Cataract Creek

Class: IV/V

Quality: 4

Location: Kananaskis Country, Alberta

Trip Time: 2-4 hours

Level: 6.5 – 12 cms normally but can be run as high as 20 cms (Online Gauge)

Put-In: 50.283684, -114.592070

Take-Out: 50.391022, -114.582291

This beautiful run starts with a long class II/III paddle in. Watch out for a horizon line above Hercules. The eddy is easy to miss and you probably don’t want to run this one, so watch out. Get out on river left to portage Hercules and scout Titan. Titan is a dreamy, perfect 20′ waterfall with a big pool at the bottom and a stout seal launch at the lip. Really what more could you ask for!!! The seal launch is not easy and there’s not a big pool between Hercules and Titan, so if you want to run this drop you better be solid on seal launching.

A few boogie rapids bring you to Zig-Zag. This rapid starts with a few small ledges building up to a clean 12′ ledge into a big pool. The hole can be sticky below this one so make sure to hit your boof. After Zig-Zag is a long section of class III/IV boogie rapids. The next named rapid is a short drop into a tight gorge. This one has a sweet curler to boof off of. Scout on the left or run blind.

Another long section of boogie brings you to the Leviathan Slide, the biggest rapid on the run. Just before Leviathan though is a sticky boxed in hole on river right, so stay on your guard. Leviathan is scouted on river right and is basically just run down the center. Follow each curler and keep your boat upright then punch the big hole at the bottom! The last rapid, immediately downstream, is a series of ledges in a deep gorge that are easily boat scouted. Take-Out is just around the corner!