Capitachouane, Coulonge Rivers
General Information:
Total Distance: 392km
General Weather: Started cold and rainy then turned hot at end of august. Only one day of severe headwinds. Intermittent storms.
Water Level: low on coulonge and very high on Capitachouane rivers.
Group Skill Level: very high
Put-in/ driving directions: About 45 minutes (or 100km) past Val Dor, immediately on turn left onto chem chimou. It is immediately after Rivier Filex. Follow Ch. Chimou (the main road) to the put in just past km marking 143 (takes approx. 1.5 hours). There are many turn offs but the km markings are very clear on the main road so you will know if you go off it. Can also use topo maps to assist in navigation but there are new bridges and turn offs as well as some that do not exist.
Take-out: Terry Fox bridge in Fort Coulonge
Maps used: 31 N/15, 31 N/11, 31 N/7, 31 N/2, 31 N/3, 31 K/14, 31 K/11, 31 F/15
Days on trip: 20 – 1 rest day plus two half days. We also had shorter days at the beginning and much longer at the end.
Campsites: everywhere – lots of beach sites on the Coulonge and ATV access roads. Capitachouane River had an access road along it but campsites were scarcer. There are probably more but they are hidden.
Emergency Access Points: lots of cabins and ATV trails all along the rivers
Notes of the Capitachouane River:
Most grid references are +/- 3km on campsites, portages and distances. Also topo maps edition 3B are not accurate access roads are nonexistent and there are new ones and the river looks very different from the maps. We also did not see that many campsites although we think a lot of them are slightly overgrown and further into the forest than can be seen from the river. A park map would be helpful for locating campsites. Portages are in good condition, easy to find and look used though!
Day 1 – August 1
Campsite: 31 N/15 (678 096)
H.O.W: zero
Distance: zero km
Weather: cloudy and a light rain
Day 2 – August 2
Campsite: 31 N/15 (631 982) – bush crash
H.O.W: 7 hours
Distance: 15km
Weather: rainy
Portages:
Day 3 – August 3
Campsite: 31 N/15 (596 972) – actual campsite on the portage
H.O.W: 3 hours
Distance: 2.5km
Weather: sunny then scattered showers
Portages/ sets:
Day 4 – August 4
Campsite: 31 N/11 465 880 – bush crash on old ATV trail that you need to go through the forest to see.
H.O.W: 8 hours
Distance: 17km
Weather: scattered showers but mainly rainy
Portages:
Day 5 – August 5
Campsite: 31 N/11 (412 797)
H.O.W: 7 hours
Distance: 15km
Weather: scattered showers
Portages:
Day 6 – August 6
Campsite: 31 N/11 - beach site on an island in reservoir dozois
H.O.W: 8 hours
Distance: 9km (however it was more like 20km and navigation was hard… we have no idea how we got to where we camped)
Weather: rainy and cloudy
Portages: none
Day 7 – August 7
Campsite: 31 N/7 (515 553)
H.O.W: 5 hours – we had a half day
Distance: 20km
Weather: overcast turning sunny but tail winds!
Portages: none
Day 8 – August 8
Campsite: 31 N/7 (562 402)
H.O.W: 6 hours – but we were lazy
Distance: 16km
Weather: sunny!
Portages:
Day 9 – August 9 – REST DAY
Day 10 – August 10
Campsite: 31 N/2 (516 249) – grand lac
H.O.W: 7 hours
Distance: 25km
Weather: cloudy
Portages:
Day 11 – August 11
Campsite: Giroux dam - 31 N/3 (301 226)
H.O.W: 8.5 hours
Distance: 28 km! – was a long day
Weather: hot and sunny
Portages: zero
Day 12 – August 12
Campsite: above bridge on 31 K/14 (257 064)
H.O.W: 8.5 hours – was also a long day
Distance: 18km
Weather: overcast and cold
Portages/sets:
Day 13 – August 13
Campsite: 31 K/14 (278 929) – campsite on lift over just before Tall pines
H.O.W: 6.5 hours
Distance: 16km
Weather: sunny
Portages/sets (all on 31 K/14):
Day 14 – August 14
Campsite: 31 K/14 (276 823) – chutes pearly – half day!
H.O.W: 6 hours
Distance: 14km
Weather: sunny and cloudy
Portages/sets (all on 31 K/14):
Day 15 – August 15
Campsite: 31 K/14 (276 647) – beach plus site on ridge above
H.O.W: 7 hours
Distance: approx. 33 km – was a long day
Weather: sunny
Portages/ sets:
Day 16 – August 16
Campsite: 31 K/11 (583 311) – Chutes Diable. Is a site at the beginning and end. Super scenic waterfall!
H.O.W: 10 hours!
Distance: 42km – super long day!
Weather: hot and sunny
Portages/sets:
Day 17 – August 17
Campsite: rapides enrage
H.O.W: 7 hours
Distance: 22km
Weather: hot and sunny
Portages/sets:
1. R1 – ran RR
2. R2 – ran top set RL through a hole then pick and choose at the bottom. Very rocky set.
Day 18 – August 18
Campsite: Chutes L/ours – is a campsite at the end and beginning of portage.
H.O.W: 7 hours
Distance: 12km
Weather: hot and sunny with head winds
Portages/sets:
Day 19 – August 19
Campsite: Terry fox bridge
H.O.W: 5.5 hours
Distance: 16km
Weather: overcast and hot
Portages/sets:
Total Distance: 392km
General Weather: Started cold and rainy then turned hot at end of august. Only one day of severe headwinds. Intermittent storms.
Water Level: low on coulonge and very high on Capitachouane rivers.
Group Skill Level: very high
Put-in/ driving directions: About 45 minutes (or 100km) past Val Dor, immediately on turn left onto chem chimou. It is immediately after Rivier Filex. Follow Ch. Chimou (the main road) to the put in just past km marking 143 (takes approx. 1.5 hours). There are many turn offs but the km markings are very clear on the main road so you will know if you go off it. Can also use topo maps to assist in navigation but there are new bridges and turn offs as well as some that do not exist.
Take-out: Terry Fox bridge in Fort Coulonge
Maps used: 31 N/15, 31 N/11, 31 N/7, 31 N/2, 31 N/3, 31 K/14, 31 K/11, 31 F/15
Days on trip: 20 – 1 rest day plus two half days. We also had shorter days at the beginning and much longer at the end.
Campsites: everywhere – lots of beach sites on the Coulonge and ATV access roads. Capitachouane River had an access road along it but campsites were scarcer. There are probably more but they are hidden.
Emergency Access Points: lots of cabins and ATV trails all along the rivers
Notes of the Capitachouane River:
Most grid references are +/- 3km on campsites, portages and distances. Also topo maps edition 3B are not accurate access roads are nonexistent and there are new ones and the river looks very different from the maps. We also did not see that many campsites although we think a lot of them are slightly overgrown and further into the forest than can be seen from the river. A park map would be helpful for locating campsites. Portages are in good condition, easy to find and look used though!
Day 1 – August 1
Campsite: 31 N/15 (678 096)
H.O.W: zero
Distance: zero km
Weather: cloudy and a light rain
Day 2 – August 2
Campsite: 31 N/15 (631 982) – bush crash
H.O.W: 7 hours
Distance: 15km
Weather: rainy
Portages:
- 400m around an R2 at 674 074. Take out on RR – is a good trail.
Day 3 – August 3
Campsite: 31 N/15 (596 972) – actual campsite on the portage
H.O.W: 3 hours
Distance: 2.5km
Weather: sunny then scattered showers
Portages/ sets:
- R2 at 677 969. We lined it as it was our first set but would be runnable later on in trip.
- Portaged R3 (200m) at 596 972 and camped on the portage
Day 4 – August 4
Campsite: 31 N/11 465 880 – bush crash on old ATV trail that you need to go through the forest to see.
H.O.W: 8 hours
Distance: 17km
Weather: scattered showers but mainly rainy
Portages:
- Portage around bridge with falls (100m) at 503 915 31 N/15. Take out RR
- ***note: from 556 952 to 545 935 was a navigational nightmare. There is also a massive clear cut on RR after this horrible section.
Day 5 – August 5
Campsite: 31 N/11 (412 797)
H.O.W: 7 hours
Distance: 15km
Weather: scattered showers
Portages:
- Portage (400m) around an island falls (467 877)
- Portage (400m) around R3 (451 846)
- Portage (400m) around grand chute (422 797)
- **Note: grid references are significantly more accurate today
Day 6 – August 6
Campsite: 31 N/11 - beach site on an island in reservoir dozois
H.O.W: 8 hours
Distance: 9km (however it was more like 20km and navigation was hard… we have no idea how we got to where we camped)
Weather: rainy and cloudy
Portages: none
Day 7 – August 7
Campsite: 31 N/7 (515 553)
H.O.W: 5 hours – we had a half day
Distance: 20km
Weather: overcast turning sunny but tail winds!
Portages: none
Day 8 – August 8
Campsite: 31 N/7 (562 402)
H.O.W: 6 hours – but we were lazy
Distance: 16km
Weather: sunny!
Portages:
- 200m around falls/dam at the end of reservoir (535 428). Turn left onto main ATV trail then left again after 100m
Day 9 – August 9 – REST DAY
Day 10 – August 10
Campsite: 31 N/2 (516 249) – grand lac
H.O.W: 7 hours
Distance: 25km
Weather: cloudy
Portages:
- 31 N/2 (530 310) – 100m on well marked trail with signage.
- 31 N/2 (566 287) – 50m across a road that has porta potties and garbage bins!
Day 11 – August 11
Campsite: Giroux dam - 31 N/3 (301 226)
H.O.W: 8.5 hours
Distance: 28 km! – was a long day
Weather: hot and sunny
Portages: zero
Day 12 – August 12
Campsite: above bridge on 31 K/14 (257 064)
H.O.W: 8.5 hours – was also a long day
Distance: 18km
Weather: overcast and cold
Portages/sets:
- 50m line around ledge 31 N/3 (301 225)
- pork rapids portage. 300m take out on RL. Is a set right after the portage that is an R1 and we shot RR. Is also a campsite there
- 31 N/3 (256 116) – long (400m) R1 shot ducky by broken down bridge
- 31 N/3 (257 098) – R1 after bridge
- 31 K/14 (259 071) - portage 50m on RL around falls
- 31 K/14 (259 067) - portage 20m. Is an R1 ledge but we didn’t run it as it was too late in the day for us
Day 13 – August 13
Campsite: 31 K/14 (278 929) – campsite on lift over just before Tall pines
H.O.W: 6.5 hours
Distance: 16km
Weather: sunny
Portages/sets (all on 31 K/14):
- 258 061 - R1 after bridge
- 269 034 – R1
- swifts
- 279 008 – R2 lift over on left. Ran the bottom
- swifts
- 262 988 long R1, top set shot RL
- swifts
- 276 932 – R1 shot RL tight
- swifts/ R1
- 278 929 - lift over (15m) on RL to campsite
Day 14 – August 14
Campsite: 31 K/14 (276 823) – chutes pearly – half day!
H.O.W: 6 hours
Distance: 14km
Weather: sunny and cloudy
Portages/sets (all on 31 K/14):
- Tall pine (275 925) – shot CR then down the waves
- 274 924 - R1 technical RL (snake between holes)
- 279 924 – ledge ran R1 technical RL
- 271 921 – R1
- 270 911 – R1
- swifts
- 279 889 – R1 under bridge
- 275 884 – R1
- 278 858 – portage cascade de batardeau. RL swamp in the middle. Can run the set above the falls in higher water levels.
- 279 834 – R1
- 284 829 – R1 technical. RC to RR. Lots of rocks.
- 281 827 - Swifts above pearly
- 276 824 – pearly portage to campsite (300m)
Day 15 – August 15
Campsite: 31 K/14 (276 647) – beach plus site on ridge above
H.O.W: 7 hours
Distance: approx. 33 km – was a long day
Weather: sunny
Portages/ sets:
- 20m portage around ledge right below perley. May be runnable.
- Swifties
- 280 805 31 K/14 – portage 50m around BIG ledge, takeout behind fallen logs. Comes up very suddenly!
- Continuous R1’s (in low water levels only) and dyeing down to swifties right up until the massive sand dunes on RR. You can slide down them!
Day 16 – August 16
Campsite: 31 K/11 (583 311) – Chutes Diable. Is a site at the beginning and end. Super scenic waterfall!
H.O.W: 10 hours!
Distance: 42km – super long day!
Weather: hot and sunny
Portages/sets:
- 31 K/11 - 918 575. On and off swifties for the rest of the day
- Portage around chutes Gauthier (500m). Portage on ATV trail RR continue past a flat rock that looks like a put in (about 250m into the portage) and the real put in is on a gravel beach bedside the second major scenic waterfall.
Day 17 – August 17
Campsite: rapides enrage
H.O.W: 7 hours
Distance: 22km
Weather: hot and sunny
Portages/sets:
1. R1 – ran RR
2. R2 – ran top set RL through a hole then pick and choose at the bottom. Very rocky set.
Day 18 – August 18
Campsite: Chutes L/ours – is a campsite at the end and beginning of portage.
H.O.W: 7 hours
Distance: 12km
Weather: hot and sunny with head winds
Portages/sets:
- rapides enrage – 500m on RR
- Gallinote – portage 500m on RR
- Swifties
- 673 073 – R1
- rapides poplar – barely a swift
- R2 – 667 034 RC. Fun!
- Chute l’ours – portage is on RR. We camped at the end of this portage
- **Note: After the portage there is a ledge with a portage on RR (300m), then another 300m portage on RR immediately after (again around a 2nd ledge). Directly after there is a 3rd R2 which we ran RL. We did all this early the next day.
Day 19 – August 19
Campsite: Terry fox bridge
H.O.W: 5.5 hours
Distance: 16km
Weather: overcast and hot
Portages/sets:
- The 3 ledges after L’ours portage (described above)
- 661 987 – R2 ran river center
- 647 977 – R2
- Swifties and royal ride the rest of the day.