Paddling on the Mistaya River

Mistaya River - This is a stunning run with amazing scenery and great non-stop boulder garden paddling. The run begins with a mellow float for a kilometer or so. It then begins to increase gradient with some class II rapids which build into fairly continuous class II-III+ boulder gardens. It is possible at very high water this could become class IV water. For the most part people will just read and run, it is however easy to get out in most places to scout or portage. There are no rapids that stick out as bigger than all the rest. IMPORTANT: The most important thing with this run is to scout the Take Out. Under no circumstances do you want to end up in the canyon(class VI) under the bridge as this would most likely result in your death. Takeout about 200m upstream of the bridge in one of the many eddies present on both sides of the river. It is strongly suggested that you mark the take out to ensure that it isn't missed, and besides, this will provide a good opportunity to assess river level so you had might as well go for a little walk. From the parking lot at Mistaya Canyon drive South for approximately 7.6km and look for an unmarked parking area on the West side of the road. From the parking lot you can see the river through the trees(barely) and it is a short walk along a trail to the put in.

Mistaya River - A committing scenic pool drop run through a deep limestone canyon. Most of the canyon is scoutable from the canyon rim. It is a good idea to get some local beta on this one as it is very committing and portaging is not an option if a log jam obstructs the flow.