The Lower Ryan is quickly becoming a local classic, but rarely gets visits from out of towners due to it being past the whitewater hotspot of Whistler. However, if you can summon the courage to drive past the Cheak and down to the sleepy town of Pemberton you're in for a treat with the Lower Ryan. Jam packed with class 4/5 boulder garden rapids, almost too many boofable rocks to handle, and nearly 10 kms of it make for an incredible run.
When you get to Pemberton, turn left at the lights and drive through town. Head out the Pemberton Meadows for 12 minutes or so until you pass a huge barn painted with a Canada flag. At the next right hand corner you'll see a long straight driveway on your left, with a parallel logging road to it. That's your road. Down the road and into the forest you'll take the first left up onto the dyke and once you see the river that's the takeout. Heading upstream from here you'll want a vehicle with some clearance and ideally 4x4 as the going gets a little rough at 7 km. Driving upstream there is a very quick fork. Take the left to go look at the bridge rapid that most people portage, as well as one of the biggest rapids just below that. Go right to head to the top! At the 7 km mark there is a pull off on the left. If you want to bite off a little less of the Ryan hike in the old road there to the river. If you're in for the full thing saddle up, and drive up the beat up road to the right. There's a small fork to the left a km up, then another km or so and you'll come to a cleared area where cars can turn around. Park there. Just 20 m further up the road is a trail on the left marked with some stones. Head to the river from there!
Once on the river things start quickly with class 4 read and run boulder gardens. After a couple of turns there is a big bend to the right marking the first notable rapid called Fight Club. Enter left, moving right, after the river makes the left bend stay right to avoid the nastiness in the center. From here a bunch more class 4 boogie comes at you but in a class 5 context due to the continuous nature of the river. Soon you'll reach the blown out old bridge at the 7 km mark. In about a km you'll reach a cool rapid coined Stackistan with two distinct ledges. Lots of lines to choose from here with various holes to dodge or boof. After this things start to slowly subside. Still some more class 4 boogie then as it starts to chill out to class 3 keep your wits about you as wood often plagues this lower section. As of 2025 you can paddle around all the logs in the river. When you see the power lines and bridge approaching ahead you'll eddy out on river left just upstream of the bridge. Hop out here. Most people portage the nasty rapid just upstream of the bridge and then make your decision if you paddle the last rapid or not. It's a long class 5 rapid that is surprisingly awesome, but rather intimidating looking. Just downstream from this rapid the river braids and you take the left channel down to your car!
As for flows... low but good to go between 30 and 40 cms, medium between 40 to 50 cms, and high anything above that. Highest descent since the gauge was put in as of June 2025 was 78 cms but they put in at the 7 km mark.
When you get to Pemberton, turn left at the lights and drive through town. Head out the Pemberton Meadows for 12 minutes or so until you pass a huge barn painted with a Canada flag. At the next right hand corner you'll see a long straight driveway on your left, with a parallel logging road to it. That's your road. Down the road and into the forest you'll take the first left up onto the dyke and once you see the river that's the takeout. Heading upstream from here you'll want a vehicle with some clearance and ideally 4x4 as the going gets a little rough at 7 km. Driving upstream there is a very quick fork. Take the left to go look at the bridge rapid that most people portage, as well as one of the biggest rapids just below that. Go right to head to the top! At the 7 km mark there is a pull off on the left. If you want to bite off a little less of the Ryan hike in the old road there to the river. If you're in for the full thing saddle up, and drive up the beat up road to the right. There's a small fork to the left a km up, then another km or so and you'll come to a cleared area where cars can turn around. Park there. Just 20 m further up the road is a trail on the left marked with some stones. Head to the river from there!
Once on the river things start quickly with class 4 read and run boulder gardens. After a couple of turns there is a big bend to the right marking the first notable rapid called Fight Club. Enter left, moving right, after the river makes the left bend stay right to avoid the nastiness in the center. From here a bunch more class 4 boogie comes at you but in a class 5 context due to the continuous nature of the river. Soon you'll reach the blown out old bridge at the 7 km mark. In about a km you'll reach a cool rapid coined Stackistan with two distinct ledges. Lots of lines to choose from here with various holes to dodge or boof. After this things start to slowly subside. Still some more class 4 boogie then as it starts to chill out to class 3 keep your wits about you as wood often plagues this lower section. As of 2025 you can paddle around all the logs in the river. When you see the power lines and bridge approaching ahead you'll eddy out on river left just upstream of the bridge. Hop out here. Most people portage the nasty rapid just upstream of the bridge and then make your decision if you paddle the last rapid or not. It's a long class 5 rapid that is surprisingly awesome, but rather intimidating looking. Just downstream from this rapid the river braids and you take the left channel down to your car!
As for flows... low but good to go between 30 and 40 cms, medium between 40 to 50 cms, and high anything above that. Highest descent since the gauge was put in as of June 2025 was 78 cms but they put in at the 7 km mark.
This run does not get the attention it deserves. There are so many line options, a seemingly limitless flow level you can test yourself with, and boofs all over. You gotta get there. That being said it is fast and continuous and at medium to high flows a swim would really not be a good idea. Paddle strong, paddle fast, boof everything and you're bound for an awesome time.
