Gatineau, Quebec, CA |
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| Usual Difficulty | III-IV(V) (for normal flows) |
|---|---|
| Length | 7.6 Miles |
| Name | Range | Difficulty | Updated | Level |
|---|
| This big-water tributary of the Ottawa is a favorite. It's about 80 miles (130 km) North of Ottawa, or 200 mi (330 km) NW of Montreal. |
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Put on from a river-left campground off Chemin Godin a little ways south of Maniwiki. Take out at
the Bonnet Rouge campground. There is a small river access fee at both locations. (Note:
Lat/longitude coords are for rapids and put-in/take-out are approximate. Locations have not been
verified by a GPS.)
An downriver takeout is rumored to be at: 46.2399, -75.9408.
Check out the 11th Annual Gatineau Festival, August 22-23-24, 2008! Go here for a festival river map of this river section.
Regional Map – Rivers of the Outaouais (Ottawa) Area
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Le Bonnet Rouge Proprietor: Ms. Isabelle Gagnon, 215 chemin Rivière Gatineau,
Ste Thérèse de la Gatineau; 819-449-3360/888-449-3360. Rafting on the lower
section.
Camping at the lower section put-in Proprietor: Ms. Marguerite Lafrance,
193 chemin Godin, Déléage; 819.449.3788. Primitive camping along the put-in.
No facilities except for outhouse. Restaurants, stores, etc, all nearby in
Maniwaki. River access: 3$ per person, Camping: 15$ per tent per night.
Reservations not necessary except during festival.
Le Bonnet Rouge Proprietor: Ms. Isabelle Gagnon, 215 chemin Rivière
Gatineau, Ste Thérèse de la Gatineau; Post: 18 chemin Rivière Gatineau;
R.R. #1, Bouchette, Quebec J0X 1E0; 819-449-3360/888-449-3360, 819-449-0784.
Primitive camping (deluxe outhouse, picnic tables, spring water) at the
lower section takeout. Meals available by prior arrangement. Access to
river: 3$ per person, Camping: 10$ per person per night. Reservations not
necessary except for festival weekend.
Gas/Convenience Stores.. Route 107 near put-in.
Nearest Restrooms....... Outhouses at put-in/take-out.
Supermarket/food........ Several in Maniwaki.
Restaurants/Pizza/etc... Plenty in Maniwaki.
Internet Access......... Bars, hotels, etc, in Maniwaki.
MYOSIS.CA Web Site (Débit des rivières for gage levels.)
La Fédération
québécoise du canot et du kayak (FQCK) (Info débit for gage levels.)
Le club de canot-camping des Pays-d´en-Haut (CCCPH)
AccuWeather.com Canada, MétéoMédia Canada or Environment Canada forecast.
There are two known paddlers' gages
| There is a painted gage on the abutment of the Route 107 bridge between Maniwaki and Déléage. Water levels normally range from 10–20 in the summer. Occasional readings may be found on the "Tourisme Vallée de la Gatineau" web site [English]. |  |
| There is a metal staff gage on the rock wall at the Bonnet Rouge take-out. A good medium level is a reading of 10. Occasional readings are posted on the Bonnet Rouge web site. |  |
The Suivi Hydro Gage (ID 040830) is located in Lac-Douaire, immediately upstream of the huge Baskatong Reservoir (itself about 25 miles north of Maniwaki).
The whitewater sections of the river are below the reservoir and are dam controlled. While the gage will not be able to indicate current release flows; it shows reservoir in-flow and will provide a general indication of watershed conditions.
Gage levels are reported in Meters Per Second; multiply by 35.3 to convert to CFS.
| Minimum Sug Level: | ?? | |
| Low (Bas) | ?? | |
| Medium (Moyen) | ?? | |
| High (Haut) | ?? | |
| Flood (Crue) | ?? | |
| Maxiumum Sug Level: | ?? |
| Name | Range | Difficulty | Updated | Level |
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No Comments
Users can submit comments.| Mile | Rapid Name | Class | Features (Legend) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | Put-In |   | |
| 0.2 | Tête des Six (Heads of the Six) | N/A | |
| 1.2 | Lucifer | III |  |
| 2.1 | La Créte de Cog (Crest of the Cog Wheel) | N/A | |
| 2.2 | Barrage du corbeau (Rave'n Dam) | N/A |  |
| 2.2 | Du Corbeau (Of the Raven /or/ The Crow) | III | |
| 2.4 | La Danse du Draveur (Log Drivers' Waltz /or/ Dance of the Drivers) | III+ | |
| 2.6 | Haute Tension (High Voltage) | | |
| 2.7 | Le Mur (The Wall) | III | |
| 2.9 | Le Tombereau (Dumptruck) | | |
| 3.0 | Des Cèdres (Cedar Rapids) | III+ | |
| 5.0 | Le Bonnet Rouge (Red Bonnet) | N/A |  |
Put-InPut on from a campground along Chemin Godin a couple miles south of Route 107 from Maniwaki.
Playing in TГЄte des SixLat/longitude coords for all these rapids are approximate, determined from www.gatineau.org/en/carte.html and Google Maps.
The first rapid has several play spots. (Ed note: Not exactly sure where the rapid name came from, although there are a about six islands in the river close to this spot.)
Jim Quigley at bottom of LuciferFrom Jason Robertson's Report, 2002:
Lucifer had a series of named holes; the first center hole is "L'Ange Gardien" (Guardian Angel), which is followed closely downstream by "L'Agneau de Dieu" (God's Lamb) on the left and the aptly named "L'Anus de Lucifer" (Lucifer's Anus) on the right.
Karl Gesslein said, in 2001:
My favorite was Lucifer, which we ran 6 times. There were 4 big holes and the trick was to run it and catch all four of them. There was another hole aptly named Lucifer's Anus which was a boat eating monster. We didn't play in that one.
Lat/longitude coords are approximate, determined from www.gatineau.org/en/carte.html and Google Maps.
The rapid is on the *RIGHT* channel which should be avoided since it leads to a dangerous dam.
A dangerous dam blocking the right channel. Avoid by staying on the left channel.
40505.jpegTake the left channel along Raven Island. Beware the "Crow's Beak", a sharp protuding rock along the bottom left.
Translation Note: The name 'La Danse du Draveur' pays homage to the river and region's rich history in logging dating back to the early part of the 19th century. There's a famous song by that name, as well as a YouTube video 'Log Driver's Waltz', where the singer extolls the dancing of her log driver boyfriend who learned his graceful moves prancing from log-to-log on a whitewater river. This is also shown on the back of the old Canadian one dollar bill which features a log jam on the Ottawa River in front of Parlement. There is even a hotel by that name in Maniwaki.
40506.jpeg
Le MurThere is a large wave-hole extending half way across the river from the left edge, followed by a large standing/breaking river-wide wave that can be punched in the right spot. Sneak the rapid along the right edge.
Just above the take-out the river narrows to a small chute where a wonderful set of standing waves form that make great surfing. There is a gage here on the river-left rock wall.
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2) Maniwaki – Bouchette , Gatineau Quebec, CA (mobile)
