to get down deeper.

_________________

"It's all part of the adventure"

Report on our trip:

We stayed off the Wild Hay and chose to explore the lake instead, as we ended up camping there, where the sites were virtually empty! We walked a bit downstream from the bridge and the river was navigable for quite a ways, with some not too ominous sweepers on it. We'll try another time.
Not a large lake but found a nice beach on the south-east end. Later MTB'd to the same spot.
D.R. I took a 17" laker in about 12 feet of water on the north shore from my float tube, with a wooly bugger on sinking line. Took it on third cast with my float tube about 50 metres off shore. Next day fought another none for 3-4 minutes, had the leader in site when it took off for the bottom where I couldn't budge him! It sat there for antoher 3 or 4 minutes until in my impatience I pulled a little too hard and the tippet broke. What a thrill! Total time for three hits was less than an hour in the tube. It's interesting to note that my strike occurence is much higher in a float tube than when fishing from the canoe.

Thanks everyone for your comments.

Thanks for letting us know how it went.

_________________

"It's all part of the adventure"