Region:

River:

NTS Sheet:

UTM Type:

Zone:

Central

Exploits - Salmon Ladder

2 D\13

NAD83

21

River Description:

A short section in a very narrow canyon with ledges a nice holes. Watch out for the salmon

when you're subbing the falls.

Difficulty Rating:

Hardest Rapid:

Flow Information:

III+

IV

The flow of the salmon ladder is dependent on the

amount of water coming through the dam and into the

ladder. It is always up in the summer when the salmon

How to get there:

Gradient

Put-in

Northing

Easting:

Section:

Avg

5420523

597300

Distance

0.4

km

The Salmon Ladder section begins just below the dam that

Gradient

12

m/k

is left of the parking lot at the Salmonoid Interpretation

Center. Follow the signs from the TCH past the pulp mill

65

fpm

and over the river to the center. The section ends at the

brink of Grand Falls beside the interpretation center itself.

Detailed Description of the River

This section begins with a nice rapid (IV) that drops off a 1 m ledge and immediately takes a

90o turn in a boulder garden. The rapid finishes with a 3 m ledge, which can be run anywhere

and lands in a deep, boily pool. This is followed shortly by a 1.5 m ledge into a short pool.

The exit to the pool is a boulder jumble with three slots. The river right slot is preferred, but

requires a sticky hole to be punched. At low water the middle slot has a boulder that can

easily pin a slicier play boat. Below this the rapids ease and finish in a reasonably large pool

at the brink of Grand Falls. The falls are portaged by paddling up to the end of the concrete

wall on river right, at the edge of the falls. Step around the wall and onto the grounds of the

interpretation center. This portage requires stepping into air over the falls and is extremely

exposed, care should be taken when portaging here.

This section is very short, but highly entertaining. Especially in higher water.