Bow River Paddle Downstream of Calgary Paddling on 9-Jul-2023

Participants: David, Ulrike, Gordon, Jenny, Carolyn, Gary.

Burn your legs out on a scramble/mountain bike/hike? Want to make the most of your weekend and/or the gorgeous (but hot) weather? If you answered yes to either of these questions, we have the solution – a paddle on the Bow River!

While not a common trip on the Ramblers’ schedule, there are many keen paddlers in the club. Given the hot weather predicted for Sunday, we thought a paddle might hit the spot and we were right. The section of river between McKinnon Flats and Johnson’s Island (Carseland) is a fun float with just enough bouncy water for those that want to get wet but safe enough for a novice paddler with some basic skills. The river is wide enough that all fast-moving sections can be avoided if desired; however, it was noted that our boats jostled for position to hit every bit of wavy water we could find!

Dave impressed with his little boat’s manoeuverability as he tucked in behind every big boulder he could find. Gary and Ulli’s two-person inflatable proved to be lightweight, packable and fast. Carolyn and Jenny alternated between hitting the bouncy water and pulling out the binoculars to identify the multitude of birds along the river. There was no mistaking the American White Pelicans, Great Blue Heron and Osprey but we also spied some baby Common Mergansers and Goldeneye, along with a lone Avocet and some Lesser Yellowlegs near the take out. Gord made sure everyone was upright and we were careful to avoid the shallow riffles for those with the nice/delicate boats.

Practical Details: We met around 9.30 am and after unloading boats, three vehicles drove the roughly 30 minutes to the take out point. We hit the water before 11 am and total river time was 4 h 20 mins. We took a lunch break in some lovely shade and enjoyed the opportunity to stretch our legs. Other river users out today included primarily anglers in drift boats and perhaps a dozen other paddlers. No one went for a swim – intentional or otherwise but sometimes it seemed like a good idea.

Thanks to all for a wonderful day on the river. We all agreed that paddling is a nice way to mix up our other activities. Distance 23 km, Ascent 5 m (even though we were going downstream, it seems we gained 5 m elevation; it was postulated this was the “climb” to the bathroom at the end of the day).

Thanks to Jenny for authoring this, Ulrike for most of the photos and David for the big truck full of boats and folks from canmore.

Put in at McKinnon Flats

Blue Boats on the Bow

On the Bow

Approaching the Pelicans

Peli off the starboard bow!

Takeout at Johnson Island

Ulrike and Gary in their blow up double.