Bulkley Canyon

Take Out
Approximately 750m upstream of the Skeena Confluence at Anderson Flats Provincial Park boat launch near Hazelton.

Put In
At the boat launch immediately upstream of the Suskwa FSR bridge over the Bulkley River on river right .

Gauge and Water Levels
Bulkley River near Smithers online gauge. There is no lower water limit for the Bulkley Canyon. The two main drops (One Man Crown and Featherbed) become more defined and somewhat more technical below 200m3/s. Up to 450 m3/s the entire run is an exciting big water river with pushy features, large boils, wave trains, whirlpools and eddy lines that are constantly changing and vary with water level. At higher flows the chaos and consequences of swimming increase.

Description
The first hour or so of the run has beautiful scenery through canyon sections, intermittent rapids up to class III, and plenty of catch on the fly surf waves. About halfway through the run you'll pass through the Gates of the Bulkley (a section where sheer cliffs protrude out into the river on both sides), where the whitewater starts to pick up a bit. 500m downstream the river enters a deeper section of canyon and the first named rapid - One Man Crowd appears behind a subtle right hand bend. A large eddy is typically available on river right where you can regroup / scout the rapid from, but it is guarded by a wide and disruptive eddy line. The rapid is formed by a pinch in the river that creates wild boily pit. Crash through the boils, avoiding the powerful eddylines on the sides, and brace your way to the bottom. Salmon often stack up in the eddy's below this drop during the salmon run. The typical lunch spot is on a large bedrock ledge 500m further downstream where a small creek tumbles into the river on river right.

The second half of the run starts with some flatwater past gravel bars. 30 minutes later you'll reach 'S-bend' - recognizable by a right hand bedrock corner followed by a series of holes / waves to dodge before re-entering the canyon. After some fun boogie, a river wide horizon line will appear indicating  Featherbed, the second named drop. Scoutable on river right at normal water level, and portagable on river left at low water. Following featherbed is the best section of whitewater that spits you out below the Hagwilget bridge over the Bulkley, which frames an exceptional view of the mountain that towers above Hazelton. Don't let your guard down for the final canyon section (below the bridge), which seems benign but is quite swirly and has whirlpools that have caught many a paddler unaware.