Chilcotin River

Contributed by David Wortley
What It's Like
Currently not advisable to paddle!
Class
III+ (VI)
Scouting / Portaging
Landslide area is tretcherous
When to Go
Summer/Fall
Gauge
61.6cms↓ (Nov 21 00:45)
This section is normally a multi-day kayak/raft adventure with stunning views and only a few significant rapids.  It is not advisable to paddle this section until further note.

There is the classic Chilko section above which is still open and accessible.
https://www.bcwhitewater.org/reaches/chilko-bidwell-to-taseko

In July 2024 a huge landslide occured on the banks of the Chilcotin River which blocked the entire river for 6 days, eventually the water over-topped the landslide and quickly erroded through.   A rafter was caught in the landslide but thankfully both himself and his dog escaped.  There has been multiple documented cases over the last 100 years of similar landslides so consider this a risk hazzard for this section albeit a fairly rare one.  As wildfires frequently hit this area and prolonged droughts mixed with heavier rainstorms this may become more frequent in the future.
Huge Landslide with backed-up lake behind.



The 7km long lake formed behind the landslide.


At the time of writing the rapid left behind looks unrunnable huge... and portaging around would be both tricky and dangerous due to the unstable land in this area.

The left-over rapid still draining the lake behind.