View topic - Needing ideas: your best WW canoeing expedition

What are your favorite destinations ?

We are looking for a 3 week canoe camping trip for next summer. Ideally in Canada but we are open to the rest of the world as well. We are comfortable in class 3 and are looking for a trip with a lot of rapids. I was doing my own research but there is so much experience gathered in this forum I figured this would be a good place to get inspired.

This is the list of the river (10+ days of expedition) we have done so far and we a seeking something new this year
Moisie, Ashuapmushuan, Dumoine, Noire, Coulonge, Broadaback, George, Koroc, Mountain, Lepellé

We are back from a 4-week trip in Ungava paddling a uncharted river.
For more info : https://www.expeditionikivuq.com/home and https://www.facebook.com/expeditionikivuq/

Thanks to you all !
Ariel

How about the South Nahanni, starting at Moose Ponds? It's a terrific trip, with excellent scenery and fun whitewater, and you can float out to a road. There are several flight services which provide drop-offs on the Nahanni. The only portage is around Virginia Falls. If you don't want to do Class III water, you can fly in to someplace below Moose Ponds. If you are interested in doing a lot of Class III water, or perhaps a bit more, you can launch on Flat Lake and run the Little Nahanni down to the South Nahanni.

If you're really up for some whitewater, how about the Hess and Stewart Rivers in the Yukon? That's also a real fun trip, although there are a couple sections with pretty solid Class IV rapids.

I've kayaked the Little Nahanni and South Nahanni, I've kayaked the Hess and Stewart, and I've done many other 1-2 week whitewater kayak trips in Alaska, the US, and Mexico. I'm interested in doing trips in Canada with some whitewater. Let me know if you want more participants on your trip. I can provide you with further information about my experience.

Or do the Nahanni but start on the Broken Skull at Divide Lake. More or less continuous WW for a week down to the Nahanni, but the most difficult sections are less challenging than the most difficult from Moose Ponds. Scenery was unbelievably good.

The Nahanni itself, however, doesn't quite make your lots of WW criterion. Really only two major sets -- Fourth Canyon and George's Riffle which are essentially just big waves. I can't think of a trip that has three weeks of continuous WW though, and you have have already done the Mountain.

Thanks for the info,
We already had the south/little nahani in mind, in addition to the broken skull or Natla/keele rivers. I will have a look at the Hess and Steward.
For now we are not looking for more partners but I'll remember your proposition

Have a serious look at the Natashquan on Quebec's north shore, it fits your requirements.

It is a fly in trip, the rapids (Class II-IV) are concentrated in the upper section of abut 100km, the 300km second section runs through a wide valley and is more of a float trip with just some swift water sections but always a strong current. The upper section is very rugged with plenty of exposed rock, once you cross the border from Labrador to Quebec you are into a lot of sand, if the levels are right beautiful sandy beaches to camp on. Scenic value in both sections is very high.

I paddled the river in 2014 (2 solo boats) but we accessed it via an overland route that took half of the 36 days just to reach Lac Natashquan. Water levels on the only gauge (which is a long way south) were at 400cms falling to 200cms when we finished. I would not want to try the upper section at too much higher level, while the water was obviously low the fabulous beach camping on the lower section compensated. I only recall grinding on a few sand bars and a lot of easy drifting, 300cms would have been better!

The is also an East branch, it has not been paddled often so not too much info is available.

Guide available here:

http://www.cartespleinair.org/Canot/07/ ... er2013.pdf

_________________
"What else could I do? I had no trade so I became a peddler" - Lazarus Greenberg 1915

Great expeditions guys! Looking to experience Nahanni soon.

You could paddle the Missinaibi from the park to Moosenee or you could paddle up from Lake Superior and then back down to Moosenee.

What about the Nastapoka?
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/nastapoka-river-canoe-1.3739958

Or the Seal River in in Manitoba?

I haven't personally paddled the rivers but I know there's a few on the forum who've paddled the Seal. A trip on the Seal can also be extended as long as your schedule permits.

Nastapoka looks a great river!