Ashlu Creek, Whitewater Paddling

GAUGE: Flows are highest (>50 cms, 1765 cfs) during June and July and you can find some great boating during this time; just use caution, choose the section you want to run wisely, and be prepared for potentially high flows. The river drops through August and September but generally remains above 15 cms (530 cfs). There is now a boater gauge spray painted on the rock on river right below Last Tango. You may also be able to get information from Elaho River Adventures as they are located on the Squamish River a few miles downstream of the Ashlu Creek confluence. Alternatively try the Sea to Sky Kayak Center.

SEASON: Flows are generally still dependable on several sections of this creek from the second half of August and through September making this a great destination when other rivers around the region are starting to drop. The paddling opportunities aren't limited to the late summer window however and there are numerous possibilities for paddling from the beginning of spring run-off through the fall.

EVENTS: The first Ashlu River Festival was held in August 2004 and attracted over 200 participants to the river. Check the festival website for additional information and updates on small hydro threats facing this river.

ISSUES: Despite the popularity of this run, it still faces severe threats from hydro development. Recent decisions by local governments have been favorable to preservation of this river, but the concept for a project on this river has not been abandoned. It would be a run-of-river project so the river would not have a dam for storage but would instead have a diversion structure that would bypass flows around the Mini-Mine Run and Commitment Canyon. If this project were to be developed additional projects in the watershed would likely follow. Paddlers from the local community and around the globe have identified this as one of the most severe threats to a free-flowing whitewater river in North America (AW posting). Check out this article on small hydro in BC and the impacts that affect recreational kayakers.

ACCESS: Nearest town: Squamish (Yahoo map). A few minutes north of Squamish head west on the Squamish River Road (you will see a sign for Alice Lake at this intersection). Follow the road until the pavement ends and shortly thereafter turn left across the Squamish River and onto the Ashlu Main Road. Soon you will cross the Ashlu (a staff gauge is located downstream river left of the second bridge) and begin the steep climb up along Commitment Canyon on river left. This is a rugged road and you will need a high clearance vehicle. The Mile 25 Bridge (Last Tango visible upstream and Fifty-Fifty visible downstream) marks the end of the Mine Run and the start of Commitment Canyon (Ashlu Creek Map, Forest District map). Finding your way along the river and indentifying the informal trails that serve as access points can be a bit of a challenge and it's best to hook up with a local or come with a sense of adventure and a willingness to explore a little. In the past informal signs have marked access points but they may or may not be present. The put-in for the Mini-Mine run is reached by following the road that heads up along river right. Access for other upstream runs is available by crossing the Mile 25 Bridge and continuing up the road on river left.

DESCRIPTION: The Ashlu is one of several tributaries in the Squamish watershed providing quality whitewater. These runs are quickly leading to the establishment of the Whistler area and the Sea to Sky corridor as a world-class whitewater destination. The Ashlu in particular is unique in that it is an incredibly scenic run with several sections that serve paddlers over a particularly wide range of skill levels. There are runs for beginner-intermediates as well as a steep canyon section that continues to challenge the world's top paddlers and that has been featured in internationally distributed kayak films.

Upper Upper Run (~2 km)
This run is directly above the Upper Run, and Class V, low volume creek. This steep creek is about a mile long and contains a runnable 40 ft. waterfall, another waterfall, and a few other ledges and slides.

Upper Creek Run
The upper low volume section of the river includes nice steep, low-volume creeking at it's best (class IV-V). There are several small canyon sections along this run, including many fun steep and technical drops.

Tatlow Creek (2 km)
This class V steep creek is a major tributary of the Ashlu and comes in above the Play Run. It was only recently pioneered by Jonovan Moore and other locals but has quickly emerged as a great creek run that has attracted international attention from the world's top paddlers. Steep slides and big drops stairstep down through an impressive bedrock gorge approximately a mile in length before the take-out at the confluence with the Ashlu (a good swimming hole). Don't let the short length lull you into getting a late start on this run as this is a full day trip. Check out the Tatlow Trip Report on PraryforDrought.

The Play Run (10.1 km)
This is a fun section of class III/III+ whitewater that contains a couple of more challenging drops that push class IV. There are a couple different access points depending on how long you want to make your run. See the online guide to the Play Run on Claudia Schwab's BC Paddle Page.

The wave at one of the put-ins to the Play Run. Photo by Thomas O'Keefe.

The first significant, and most challenging drop, on the Play Run. Photo by Thomas O'Keefe.

Fun boulder gardens and great scenery on the Play Run. Photo by Thomas O'Keefe.

The take-out for the play run and put-in for the Mine Run. Photo by Shane Robinson.

The Mine Run (5.4 km)
The run starts from the end of the play run. Use caution before hopping onto this run. This is a class V creek run and at higher water things can quickly turn epic. The run includes must-run drops and a tricky portage that requires catching a small must-make eddy. The walled in gorge offers limited options for hiking out once you are committed.

The drops begin right away, with the first significant drop occurring within 5 minutes of the put-in. This drop starts with some IV, drops over a ledge with a house rock below center – must run right of the rock over a straightforward ledge. Next, after a short but tricky lead-in rapid, is one of the biggest drops on the run: Mine Rapid. This rapid has a straightforward line that takes you through a massive hole that is partially backed up by the canyon wall on the right. This drop and the lead-in can be portaged on the left. Alternatively you can run the lead-in and portage the Mine drop either from a large eddy on the left just below the lead-in or from a one-boat microeddy at the lip of the drop.

The next rapid below Mine can be scouted from river right. The canyon bends slightly to the left and drops over a broken, angled ledge, through 50 yards of huge offset holes and ends in a ledge hole. This is one of the biggest must-run drops on the run.

The run continues with more challenging class IV and V rapids. Keep your eyes open for the 10 foot ledge which is preceeded by a decent pool. You drop onto an angled slab which throws you onto a rock pile to the right. The next drop is the portage. There is a tough one-boat eddy – harder to catch at lower flows, but with a larger eddy above it – to make the "mandatory" portage. The portage can be done from the higher, larger eddy or the lower one-boat eddy.

The lower half of this run (2-3 km), known as the Mini-Mine avoids the most challenging drops and is popular as a fun and scenic class IV+ run and can be enjoyed by confident class IV paddlers in play boats. You can scout the final drop, a 7' ledge known as Last Tango, from the Mile 25 Bridge. Make sure you get out at this bridge as Commitment Canyon starts just downstream of the bridge. Check out the online guide to the Mini-Mine Run on Claudia Schwab's BC Paddle Page.

Jan Dettmer setting up for Double Boof at Last Tango at the end of the Mine Run. Photo Joe Box (more great photos at open-canoe.de).

Getting ready at the put-in for a run on the Mini-Mine. Photo by David Vican (wetstonestudio).

Commitment Canyon (Box Canyon)
The name fits this run well and the first drop gives you a good idea of what you're plunging into when you enter this canyon. Fifty-fifty is the entrance to the canyon and you can check it out from the downstream side of the Mile 25 bridge. At high water it can be pretty impressive. This is the section of the creek that has appeared in many of the high-octane boating films that feature the creeking of the Sea to Sky corridor. You actually take out for Commitment Canyon where the road makes a hard turn to the right (going uphill) as you drive to the put-in. This marks the break between this run and the lower canyon just downstream. From this point, you can look back down the river at a very steep rapid that is not typically run.

Fifty-fifty at the start of Commitment Canyon. Photo by Erik Schertzl.

Lower Run
The lower run is just downstream of Commitment Canyon. To find the put-in look for the spot where the road gets very close to the river on the way up. The take-out is at the very bottom. This lower run is Class V and is run when the river is at its lowest flows which could be in November and even December.

No guidebooks currently cover Ashlu Creek, but Squamish Forest District did complete a whitewater stream inventory in 2002 (view document). This is not a guide but it will give you a few hints on where to start looking.

Many paddlers were first introduced to the most challenging run on this river through Eric Link's Twitch video series. Footage of Ashlu appears in Still Twitchin'. Additional video appears in LVM Issue 3 and Issue 4, and Breathe.