Canoe Tripping - The Kootenay River
April 03, 2023
This page is a work in progress
We’re heading west!
Itinerary
Kicking off the trip on Canada Day weekend, The Guys (members of the trip, herein described as “The Guys”) will set out to see 140km of the icy blue Kootenay River.
- Calgary to McLeod Meadows (30th)
- McLeod Meadows and Back Again (1st, 38km)
- McLeod Meadows to Cross River Confluence (2nd, 22km)
- Cross River to ?? (3rd)
- ?? to ?? (4th)
- ?? to Gibraltar Rock (?) (5th)
- Gibraltar Rock (?) to Canal Flats (6th, 30km)
Upon our return, Calgary will on the verge of Stampede.
The River
For our last trip, The Guys knew it well - while it was our first time doing our own logistics, many had run the Coulonge River in a past life. This time, less so. Most of us have never been to the interior without snow. We’ve gotta read up.
- A Paddler’s Guide to the Vermilion-Kootenay River is an undated publication from Parks Canada and British Columbia Ministry of Forests. This gem details every bend, every set, and all the sights to see along the way. This is our holy bible, and this write-up is mostly plagarism.
- PaddlingMaps: McLeod Meadows to Canal Flats is a great assist for suggesting campsites, noting features, and generally helping plan how we’ll chunk this thing up.
Gearing Up
To stay afloat, Rocky Mountain Paddling Centre in Calgary’s west end has been our saviour. We’ve rented 5 boats and a trailer, including other gear essentails: paddles, PFD’s, throwbags, bailers, and whistles. Mostly 17’ Nova Craft Prospectors, these bad boys will be fully loaded with airbags to keep us afloat on rogue ducky style sets.
For remaining gear we’ll be looking to UofC’s Outdoor Centre: barrels, packs, tarps, tents, and whatever campsite gear The Guys don’t own themselves.
A detailed packing list will be thrown together in a Google Drive soon™.
The Trip
1. Calgary to McLeod Meadows (30th)
By end of day on the 30th, all The Guys and their stuff should be assembled in Calgary. After work, we’ll drive to a campsite we’ve booked at McLeod Meadows, Kootenay National Park.
Should something go wrong, we could also do this drive the morning of the 1st. It’s flexible.
2. McLeod Meadows and Back Again (1st, 38km)
The start of the trip is to drop ourselves at Vermilion Crossing on the morning of the 1st. It’s just a 20 minute drive north of where we’ll be camping, so we’re free to get in one the night before.
The west side of the highway is a day-use area in Kootenay National Park. On the east side is Kootenay Park Lodge. We’ll park our cars at either one of these locations, whichever we’re more comfy with.
From here, the trip begins! It’ll be 38km of moving water, mountain goats, gorges, and one big set. Or so the guide says. Light work.
This first day on the river ends back at… McLeod Meadows. There’s no primitive camping allowed along the river while in Kootenay Park, so we’ll have to stop where we started the day. Kind of makes it nice - we could leave our campground as-is.
3. McLeod Meadows to Cross River Confluence (2nd, 22km)
On this day, we get out of the park.
More to come
4. Cross River to ?? (3rd)
More to come
5. ?? to ?? (4th)
More to come
6. ?? to Gibraltar Rock (?) (5th)
More to come
7. Gibraltar Rock (?) to Canal Flats (6th, 30km)
More to come
The Return
From our end at Canal Flats, we’ve booked a shuttle from Far Out Gear Rentals to take us back to our cars at Vermilion Crossing. Should take roughly an hour a half. From there, we’ll hop in and spend another two hours driving back to Cowtown. Then it’s Stampede.
Written by the Andrew Litt who lives and works in Toronto.