Outaouais

Gens de Terre River

Advanced
★★★★☆ 4.0
34
rapids mapped
12
portages mapped
10
campsites mapped

The map draws the full river. This route covers a section of it; the description says which.

About

The Rivière Gens de Terre is an epic wilderness expedition from Cabonga Reservoir to Dépôt Lépine, featuring 40 rapids ranging from R1 to R6 difficulty with 11 portages and 14 campsites. The first 25km section is intermediate-friendly, but the river then enters a spectacular canyon with extremely technical rapids suitable only for advanced paddlers. The scenery is described as fantastic with crystal-clear water and dramatic rock formations. Spring flows from the dam provide reliable but challenging conditions, and the route is maintained by La Vérendrye Wildlife Reserve with shuttle services available.

Highlights

Expert wildernessSpectacular canyon40+ rapidsCrystal-clear waterRemote expedition
Best season: May-June

The rapids this document describes

The document describes 40. The map shows 34, because it only places rapids a national survey publishes a coordinate for. The two counts measure different things.

RapidClassPortageSurveyor's note
R1Rapids near 15km marker
R2Rapids near 15km marker, downstream of R1
R1Rapids in lower section near plage
R1-2R1-2
R6R6yes rive gauche
R1-2R1-2
R2R2
R1-2R1-2
R2R2Multiple R2 rapids in sequence
R4R4
R2-3R2-3
R3R3
R5R5
R1-2R1-2
R4R4
R4-2R4-2 R2-4
R1-2R1-2
R2R2
R1R1
R1-2R1-2
R2R2
R2-3R2-3
R1-2R1-2
R2-3R2-3
R5R5
R3R3
R2-3R2-3
R5-6R5-6RAPPEL DANGEREUX
R1R1Multiple R1 rapids in upper section
R2R2R2 rapid near EV markers
Chute du Petit Lac Poigan R2-3R2-3yes droiteRapids at waterfall location
Rapides de la GorgeS4-5yes droiteLe passage se fait à droite de l'île, longer la droite pour sortir du courant principal et arriver dans une zone peu profonde, de là, la cordelle est possible à l'extrême droite, le passage à gauche de l'île est calme, puis tombe directement dans le S4-5, qui est double (deux seuils distincts) à cet endroit, je déconseille de faire R1 avant de s'engager, sentier de portage à droite
Rapides de l'Épinette R2R2yes droiteP à D
Rapides R2-3 NickleR2-3yes droiteP à D
R5-6R5-6yesChute Colgan - rapides with portage option
R1-3R1-3Rapides Larvière
R2/SEUILR2Seuil with R2 classification
Rapides CrochesR1-2
Rapides LarivièreR2-3yes rive droite
Rapides MilieuR2-3

This table publishes no position for any rapid. Where a surveyor's note mentions a kilometre, those are their words quoted as written, and the figure was read off a scanned map: use it to follow their description, not to navigate. Most of these surveys were written in French.

Surveyed by Charles Leduc, 2021-06. GensDeTerreLeduc2021.pdf

The portages this document describes

The document describes 10 portage(s).

PortageLengthBankNotes
Portage option at 1.5 km upstream of Petit lac Poigan, upstream of destroyed damnot stated
Portage around R6 rapidnot statedrive gauche
C-5mthe source recorded 5 m, which is the height of the drop beside this portage rather than the length of the carry
Chute du Petit Lac Poigan portage80 mdroite
Barrage portage40 mdroite
Portage around Chute Colgan rapids R5-6900 m
Portage obligatoire au début de la descentenot statedPortage required at start of descent
P90m à D90 mrive droitebon lieu de pause-dîner
P250m à D250 mrive droiteancien barrage Travers (détruit), surveiller les fondations en aval, arrêt après le point haut du portage
Barrage P à Dnot statedrive droite

The campsites this document describes

The document describes 14 campsite(s).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difficulty level of Gens de Terre River?

Gens de Terre River is rated Advanced. Whitewater ratings are not exact: grades change with water level and season. Verify current conditions locally before you paddle.

When is the best time to canoe Gens de Terre River?

The best time is May-June.

Where is Gens de Terre River located?

Gens de Terre River is located in the Outaouais region of Canada.

View interactive map View original PDF map

Sources

cartespleinair.org · myccr.com · wikipedia.org · cartespleinair.org

Conditions change with water level and season. Grades and positions are for planning, not navigation. Verify locally before you paddle. Terms of use

Something wrong on this page? Report it