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Above: 'One Man Crowd' at very low water (~85m3/s)
RIVER BETA
RIVER BETA
Locale: Hazelton, BC
What It's Like: Big water canyons with 'boogie water' in between
Class: III-IV
Scouting: One Man Crowd and Featherbed rapids can be scouted from river right
Portages: No portages
Egress: Few egress options exist after the put in until you reach the Hagwilget Bridge over the Bulkley Canyon.
Level: Commonly run up to ~450 m3/s (Bulkley Near Smithers station). At this level the two named drops (One Man Crowd and Featherbed) are flushed out, but the entire canyon is more challenging. One Man Crowd and Featherbed become defined rapids at ~200m3/s and lower.
Time: Water level dependent. Plan for ~4 hours.
When To Go: Runnable all season once the ice if oss. Typically run after freshet recedes (~ mid-late June) until ~ August.
Other Beta:
DESCRIPTION
DESCRIPTION
The Smithers classic big water run.
Take Out
Approximately 750m upstream of the Skeena Confluence at Anderson Flats Boat Launch near Hazelton.
Put In
At the boat launch immediately upstream of the Suskwa FSR bridge over the Bulkley RIver on river right .
Gauge and Water Levels
Bulkley River near Smithers online gauge. There is no lower water limit for the Bukley Canyon; however most folks stop paddling it around 120m3/s due to long stretches of flat water between the canyon rapids. The two main drops (One Man Crown and Featherbed) become more defined and somewhat more technical below 200m3/s. The upper limit for most local paddlers tends to be around 450 m3/s. At this level the entire run is an exciting big water river with pushy features, large boils, wave trains, whirlpools and eddy lines that are constantly changing and vary with water level. At higher flows, the chaos and consequences of swimming increase.
Put In
Take Out
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