Rapids of the Gatineau River - Maniwaki / Bouchette Section

Tête des Six (Class II-III)

La Tête des Six, (The Head of the Six), is the first rapid of this section. It consists of several small Class I to Class III rapids flowing between islands. These rapids are created by small fractures in the river bed. The first fracture extends the entire width of the river and creates standing waves. This is the perfect place to warm up before confronting more difficult rapids. Lucifer awaits you not far from here !

There are no major difficulties in these rapids, the current and lines being reasonably easy to read.

De Lucifer (Class IV-V)

This is the first big rapid of the section and, without doubt, the most technically difficult, at least for those who take the centre passage. This rapid is characterized by three huge holes, which form a triangle. The first, nicknamed L'Ange gardien, (The Guardian Angel), is in the centre and blocks a straight-line passage. Downstream to the left is L'Agneau de Dieu, (The Lamb of God), and to the right is L'Anus de Lucifer, (Lucifer's Anus). Venture too close to this devilish hole and you could be in for a long underwater swim.

If you look carefully, you may notice a snake basking on the rocks beside the rapid. Although it has been identified as being a northern water snake, (nerodia sipedon), some people claim that it’s really Lucifer in disguise keeping an eye on his territory. Anyone who is tempted to kill the snake will become a victim of the rapid one day, or so the legend goes.

At low water, the passage on river right is a Class III. At higher water, a short portage along the big rocks allows you to avoid Lucifer's Anus. Choosing river left will give you a chance to touch The Lamb of God and you may discover that the animal in question has a capricious personality.

After this rapid, there is a short stretch of calm water before The Corbeau.

Rapide du Corbeau (Class V)

A narrow passage centre-left is the only way to get through this rapid. Beware of the Bec du Corbeau (Raven’s Beak), a sharp, protruding rock to the left of the line near the end. Many paddlers have been bitten by the beak, resulting in scarred boats and in some cases scarred bodies !

Once you are familiar with this rapid, the passage itself is no more difficult than a big Class III.

La Danse du Draveur (Class III-IV)

La Danse du Draveur (The Dance of the River Driver) was named in honour to the men who worked on the Gatineau River until the end of the 1980’s.

This long Class III-IV rapid is characterized by boils and potholes at the end, resulting in instability and ‘dancing’ of the canoe. A long wave and a big eddy at the end of the rapid is a fantastic surf spot. If you flip in this section, don’t worry, there is a wide sandy beach on the right where you can recover and have lunch before confronting The Haute Tension.

Keep to the left channel after La Danse du Draveur.

La Haute Tension (Class IV-V)

The Haute Tension, (High Tension), was named after the electrical power line that crosses the rapid or maybe it has more to do with how some paddlers feel when they face this rapid for the first time.

This is the longest and most sustained rapid of the section. Waves are high and break unexpectedly. Several paddlers finish this rapid with a swim. At low and medium water, the centre passage is a Class IV chute.

The Transformateur, (Transformer), which is the big hydraulic at centre-right, is easy to avoid, unless of course you prefer to be ‘transformed’ on purpose. At the end of the rapid, the river makes an abrupt right turn.

The next rapid, The Mur, is just around the corner, making it very difficult to scout if you have already engaged La Haute Tension. Consequently, La haute Tension portage on river right has been extended, allowing you to scout or portage the two rapids from the same trail.

Le Mur (Class IV)

Le Mur, (The Wall), is distinguished by a huge roller which blocks two-thirds of the river. This roller forms an explosive wave similar to those you might find in the ocean. It is a virtual ‘wall’ of water, hence, ‘The Mur’. Getting through is often more due to luck than good alignment.

If you are the cautious sort, the passage along river right is a Class III of medium difficulty and at a comfortable distance from the famous roller. You will find the access to the portage along river right, before La Haute Tension.

After the rapid, if you feel adventurous, you can paddle upstream along the river left to surf The Wall !

After Le Mur, if you are looking for the main passage of Rapides des Cêdres, (Cedar Rapids), then paddle more or less straight ahead. You will be in the right channel around Cedar Island. If you prefer to try The Tombereau, then you must stick to the extreme left after Le Mur to find the partially hidden channel at the end of the bay.

Des Cèdres (Class IV-V)

At this rapid, take a few moments to appreciate the great scenery. One of several hydroelectric proposals would have put a dam here, resulting in the flooding of most of the Festival run.

Rapides des Cèdres consists of a drop with three possible passages of varying difficulty, flowing between the rocky outcrops. The passages on the extreme right and in the centre have small keepers. At low water, the keeper at the extreme left passage is very dangerous.

The most popular passage is the one on the extreme right, with a strong current and a small keeper. With a little time taken to scout, you should be able to find the correct alignment for this Class III-IV drop. But be aware, if you should end up swimming here, you could be in for a bumpy ride as the rocks at the outflow get progressively closer to the surface as the water levels drop. At 8 on the gauge they’re pretty close to the surface. As always, the portage is available as an alternative.

Le Tombereau (Class III)

If you have chosen the left channel after Le Mur, then Le Tombereau awaits. It is a steep Class III. If you feel ambitious and want to try The Tombereau and Cèdres, then do the Tombereau first. Afterwards, it should not take you long to figure out how to get to Cèdres by paddling to river right.

Now you have a pleasant stretch of flatwater before getting to the last rapid of the day.

Le Bonnet Rouge (Class IV)

This is a beautiful rapid with no major difficulties other than the height of the waves. A short portage is possible on the left. There are many surfing waves, forming a great playground. Enjoy these last moments and don’t forget the crowd that is usually in attendance and ready to cheer. Downstream on river left, a beach indicates that you have reached journey’s end.