Gauges

The river gauge for the Kakwa is right at the Highway 40 bridge where it crosses over the river. This is also the put in for the lower section. Due to the infrequent nature of river trips down the Kakwa, gauge reports can only be speculated. Paddling this river in flood like conditions is a recipe for disaster. Low to medium flows will ensure that you will have time to get around log jams down this section of river.

180 m3/s Class IV on second day of trip

Put In

Put in at the Kakwa River in low water The put in for the river is right at the Highway 40 bridge. There is a nice launch where you can drive too on the upstream side of the bridge. Approximately 1 hour south of Grande Prairie and 1 hour North of Grande Cache. A small provincial picnic site is on the East side of the road, but the easiest access to the river is on the upstream / West side of the road. This area is not regularly monitored for theft, so it is better if you can arrange a drop off at the take out rather than leaving a vehicle at the put in.

Take Out

The take out is on the east side of the Canfor Haul Road Bridge. To access this bridge drive South from Grande Prairie on Highway 40 for approximately 35-40 kilometers and cross over the Big Mountain Creek Bridge. The turn off to the haul road is on the left just after this bridge crossing. Drive a few kilometers on this dirt road to the bridge over the Smoky River. A small road on the East side of the river leads to a picnic area near the rivers edge. The take out for the Kakwa is on the Smoky River.

Overview

Canyon walls on the second day down the Kakwa If you are looking for a super remote full on wilderness expedition, this is the one for you. This three day trip is best experienced with a raft and perhaps by experienced canoers in lower water. I rafted this section in '93 so the description is vague at best. We paddled this section of the Kakwa in low medium low water levels and it was still a blast at Class IV. Kayakers can practice their expedition packing on this river as it is a good test to figure out what to bring and what not to bring. It is highly recommedned that you charter a private jet boat to pick you up downstream of the Cutbank River confluence on the Smoky to save you from a long boring class 1 paddle.

Day 1

Floating down the Kakwa The first day on the river is easy class I and II. A crew can easily reach the first campground with a late start on the river. Enjoy the float down as there is a wide array of wildlife to view, and fishing spots for one to stop at. The leisurely float down ends on the brink of the first rapid. Camp on the river left bank above the first big rapid. There is usually a beach of sand and boulders on the left, but in higher water you may have to escape to the dense bush for a camp spot. Scout the drops below.

Day 2

Small waterfall on second day Obviously from the campsite, one can only imagine what the rest of the river is going to be like. The punch in the face right after breakfast is always an eye opener. The river drops immediately after starting from the campsite. This drop ends in a river wide flat hydraulic at lower levels with a sneak route on river left. The rest of the day consists of more of the same with the occasional float in between rapids. New log jams, along with the erosion of the clay canyon walls makes this run fairly unpredictable. It would be futile to give a detailed description of what is to come next as nobody really knows from year to year what to expect. All that I know is that this is BIG COUNTRY, and it needs to be respected. An accident here would be a rescue with epic consequences. BE PREPARED. Although the scenery through the canyon is wonderful, be cautious of what lies around the bend..there may or may not be an eddy to escape too. Have fun, this is what you came for on the Kakwa, enjoy it while it lasts. Once you are at the confluence of the Smoky, you will be greeted by high canyon-like banks and a wonderful sand beach on the river left side. Here you can see the mixture of the silty glacier waters of the Smoky mix in with the clear cold mountain runoff of the Kakwa.

Day 3

The rest of the run is on the Smoky. After a lazy wake up at one of the best campsites imaginable, you are soon swept away down the Smoky River. Rick Kennedy on his 'Cat' Huge standing waves on big water provides some amazing one shot waves to surf on. Enjoy them while you can. Soon enough you arrive near the confluence of the Cutbank River. Here the river has multiple river wide ledges that need to be scouted prior to attempting. These 'natural weirs' could easily upend a heavily loaded raft, so it is needless to say what it would do with a playboat. Downstream from the Cutbank the river wallows into dead water. It is Class I all the way to the takeout. When we did the river in '93 we had an outboard engine on our cataraft which made short work of the dead water below the Cutbank. I would recommend for those wishing to do the trip raft supported or not, to invest in a pick up or tow from one of the locals from Grande Prairie who has a river jet boat. It would be a nice finish to an awesome river expedition.

Kakwa / Smoky Highlights

Remote Wilderness
Spectacular whitewater after a day of warming up on river
Remote canyon walls
Class IV pool and drop river with breaks in between rapids
Wildlife & fishing spots galore
Bar none the best riverside campsite in Alberta at the confluence with the Smoky
Big water surfing on the Smoky