OTTAWA VALLEY EXPERIENCE
A CLASSIC LIQUID SKILLS TRIP
Join senior Liquid Skills instructors for a week of playboating, river running, and road tripping in style! We designed the Ottawa Valley Experience as the ultimate summer paddling vacation . . . seven days on four world-class rivers, warm water, amazing play, great food, cozy accommodations and lots of laughs along the way! After enjoying the infamous Ottawa River for a couple of days, we will set off on the road to the Upper Gatineau, Rouge, and Petawawa Rivers before returning to the Valley for one final play day at your favourite spots on the Ottawa. While the trip is for pure enjoyment, our focus at Liquid Skills is on instruction so you will not be able to escape daily lessons that will enhance your understanding of key concepts and hone both your playboating and river running skills. If you thought the Ottawa was the only gem around the Valley, come and find out what you’ve been missing!
We have been celebrating the beautiful wondrous rivers in the Ottawa Valley for well over a decade now with our Ottawa Valley Experience week long trip. This trip is designed to show people what our back yard has to offer and the simple fact of how proud we are to call this home. Have a look below at the trip details and dates and book now before all the spots are taken.
The Rivers
At Liquid Skills, our focus is on instruction so while we do choose a variety of world-class rivers, they are all rivers that provide great learning environments. Each of the rivers on this trip is unique in character, but they are all ideal classrooms for honing both your playboating and river running skills. All rapids can be scouted and walked easily.
Ottawa River, Beachburg Ontario
The Ottawa is renowned across the globe as one of the best playboating rivers in the world. With two distinct channels (the Middle and Main), it has everything from small, friendly play spots and class 2/3 rapids, to big waves, holes and juicy class 3/4 runs. Warm water, large eddies, pool-drop rapids, easy access and spectacular scenery characterize this whitewater gem.
Upper Gatineau River, Maniwaki Quebec
The Gatineau is a pristine wilderness river that offers great play boating and fun class 3/4 pool-drop rapids. It is large volume with warm water, roller-coaster wave trains and fairly straightforward lines. It is more likely that we’ll see wild life than other paddlers on this river!
Rouge River, Hawkesbury Quebec
The Rouge is a classic whitewater run and could be considered the Ottawa River of Quebec. It has three sections - the Canyon, the Seven Sisters and the Waterfalls –offering everything from easy class 3 to spectacular cascading drops. With a mixture of pool-drop rapids and some more continuous sections, the Rouge provides a fun day of river running and playing for all levels of paddlers.
The Black River, Watertown New York
Our token US stop finds us on one of the best all-around rivers that we know of. The river passes right through the city of Watertown, providing easy access to the dream wave, “Hole Brothers”. Hole Brothers is composed of a pair of pocket waves worthy of a full day’s attention. Above and below the wave are fun class 3 wave trains and one class 4 rapid. At the halfway point on the river, a dam attendant is waiting for us to climb over the obstruction and get in our boats before releasing enough water to get us through the canyon (and launch a vertical waterfall!). With water trickling down its canyon walls, this breathtaking section has numerous class 3 rapids to finish off the day.
The Petawawa, Petawawa Ontario
The “Pet” is a great way to end the road trip, offering fun creek-style drops, small play holes and easy access. The Pet’s three class 4 rapids provide a great forum to test the skills you have been practicing all week. Emphasis will be on scouting, picking lines, boofing and catching micro-eddies, though there will always be free time to play along the way!