Sotheast Upsalquitch

[Ken Corbett]

I just bought a copy of the NB Backroads MapBook.

It says one can put-in on Upsalquitch Lake, and run right down the Southeast and Main Upsalquitch Rivers to the Restigouche.

Sounds hairy, with gorges, falls and such.

Anyone here done it?

Ken

[Bones]

Haven't done the Southeast, but have done the northwest into the Main to the Restigouche.

No problems with northwest. On the main there was only one bad corner (i.e. after the southeast and northwest join together). Its nearer the end of the main Upsalquitch (maybe 10k from end). Theres a big white fishing lodge on your left maybe 100 m before the start of the rapids (the river turns almost 90 degrees to the right).

We went down in July with lower water - it wasn't an issue at all. In actual fact ,we misjudged and were alread down the first part of the rapids before we realized it wasn't just fast water. So with higher water could certainly be dangerous - but I wouldn't be overly concerned about it.

As Linda is from the area and said she ran the NW Upsalquitch last summer I'm sure she can give you better info!

Paul

[ldmrt]

I've done the Southeast once and it was many many years ago. We didn't do it right from the Upsalquitch Lake though. I have heard from somebody who was doing a fish survey or something like that last summer(I'll ask my DFO buddy more about it in the next day or so and get back to you!) and I remember him saying something about there being many waterfalls and also beaver dams etc. so I think it would be difficult although not impossible to run from the lake.

Ahhhh.... the Upsalquitch Lake, I remember a wild weekend with family and friends back when I was a young one(many, many years ago). It involved fishing, drinking and budworm spray planes.... a story for another time ;-)

Anyway, to get back to the topic, I have run from just a bit below Flying Eddy(have another great story about that place too lol), at the bridge, which is just above where the minister's cottage was(I've never actually seen the cottage, I don't think it exists anymore, but will probably be known forever as that place). There is one set of bad rapids(well I found them bad but I haven't done much whitewater in a canoe before) that we lowered our canoes down the side of, other than that, it wasn't too eventful. I do remember one other ledgey part that we had a bit of problems with, but just that it was a sharp turn and we got hung up a bit. I will mention that it was my sister and I's first voyage down the river manning our own canoe so our inexperience might have given us some problems. lol

As far as the main Upsalquitch, the falls that Bones mentioned are the Boland Brook Falls, named because of the fishing camp he mentioned. They can be a little hairy in any water height. Right now, they would be totally smooth because we are at almost flood stage. However, a drop of about 6 feet of water and you could be in for a rough ride. We did the 25 Mile NW a few years ago and the water was higher than we are used to and when we got to the end of the falls the waves were enormous and almost capsized us. I was shaking after we got through there and since we had cellular service, I called my dad to come and get us early, just down river. It was freezing and we had taken in water, I thought my toes were going to drop right off.

This time of year though, the downriver rapids are amazing(they are a mile or so outside of the village of Upsalquitch, where I'm very happy to hang my hat again). A few weeks ago I was out taking some photos of the high water and when I stopped there, the whitewater rafter in me was thinking(as I was taking pics of the 10-12 waves) d**n, I wish I had a wetsuit and a rubber raft right now because that would be sooooo much fun to run right now. But I didn't and there were way too many dead trees running for it to be safe anyway, but wow what a ride it would have been!

I'll ask my buddy at DFO about more info though and get back to you.

[Ken Corbett]

André Arpin, a local outfitter tells me:

On the Southeast we can only bring you to the Flying Eddy. If you start there, you only have 2 hours paddling to get to the forks. This stretch has nice rapids that can be run. We dont go higher than that because the falls can't be portaged.

So don't trust the New Brunswick Backroad Mapbook. They list it as a paddling route. They mention difficult rapids and portages, but now I have conflicting info. Perhaps I should cross this river off my to-do list.

Thank you Linda, for all your information.

Ken

[ldmrt]

You'll still have to come up and do the NW again.

[Ken Corbett]

ldmrt says,
Ahhhh.... the Upsalquitch Lake, I remember a wild weekend with family and friends back when I was a young one(many, many years ago). It involved fishing, drinking and budworm spray planes.... a story for another time ;-)

It's time!

Ken