Pack, Idaho, US

3) Upper: Gorgette

Gorgette

Gorgette
Photo by Justin Miller

River Description

Creek Time: 2 - 3 hours

The Lower Upper "Gorgette" run starts as a undefined boulder bed of polished granite. The river rips down the valley as a class III non-stop blurr of micro eddys, holes and small waves. In the upper stretch, keep a sharp eye out for logs since things are happening pretty fast.

About a mile into the run, you will come to a congested sweeping left turn filled with broken ledges and boulders. This signals the approach into the class IV - V Gorgette as you will soon see the canyon wall up and dog-leg to the right hard. Eddy out to the right quickly and scout the whole Gorgette from the right bank.

After the Gorgettte, the river continues as mostly undefined boulder dodging but don't let your guard down as logs may lurk anywhere. Enjoy!

Directions:
The Upper Pack is easy to find. Drive North from Sandpoint towards Canada and turn left on Pack River Road just after you see the meandering and well marked Lower Pack pass under the highway. Drive up the dirt road until you come to a small wood bridge spanning the Pack River. This is where the gauge is - just upstream from the bridge on river left. Keep following the main road to get to the put in. For the Gorgette run keep your eyes peeled for an access point before the road begins to climb away from the river. There are many potential takeouts, as the river runs close to the road for several miles. When you come to a second vehicle bridge you have come to the put-in for the Gorgette and the take-out for the Slides.