Astoria River - Lower (Gr. 4)
Last Updated on Thursday, 08 February 2007 20:21 Written by Spencer Cox Thursday, 08 February 2007 20:15
Sean Allen in the bridge rapid.
Logan Rutherford below the bridge rapid. | The Scene: The Astoria is a serious mountain river that pours down a valley in the heart of Jasper National Park. It flows mainly over boulders, with a few canyons featuring some bedrock features. Its Grade 4-4+, and we have done it top to bottom in just over 20 minutes, but would take 1-2 hours, at normal water-levels and with some scouting; the higher the water the better for this one. Flow Information: Fed by glacial melt, and snow melt the lower run loses about 1 cms do to a diversion tube at the end of the upper run. High water is in the spring and summer on hot days, and low water is generally the early spring or the fall. Transport Information: Park at the pull-off on the Jasper side of the 93A bridge over the Astoria River. Then, hike up a ways towards the dam and put in on either side of the river (below the dam ...which is runnable at low, but that's another story). Run Description: The best rapids are below the bridge, as the river cuts through a siltstone canyon. Below here, there are some class 3+-4+ sections that basically rip down a boulder bed. About 2/3 of the way, you come across a second canyon, which can be scouted on the left, but is usually pretty clean but it is always a good idea to check for wood. Below the second canyon, things start to flatten out, and spread over many constantly changing river channels, some filled with wood. Follow the most water, stay out of the forest. This section isn't the best at lower water, but can be quite fun if the river is in high-flood. Take out at the 93 bridge over the Athabasca River. This bridge is about 10 minutes of grade 1-2 downstream of the confluence of the Astoria and the Athabasca. Spencer Cox |
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