A Whitewater guide to the rivers of chile
Written by Greg Moore
The emerald Río Manso flows through a wild canyon in Parque Nacional Nahual Huapi (Mapuche for “Tiger Island”) south of the ski resort town of San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina. The river drains the southeast flank of Monte Tronador (3491 m) (‘Thunderer’ or ‘Anon’ in Mapuche, whose meaning is almost identical to [...]
Posted on October 27th, 2009 by John Foss (posthumously)
Filed under: argentina, class 4, class 5 | No Comments »
The Palena is a beautiful, although blustery, multi-day trip with nary a trace of whitewater. A dense pall of fog clings to Volcán Melimoyú (2400 m), the lofty summit that overlooks the lower river west of the Carretera Austral. Much of the forest is uncut, having escaped the fire-ravaged scenarios in other parts of Patagonia. [...]
Posted on October 27th, 2009 by John Foss (posthumously)
Filed under: Region X, chile, class 2 | No Comments »
Boaters migrating down the Carretera Austral inevitably flock to the Piedra del Gato overlook to check out the Río Cisnes. For good reason, this roadside canyon is a great place to unwind and stretch your legs after circumventing the southwest corner of Cordillera Queulat. If you decide to paddle the Cisnes, you’ll find some tough, [...]
Posted on October 25th, 2009 by kurt casey
Filed under: Region XI, chile, class 4 | No Comments »
Volcanic ash and cinders blanket the Río Cajón basin, which lies downwind from Volcán Hudson (1369 m). After laying dormant for twenty years, Hudson erupted in August 1991 wreaking considerable property damage and environmental change in Chile Chico and western Argentina. Meter-thick ash deposits buried a 25 km section of the Carretera Austral.
Spend the time, [...]
Posted on October 25th, 2009 by Josh Lowry
Filed under: Region XI, chile, class 5 | No Comments »
Flowing warm and transparent out of Lago Pirehueico deep in the heart of Chile’s Lake District, the Fuy’s astonishing clarity is a sight to behold. With a dense canopy of coihue trees overhanging its banks, the river has an exotic, even ethereal, Gondwanaland feel to it.
Michael Shields crashing thru the wavetrain below Puente Huilo-Huilo its [...]
Posted on October 25th, 2009 by kurt casey
Filed under: Region XIV De Los Rios, chile, class 3, class 4 | No Comments »
The Río Blanco cuts through canyons of geology run amok in the northeastern sector of Reserva Nacional Cerro Castillo. The most prominent peak in the park, Cerro Castillo (2675 m), was so named because its craggy ridges and basalt turrets resemble a medieval castle. For the geology enthusiast, the river corridor offers a cornucopia of [...]
Posted on October 25th, 2009 by John Foss (posthumously)
Filed under: Region XI, chile, class 4 | No Comments »
The Río Petrohué drains Lago Todos los Santos in Parque Nacional Vicente Perez Rosales. It is the largest park in the Chilean Lake District and adjoins Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi in Argentina to form one of the biggest contiguous tracts of protected trans-Andean wilderness in South America. Established in 1926, it is the second oldest [...]
Posted on October 24th, 2009 by John Foss (posthumously)
Filed under: Region X, chile, class 4, class 5 | No Comments »
The lower Petrohué is a popular commercial raft trip and a good run for intermediate kayakers. Its wide-open rapids require a minimum of maneuvering to negotiate safely. Surfing the warm, azure waves entail backing down and stroking hard because there are few convenient eddies. Calm interludes allow ample time to gaze at the lofty heights [...]
Posted on October 24th, 2009 by John Foss (posthumously)
Filed under: Region X, chile, class 3 | No Comments »
This tributary of the Tinguiririca features great views of the Cordilleras Rubiana and Huemulina, good class III whitewater, and a wealth of desert wildflowers in the spring. Aspiring intermediate boaters will enjoy this river. On our only run, we had a scratchy flow of 7-10 cms. With more water, its pool-drop rapids would undoubtedly get [...]
Posted on October 24th, 2009 by John Foss (posthumously)
Filed under: Region VI, chile, class 3 | No Comments »
Don’t be fooled by the low average gradient on the upper Cisnes. Its citadel rock walls reverberate with the roar of great whitewater rising from the abyss. Located east of the Carretera Austral, this precipitous canyon forms the southeastern boundary of Parque Nacional Queulat. Although off the beaten, dusty track, the magnificence of this [...]
Posted on October 24th, 2009 by John Foss (posthumously)
Filed under: Region X, chile, class 4, class 5 | No Comments »
On our first descent in February 1998, Joe Larrow, John Hart, Aaron Pruzan, Robby Dastin, and I encountered an irritatingly low flow at the put-in. If there had been a road nearby, I would have bailed out. Nevertheless, we persevered only to encounter bumping and grinding class III boulder gardens in the headwaters and grueling [...]
Posted on October 24th, 2009 by John Foss (posthumously)
Filed under: Region X, chile, class 5 | No Comments »
After tumbling through a foggy, verdant canyon upstream, the Resbalón meanders into Bahia Murta, the northwest arm of Lago Bertrand. Because of its lush vegetation and sheer walls, bailouts are virtually impossible. More than a few inconveniently placed logs require caution. Even though the canyon is tight, there is sufficient room to scout and portage. [...]
Posted on October 24th, 2009 by John Foss (posthumously)
Filed under: Region XI, chile, class 5 | No Comments »
The upper roars through a chiquitito box canyon 2.5 km below the put-in in Reserva Nacionál Río de Los Cipreses. House-sized rocks that tumbled down from adjacent talus slopes create terminal hydraulics at high water above this seething cauldron of whitewater. The unportagable slot is 2-3 m wide, and no more than 100 m long. [...]
Posted on October 24th, 2009 by John Foss (posthumously)
Filed under: Region VI, chile, class 5 | No Comments »
The lower Cachapoal flows into the Coya industrial zone. None of the rapids are very difficult, and all are boat-scoutable from eddies. Beware of a collapsed bridge on river left approximately 1 km upstream from the take-out. Because of all the dams. Diversions and mining activity the river does not live up to the standards [...]
Posted on October 24th, 2009 by John Foss (posthumously)
Filed under: Region VI, chile, class 3, class 4 | No Comments »
The name of this river depends on which one of those—at times—contentious neighbors maps you’re squinting at while cramped inside your vehicle during moonlight navigation. In Argentina, its known as the Corcovado. Chileans call the river the Carrenleufú. From a geographer’s viewpoint, its the headwaters of the Palena. Regardless of the name, its sublime scenery, [...]
Posted on October 24th, 2009 by John Foss (posthumously)
Filed under: argentina, class 5 | No Comments »
Cajón de Farellones is a good run flowing through Reserva Nacional Río Simpson. This section courses through a secluded canyon featuring some occasional pool-drop rapids and playful holes between all the of flatwater. More class II-III rapids lie upstream of the put-in, with access from a bridge on the road to the Coihaique airport.
The accessible [...]
Posted on October 24th, 2009 by John Foss (posthumously)
Filed under: Region XI, chile, class 2, class 3 | No Comments »
The lower Simpson flows through a glacially scoured valley that forms the northern boundary of Parque Nacional Río Simpson, and the southern extant of Reserva Nacional Coihaique. Vertical crags, plummeting waterfalls, virgin temperate rainforest, and a lush floral carpet of colorful wildflowers provide a picturesque panorama while driving through the valley. The mellow whitewater sports [...]
Posted on October 24th, 2009 by John Foss (posthumously)
Filed under: Region XI, chile, class 3 | No Comments »
During our failed attempt to explore the headwaters of the Río Melado in December 1997 (a wicked high El niño year) , John Foss, Josh Lowry, Robby Dastin, and I came upon this little creek. Quebrada El Toro is a beauty, one of a dozen of such torrents tumbling out of the southcentral Andes. It [...]
Posted on October 24th, 2009 by kurt casey
Filed under: Region VII, chile, class 5 | 1 Comment »
Bordering the northern edge of Parque Nacional Queulat, the Río Figueroa flows through a beautiful valley of old growth forest. Cordillera Queulat and Sierra Negra peek above the horizon.
Excluding some excellent drops in the gorge above Puente Figueroa (which is on Rio Pico), most of the run contains intermittent class II-III boulder garden rapids. [...]
Posted on October 24th, 2009 by kurt casey
Filed under: Region X, chile, class 4 | No Comments »
This description was written by Greg Moore
The Clarillo’s clear water, fun class III pool-drop rapids, and lack of flat water make for an enjoyable run. This small drainage only has boatable flows in the spring when the desert is in bloom. For the ambitious boat hiker, numerous other clear water tributaries of the Tinguirririca beckon [...]
Posted on October 24th, 2009 by kurt casey
Filed under: Region VI, chile, class 3 | No Comments »
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