North Saskatchewan River Canoeing - Bighorn Dam To Rocky Mountain House - Day 1 

Yes, it is a beautiful part of the province. The Trunk Road is fantastic!! Thanks, take care.

Hey, we would love to have you up here. I'm sure you would enjoy. There are lots of trips one could take, from easy to challenging. Thank you sir, take care.

Nature Calls That's great Bruce, can't wait to check out some of your adventures on the water. I had been waiting a long time to do this specific trip, it was very enjoyable. I have to say, first day of this trip was the most pristine water I've ever paddled. Thanks again, and take care.

Brad Alan Hey thanks Brad, glad you liked it bro. Yeah I have to say, this first day was the most pristine water I've ever paddled on, I just couldn't get over the color of the water. The sheath is awesome, and getting frequent use in the woods. It will make many more appearances. Take care, ATB Nick.

+Luc Lalancette Thanks Luc, glad you enjoyed. Yes, the river is perfect for camping, all kinds of options. Islands are my favorite. Drayton Valley to Devon/Edmonton is a good 3 (or 4) day trip, and Rocky Mt. House to Drayton Valley is 3 days. Many good 1 or 2 day trip options in there as well. I did the same, progressed my way up river over a couple of years span. Yeah can't wait for open water, itching to go canoeing. Thanks, take care.

3nineteen Thanks a lot man. Yeah it's a pretty sweet location. My favorite canoe trip!!

Thank you very much. Yeah it was a great canoe trip, I certainly enjoyed it very much. Glad you enjoyed it as well. Thanks for taking the time to watch. Take care.

T.W. Milburn Hello Terry, thanks very much. This first day of the trip was my most enjoyable paddle yet. After a few bends in the river, you'd never know there were 100's of people camping at the dam. Completely out there and on some very pristine water. It was almost disappointing when I saw the bridge, lol. Yeah you can't beat a good steak. Thanks again Terry, ATB Nick.

Mr. Tolly (AKA: fatmantolly) Thanks Scott. Yeah the weather was just perfect, couldn't have asked for better. Had a great time out there.

HIKE RUN BIKE BUCK Hey thanks very much, I'm glad you are enjoying. It was a fabulous canoe trip, will do it again many times. Take care.

Hey that is great to hear!! The Clipper is perfect for trips like this. Best of luck in your canoe search. Thanks for watching.

@@nickharland3795 little update, I found a 16 foot clipper ranger for an awesome deal. Has the black trim and is also yellow, can't wait to head out. Thanks again for the videos, really helpful to people like me who don't know what to expect on these rivers.

Right on!! I'm not familiar with the Ranger, but I know Clipper make great canoes. So I'm sure it is a nice boat. Have fun out there!!

Thanks very much, I'm glad you enjoyed. Very cool, glad to hear that man. You won't regret it. Buying a proper canoe was one of the best purchases I've ever made. Enjoy!!

Thanks Glenn. There is one area that has the remains of an old boxcar, but I have not seen the cabooses. That would be cool to see. Thank you for watching.

Hey thanks Thorn. Yeah this was a nice trip. The river is dam controlled there and that summer was generally low flow, and also not much rain. Hopefully can get back there sometime. Glad you enjoyed, thanks for taking the time. Take care.

Thanks very much. Yeah I'm definitely a meat eater, especially over an open fire. The North Saskatchewan is a very nice river, good scenery leaving the mountains and into the foothills.

Definitely a nice river to paddle. Thank you for watching.

the mi woodsman Thank you John, yeah I think this day was the nicest paddling on pristine water I've ever done. I really liked that camp, and steaks are absolutely one of my favorites. Take care, ATB Nick.

willy bailey Thanks Willy, glad you liked it man. Many thanks for sharing too, appreciate it. Take care bro.

Hello, You've got beautiful country down there. Thanks for watching.

Hey thanks very much. Glad you enjoyed. Take care.

@@nickharland3795 Loved it,thank You!

NEKCanoeist Thanks Paul, it was a very enjoyable trip, especially the first day. I really like the Condor, it split the wood quite easily. Good leverage with a blade that size. This section of river has quite a bit more grade than any other canoeing videos I've made, so it is moving fairly fast, but still less than half of the flow it should be for this time of year. I am really glad I switched to the prospector, love it. Going to take the Mad River out tomorrow for it's first "real" use. Take care, ATB Nick.

Haha, yeah I've heard of some claims made near Nordegg. Can't say I've seen any myself. Glad you could check it out, thanks for watching.

Awesome. Is it called the "Bear's Den" or something to that extent? I had a fire there and changed my clothes after flipping my canoe a few years ago. The dam to Nordegg is a beautiful section of river, and very quiet. Take care.

+Nick Is Outdoors we call it the "ball Dimond " if you walk baking a quarter mile or so there is a wolf den, I don't think it's used every year.

The Matt Johnson RU-vid Channel The flies were worst at camp, but even on the river they were bad. The horseflies were circling me constantly. Only got bit once, so not too bad. Just them buzzing me was annoying.

Hey thanks very much. Sorry I couldn't find a good map to upload. But it is very easy access to the river. The whole route basically parallels Hwy 11 (David Thompson Hwy). You access the dam by taking RR 170A/B, just west of the Bighorn reservation. There is a big blue sign at the turn. A gravel road will take you to the dam sight. Another option is putting in at Nordegg, just take Hwy 734 south to the river. The usual take-out for this trip is right in Rocky Mt. House at the water treatment plant and the Hwy 11A bridge. Everything should be pretty easy to find on a road map or google maps. There is a good river map of this section too, you can get it at most outdoor, camping stores. Hope that helps, and have fun.

Yeah this is a nice trip, quite popular in the summer, and on long weekends. Lots of good camping. I'm sure there are some, but I've never seen any sign of grizzly or black bear. You'd love this trip, some good class II rapids closer to Rocky Mt House.

Crossed Arrows Photography Thanks man, it was an amazing trip, really enjoyed myself. I have never actually paddled a kayak on moving water, but it looks like a lot of fun. Something about an open canoe, and all the gear you can bring with you, just love it. Depending where you plan on paddling, either one is a good choice. Thanks again.

+Cam Trathen Hey Cam, I haven't done it yet, but will do it next summer for sure. Have it all planned in my head, just need to book off work and go. Anytime from May to October, but the sooner the better. Yeah looking forward to your video. Sounds fun.

Hey thanks again man, glad you enjoyed. Yeah there should be plenty of water in June. The 25km between the dam and Nordegg is virtually braided the whole way. Only in high water would the gravel bars and islands completely disappear. There is the main channel, but it can be hard to follow at times as the rivers zigs and zags. It does get shallow sometimes when you are crossing side to side. The main rule is to just follow the most water. Wherever it looks like the majority of the flow is going, that is usually the best route. You would need to paddle to line yourself up and not hit the gravel bars. The heads of these gravel bars are what collect the most trees. As always, trees and wood in the river will be your biggest concern. I think the dam to the bridge can be done in a canoe, without stopping, in under 3 hours. In a raft you could maybe add an hour or so. It would be a half day paddle at most. Saunders to Horburg is about 45 km, and definitely the easiest portion of the river above Rocky Mt. House. Not much to worry about in this stretch. In a canoe it is a pretty solid day of paddling. In a raft it would be full day for sure. The take-out at Horburg is not highly visible, and easy to miss. It is a tiny opening for a side channel on the left. Not always accessible though. You can hike across the island, and then float across the side channel to the launch area. Yeah I'm hoping to get on a little river tomorrow. Thanks again, take care.

Thanks for the info man. Very informative. I live in Drayton Valley. You're crazy if you're getting on a river in the next day or two Ha! I also plan to do this over night trips on different legs between Nordegg and Drayton on my standup paddle board.

MI Timberwookie Ha, you got that right, useless species except for being food for other critters. I thoroughly enjoyed this trip, and yeah it's not camping without the nacho cheese!! Take care Wookie.

+Cam Trathen Hi Cam, I haven't done it yet, but indeed want to try. It will take at least 7 or 8 days in order to not paddle too hard and enjoy camp. Yeah great camp spots in the Drayton Valley area. Maybe next summer, long days. Thanks, take care.

what is a desent go pro to get for trips like you do ? I did one trip in a dingy from devon to edmonton but did not have any camera exept my cell phone

Cam Trathen I use the Go-Pro Hero 3 (head strap) for when I need both hands, my old Go-Pro 2 is in the bottom of the river above Nordegg. Kind of expensive, look for the white or silver edition to save a bit of $$. I use my Cannon digital camera for everything else. Phone works too. Hope you can get some trips in Cam.

will for sure try for next year keep up the great trips you do

Hard to say. I have seen a few small fishing boats out there over the years. There are definitely gravel bars, as well as trees and debris to watch for. Canoes always work great on this river, I suppose an aluminum boat could work as long as you know the river, and what to avoid. Hope that helps, have fun.

Hey thanks very much Chicago. It is a 16' canoe.

:)

Hi Andrew. I don't remember exactly, but it was low all weekend. Probably around 130-140 cms in Rocky, so maybe about 80 cms at the dam. Just a guess, but either way, it was indeed low.

+AlbertaGeek Yeah there is a local shuttle service near Rocky Mt. House. They're called HelaVentures. It costs a bit, but they have never let me down. I think local taxi companies will do it too. Friends and family help me out on trips closer to Edmonton. Hope you can get out there. Thanks for watching.

Nick Is Outdoors Thanks for the tip about HelaVentures. Maybe I'll see you out on the river this summer. I'll be the grey-haired old fellow in the packraft. :)

+AlbertaGeek I plan on being out there a lot. I'll be looking.

You'd probably want a canoe that is at least 15 feet long, 16 or 17 would be better for more gear, and two people. A canoe with a keel is generally better suited for lakes and calm water, river canoes tend not to have keels. Knowing the strokes and how to maneuver the canoe is the most important thing. Hope that helps a bit Evan, thanks. Take care.

@@nickharland3795 it does thank you

Hey Charles, the original canoe I sold was a Clipper Solitude, 14.5'. Nice canoe, just not what I needed though. The new one (yellow) is a Clipper Prospector, 16'. I couldn't be happier with it!!

Awesome! Thanks for the reply. Trying hard to decide what I want. Too many options lol. Tripper or Prospector most likely.

+p1ippers This was first week of July, 2015. A very enjoyable trip. Thanks for watching.

good videos. I just got a sit on top kayak and would like to to this trip this summer/fall. would the water be too low in sept? less black flies maybe tx

+p1ippers Thanks. Not much snow this winter, so I'm guessing river will be lower than normal, like it was last year. But still, it is a big enough river that it is easily paddled all spring, summer and fall. I did a trip on October 24, 25 last year, and there was plenty of water.

It is a kevlar/duraflex canoe.

@@nickharland3795 How careful are you with it when bringing it ashore

@@nickharland3795 I just bought one and im going out this weekend. In the NWT Canada we dont have alot of sandy spots to shore up so im just curious.

I babied it for the first couple years... last few years, not so much. It has hit and scraped plenty of rocks and gravel shorelines. Plenty of scratches, some deeper than others, but all in all, still in good shape. It is a very strong material!!

@@nickharland3795 Awesome thanks man!

+Red Woods I agree, it would make it so much better. Thanks for watching anyway.

So far so good. I haven't yet, but I'm bound to one of these times.

wow thats good. Do you feel Bear spray is all you really need in your situation? Or sometimes do you wish you were carrying a firearm?

Haha, just had a small black bear come fairly close to my camp along the Columbia River a couple nights ago. I made noise and he wandered off. I have zero experience with firearms, probably stick with the bear spray and ax for now:)

Yeah maybe one of these days. Thanks for watching Emanuel.

+Joe O'Blenis It's a 16. Thanks for watching.

+Nick Is Outdoors Thought so...I have a 16 Clipper Prospector kevlar duraflex on one of my boat racks. I used to work for Clipper actually.

Joe O'Blenis Awesome. Yeah I really like the kevlar duraflex layup, it's a beautiful canoe and handles very well.

Hello Ed. It is a Clipper Prospector 16'.