SULPHUR RIVER III (GRANDE CACHE)

Gauges

Two gauges are being used for the Sulphur river levels. Gauge 1 is the Smokey River Hells Creek station. (gauge can be used for general area reference rainfall only) and gauge 2 is located at the river put in. With the recent floods, this gauge may no longer be appropriate.

Put In

Access starts from the Grande Cache townsite. Drive onto Hoppe Avenue and turn South (left) onto 104 street. The street will eventually swing right, but continue straight onto a gravel road to a gate. You can steer to the right at the fork to pass through the gate. If the gate is locked a key can be obtained from the Tourism Information Centre on Highway 40. Continue past the gate where you will pass a gravel pit to the Fireman's Pit Group picnic area. Take a right at the fence and follow a narrow dirt road for half a kilometre to a small parking area.

Take Out

Option 1

The first take out is at the Sulphur Gates Staging Area where the confluence of the Sulphur and Smoky connect. Drive North on Highway 40 for about 6.0 kilometres and turn left on the Sulphur Gate Road. Drive another 6.0 km on this gravel road where the road ends. This area can be overrun by horseback riders on the summer weekends so watch fo road apples. On the river you have to immediately ferry over to river left on the Smoky to make the take out. The disadvantage of this take out is that you will have to walk uphill to get to the top of the Sulphur Gates to get to your vehicles. The better option is option 2, which is to continue down the Smoky to the blue bridge.

Option 2

For a little longer paddle (1 hour) you can descend on the Smoky to the Highway 40 Blue Bridge. A nice little take out with no uphill battle. Good camping at this put out as well. A nice alternative when the Sulphur Gates access road gets too muddy.

Overview

Renowned for its breathtaking beauty and steep canyons the Sulphur is a class II River with a little class III towards the end, although in very high water this run turns into steady class III and IV with many nasty hydraulics. The Sulphur merges with the Smoky River at the Sulphur gates. From this point on it is a relatively flat-water paddle through the scenic Smoky River valley to the take-out. The put in is incredibly beautiful but steep. Budget 2-4 hours on the water.

Sulphur River Highlights

• Spectacular scenery
• Variety of play and surf waves
• A nasty ledge and hydraulic
• Little Hells Gate
• The Sulphur Gates
• The Ledge, Rock Garden, S-Bend, Mini Gates, Little Three

Rapid Descriptions

Multiple Surf Waves

There are more than enough surf waves on this stretch of river, but some are one shot wonders. There are a lot of excellent river features like strong eddy lines to practice boat control, and freestyle moves.

Ledge and Hydraulic

There is a 3/4 river wide ledge and hydraulic (at high water) approximately 1/2 way down the river. Back in 1997, several commercial rafts flipped in the powerful pourover, and an unprepared rafter subsequently passed away at this location in 1999. A less than obvious route is on river right.

Little Hells Gate

Downstream of the ledge, the river constricts into a small 15 foot wide knotch where the currents swirl and boil. The flow slows here, but watch for the sleeper hole just downstream to the right.

Sulphur Gates

The Sulphur ends with a 250ft high sheer cliff wall on river left. The water really picks up in this last mile. Grab as many surf waves as you can and eddy up as the river gathers steam and confluences with the Smoky River where the famous Sulphur Gates signals the end of the Sulphur River.

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