Pete Mattson running the Last Drop at 2.1 m, photo by Tom O'Keefe

Nahatlatch River
GAUGE: Weekly gauge reading posted on VKC site (in the levels box) from the REO Rafting staff gauge (check web first but otherwise REO can be reached at 604-461-7238) 0.5-1.5 is low, 1.5-2.5 is medium, and 2.5-3.5 is high. An intermediate level of 2m is a good for the upper run although the canyon is still a bit pushy. Expect intermediate summer flows of approximately 50 cms (1750 cfs).

SECTIONS:
Frances Lake to Apocynum Campground, 5 miles (8 km), class III/IV
Apocynum Campground to Fraser River, 3.3 miles (5.3 km), class IV+(V)

SEASON: for adrenalin pumping high flows you can start thinking about running this in mid-July past the peak snowmelt. As the summer progresses, the monster play holes on the upper section start to calm down, but the canyon becomes significantly more user friendly and the class V drops loose their edge. REO's raft trip on the river is a good one for any of your non-kayaking friends who want to experience whitewater.

ACCESS: Nearest town: Boston Bar (Yahoo map). Follow Canada Highway 1 up the Fraser River valley to Boston Bar (a small town north of Hope). You'll pass the Fraser River's Hell's Gate on the way (it's good fun to pick your lines through the maelstrom). Ride the gondola down or avoid the entrance fee and take the hiking trail at the next pull out downstream. To reach the Nahatlatch, continue north to Boston Bar and turn west off Highway 1 following the sign to North Bend. It's 0.7 miles (1.1 km) down to the bridge across the Fraser River. Continue north along the Fraser River following signs for REO rafting. It's 10.5 miles (16.8 km) from Highway 1 to the bridge across the Nahatlatch. You'll get a glimpse into the canyon here although you can't see any of the big rapids. Continue on to mile 10.7 (17.1 km) to the turn-off for the Canyon take-out. At mile 12.2 (19.5 km) you will reach Apocynum Campground (the take-out for the upper run, a good camping spot, and place to hook up with other paddlers). At mile 16.5 (26.4 km) you'll be high above the river and you can catch a glimpse of Meatgrinder here. The put-in at the outlet of Frances Lake is at mile 17.3 (27.7) and the put-in at the outlet of Hannah Lake is at mile 18.3 (29.3 km). To reach the Canyon take-out, go back to the turn-off near the Nahatlatch River bridge (make sure you get the right one closest to the bridge). Follow this spur road 0.7 (1.1 km) miles to a Y. Snake down the steep road to the right to get to the first potential take-out. If you want to boat the last rapid and take-out at the railroad bridge then continue on the left fork for another 1/10 mile and a parking area next to the tracks. Follow the tracks down toward the river. The take-out is on the downstream river left side of the bridge. Use caution along the tracks as trains come very frequently.

DESCRIPTION: The Nahatlatch River is a great river with some wonderful play spots and big rapids on the Frances Lake to Apocynum section, then pushes class IV+ with a couple V rapids (with some monster holes) as it enters the Canyon from Apocynum to Fraser River. The river upstream of the whitewater runs is within the Nahatlatch Provincial Park and Protected Area.

The Nahatlatch can be roughly divided into three sections: a short 1/2 mile II/III warm-up section between Hannah Lake and Frances Lake, a 5 mile class III+ section with a couple drops pushing class IV, and an incredible canyon section of 3.3 miles with solid class IV and a couple class V drops.

For those wanting a quick warm-up put-in at the outlet for Hannah Lake. You'll be treated to 1/2 a mile of class II and III rapids before you reach Frances Lake. It's a 1/2 mile paddle the length of this lake to the outlet which is an alternate put-in. The action starts right away with some fun class III. You'll pass under a bridge and at the end of the next major boulder garden, the Rose Garden, you'll come to a horizon line at Meatgrinder. There is a high bank on river left and a couple good eddies where you can pull out to scout. Depending on levels, there can be a good-sized hole at the bottom (capable of flipping rafts) and although this is one of the more challenging drops on the run (class IV) it is fairly straightforward. Start out towards the left hand side and finish over towards the right.

The action remains continuous with several good class III+ rapids and fun surf waves. The next major drop is Headwall which is less than a mile downstream from Meatgrinder. The river slams into a large bedrock headwall on river right. There are generally several routes to choose from. The run finishes off with more continuous class III+ whitewater all the way to Apocynum Campground. Take out here on river left if you're not going to run the Canyon.

If you are planning to run the Canyon stay on the river and as you pass REO rafting you'll come to the entrance. The Canyon is solid IV+ at most levels. It's a beautiful run with some awesome rapids. It can be very pushy at high water and nailing your lines becomes very important, but as flows drop below 1.7 it becomes a bit more user friendly. Most of the rapids are fairly easy to boat scout and not terribly technical. There is also a trail along the Canyon that starts at REO on river left making scouting and portaging through the upper stretch of the Canyon fairly easy.

One rapid that is difficult to boat scout is the Nozzle which feeds into a large hole, Big Jack, that occupies most of the river (class V-). It's hard to see from upstream so go with someone who knows the run or proceed carefully--look for two big rocks on river left. You can scout or portage the Nozzle along the left. There are a couple potential routes depending on water level. The left side generally gives you more space (video clip), but there may also be a very narrow line (6" tolerance) on far river right hugging the wall or you may be able to thread your way through a center line. Beware of an undercut rock along river left at the bottom of the Nozzle that becomes a hazard at higher water levels. Big Jack has munched some good paddlers who have unknowingly plopped in. Additional class IV rapids downstream can make a rescue challenging.

Jake's Drop is only 100 meters downstream where a creek comes in on the right. After this and just above a right bend, you will come up to a horizon line above two almost river wide holes. Aim for the narrow rooster tail between the holes. The next feature to be aware of comes at the old bridge crossing. You will see the large concrete bridge supports on both sides of the river. A large hole extends out from river right to the center of the river. Stay river left to avoid it. This drop is just upstream of the first potential take-out so you can scout it on your shuttle.

You can take-out here or continue through one more sequence of rapids to the Fraser River. After rounding the corner, the river plunges through a class V- sequence with some big holes and hydraulics. It's not terribly technical but trying to retrieve gear out on the Fraser could be a real mess so this would not be a good place to swim. You can get out to scout or portage on river right. The line starts right, heads left, and then finishes back on the right (video clip). At this point the Fraser River is in sight. Take out on river left on the downstream side of the railroad bridge and work your way up the switch back trail to the tracks. Use caution--trains come frequently. (important note: none of the guidebooks listed below mention the last rapid in the Canyon and they do not describe this take-out correctly).

With contributions from Erik Schertzl and Claudia Schwab

Note: Video clips require Quicktime to view.

For additional information check out descriptions in the following guidebooks (note that these books do not describe the last rapid or railroad bridge takeout)

Whitewater Rivers of Washington

World Whitewater

Whitewater in BC's Southwest

Whitewater Trips for Kayakers, Canoeists and Rafters in British Columbia