A Whitewater guide to the rivers of chile
A short burst of paddling in the Futrono Zone. Best during highwater springtime run off or after periods of sustained rain.
Caunehue whitewater
This short class IV+ stretch is on the northern shore of Lago Ranco just east of the town of Futrono in Chile’s recently created Region XIV aptly called Region de Los Rios. [...]
Posted on December 11th, 2009 by Valentin
Filed under: Region XIV De Los Rios, chile, class 4 | Comments Off
A rumbling steep creek coming off the permanent snowfields of Nevados de Solipulli is the Rio Trafanpulli. In local Mapadungo language the meaning is “junction of the valleys”.
French kayaker Valentin Grollemund
I first started looking at this creek in 1995 but it was not until 2009 that I was able to get back to run [...]
Posted on December 2nd, 2009 by kurt casey
Filed under: Region IX, chile, class 4, class 5, pucon | No Comments »
The Renegado is a seldom run creek that plummets off of Volcan Chillan (3186 meters). It is small so usually gone by beginning of December but might come up in summer months after several days of heavy rain.
Mellow takeout on the Renegado
The normal stretch is a class 4, 8 km section with ideal flows of [...]
Posted on November 24th, 2009 by kurt casey
Filed under: Region VII, chile, class 4 | No Comments »
To reach the put-in from Curracautín go west on the paved road towards Victoria and you will cross Puente Dillo in 4-1/2 kilometers (first you will pass over Puente Amantible). After crossing the bridge immediately turn right and drive up a private road until you reach a locked gate. We were given permission from landowner [...]
Posted on November 23rd, 2009 by kurt casey
Filed under: Region IX, chile, class 3, class 4 | No Comments »
The Captren flows off the snow-covered, north western flank of Volcan Llaima (3125 meters) and has it’s headwaters within The Parque Nacional Conguillio at Laguna Captren. The river, however, is not runnable in its upper reaches but instead provides the right combination of gradient and flow for it’s final 3 km descent to the confluence [...]
Posted on November 23rd, 2009 by kurt casey
Filed under: Region IX, chile, class 3, class 4, waterfalls | No Comments »
Draining the South Western flank of Volcan Llaima (3125 meters) is the deceivingly innocent Rio Calbuco. After meandering thru braided debris flows coming off the flanks of the volcano, the river tightens up at Puente Calbuco for it’s thundering 8 km descent to the confluence with Rio Quepe below town of Cherquenco.
Fields Marshall at confluence [...]
Posted on November 22nd, 2009 by kurt casey
Filed under: Region IX, chile, class 3, class 4 | No Comments »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
Like a cement truck, the Teno’s cold, gray torrent churns through a short, sheer-walled canyon 22 km above Los Queñes. This mini-gorge sharply contrasts with the glacially-carved valley above and below it. Virtually the entire run is visible from the road that parallels the river.
Portage around an ugly combination of sieves, logs, and a road [...]
Posted on October 23rd, 2009 by John Foss (posthumously)
Filed under: Region VII, chile, class 3, class 4 | No Comments »
At low water, the Mañihuales sports several good play spots amidst a few class III–IV rapids that can be partially scouted from the road that parallels the river. Clear, green water courses through a spacious, pastoral valley offering great views of distant peaks. Its wide riverbed indicates a potentially good big water run in the [...]
Posted on October 22nd, 2009 by John Foss (posthumously)
Filed under: Region XI, chile, class 3, class 4 | No Comments »
This beautiful creek flows between two unrunnable canyons. Easily scouted from the road, the Claro starts out class IV in difficulty, eases up a bit, then returns to class IV. After turning away from the road, the river drops through a unrunnable, convoluted slot canyon. The water volume doubles by late afternoon due to daily [...]
Posted on October 22nd, 2009 by John Foss (posthumously)
Filed under: Region XI, chile, class 4 | No Comments »
We were dead tired after many days of nonstop scouting and boating when we crossed Puente Cañal. Draining the glittering heights of Cordon Contreras (2602 m), the Río El Cañal flows out of the westernmost edge of Campo de Hielo Norte. Even though the sight of this milky green, glacial creek tumbling out of the [...]
Posted on October 22nd, 2009 by John Foss (posthumously)
Filed under: Region XI, chile, class 4, class 5 | No Comments »
The best stretch of boating on the upper Maichín consists of a section of a class III-IV rapids above Puente Basas. Approximately 1 km below the put-in, the river flows through a 1.5 km long-columnar basalt gorge. The drops are straightforward and boat scoutable from eddies. The cold, clear river flows through a bucolic countryside [...]
Posted on October 22nd, 2009 by John Foss (posthumously)
Filed under: Region IX, chile, class 3, class 4, pucon | No Comments »
While paddling down the still free flowing stretch of the Upper Bío-Bío, the magnificent view of Volcán Callaqui (3050 m) first comes into view at the confluence with the Río Llanquén. This little drainage offers a fun, short, steep creek run for the energetic boat hiker. The tight moves in the narrow streambed require precise [...]
Posted on October 22nd, 2009 by John Foss (posthumously)
Filed under: Region VIII, chile, class 4, class 5 | No Comments »
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