Anyone have ideas for a good 3 day canoe trip?

[miklaw]

Hi,
I am running canoe training for army cadets at camp Argonaut in CFB Gagetown this summer. Every year we have a 4 day canoe trip where we put in at Blissville, travel down the Oromocto river and then follow the Saint John river until we get to the Village of Gagetown. Its a nice trip, but the Oromocto river can get pretty boring after a while.
I have been asked to look for a new route thats less than 3 hrs away from Fredericton to do that will last for at least 3 days. The trip will be for approximately 30 cadets and will be run a 3 or 4 times between mid July to mid August. I know that its not a great time for paddling with a lot of weight in the canoes because most of the river water levels have dropped by then, but does anyone have any suggestions?

[mitchell]

Hi Miklaw. Because of low water levels during this period, your best bet would probably be the St. Criox. It is dam controlled and can always be run in canoes. There are multiple put in and take out spots along the river. A nice 3 day trip would be from St. Criox to the Grand Falls takeout. It is about 52 kms in total. You could even shorten it up and take out at Loon Bay. I would suggest picking up the canoe map of the St. Croix at Service NB or right in the village of McAdam. Happy paddling.

Mitchell

[tgneal]

A paddling map of the St. croix can also be had at this site;

www.stcroix.org

The St. Croix would be a great summer paddle. You can also paddle on the headwaters of the St .Croix river (Spednic and East Grand Lakes) if you want more flat water travel. The St. Croix International Waterway Commission (they're the ones that publish the paddling map) maintains campsites all along the St. Croix system.

[miklaw]

Thanks guys,
I'm definitely going to look into this, are there many rapids on that river around that time of year? I want to make the trip fun for the kids so small rapids would be good, but I also want to make sure that the majority of them don't end up sleeping in wet sleeping bags.

[tgneal]

There is only one major rapids that has to be negotiated at Little Falls. There are well used portage trails around this spot so you can avoid the rapids if necessary. You can also take your gear out of the canoe before running the rapids. The other rapids are small and easily navigated. The St. Croix river is a great river for learning how to paddle.

Here is a video featuring Little Falls;

youtube.com/watch?v=DtoPY0EXOpU

This site has some excellent pictures of the St. Croix and other N.B. rivers;

mitchellamos.spaces.live.com/