Babine River: 6 Days
Also know as “the river of grizzlies”, the Babine River is considered one of the last unspoiled and pristine rivers in British Columbia.
An easy and constant current carries us along, interspersed with exciting class III and IV rapids. The Babine is very narrow and intimate; in spots, we squeeze through dramatic canyons little more than eight feet wide.
In addition to the river’s natural beauty, we discover a deeply rooted heritage of native culture. We visit abandoned and occupied villages of the Gitksan People, housing some of the largest, most visually splendid totems ever created.
There is an abundance of fish that is truly a phenomenon to behold. Steelhead trout and salmon attract both black and grizzly bears, along with a diverse range of migratory wildlife. Hundreds of bald eagles, also attracted by the great fishing, can be easily spotted.
The Facts:
THE TRIP: 6 days / 5 nights, 1 night hotel prior to trip and 1 night hotel after trip (not included)
START / FINISH: Smithers, B.C. (2hr flight from Vancouver)
DEPARTURE DATES: August 23, (Other dates may be available upon request)
PRICE: $2900 CAD + GST / HST
TOTAL DISTANCE: Approx. 80 Miles
ELEVATION AT PUT IN: 2300 Feet
ELEVATION AT TAKE OUT: 700 Feet
ELEVATION CHANGE: 1600 Feet
The Trip:
MEETING DAY
Your trip begins the evening before we start rafting. We will have a pre-trip meeting where you will meet the guides and all the other travelers. Waivers will be signed and any lingering paperwork will be completed. You will receive your special dry bags for packing your personal belongings into. We will also have a briefing on gear, clothing, and the river itself.
DAY ONE – 8 MILES OF RAFTING
We meet after breakfast in the hotel lobby to prepare for our departure. There’s time to do any last minute shopping, grab a Coffee and board the van for our transfer to Rainbow Alley and the headwaters of the Babine River. Here we meet the rest of the guides, enjoy a deli-style lunch at the river’s edge. Before we launch there will be a river orientation and safety talk, and by early afternoon, we’ll be on the river. A couple of hours later, we’ll arrive at our first camp where we’ll enjoy cocktails and hors d’oeuvres as we set camp and settle in. The first of many sumptuous dinners follows before we collect around the campfire under a star-filled sky.
DAY TWO, THREE, FOUR & FIVE – 62 MILES OF RAFTING
We typically begin each day with coffee and tea, followed by a hot breakfast that may feature; fluffy blueberry pancakes, breakfast burritos or perhaps West Coast eggs benny. Fresh fruit salad, granola, and yoghurt are always available. In short, you will not go hungry! Once camp has been broken and the boats are packed we’ll head downstream, usually between 9:30 and 10am.
Our journey continues on Day Two through deep canyons passing through several Class III rapids. The backdrop is thick Northern forest, with the mountains and glaciers of the Sicintine Range to the north. By Day Three the pace of the river accelerates and we raft a sustained stretch of class III rapids highlighted by the exciting ‘Pinball Alley’. Tonight’s camp is deep in the Babine Canyon with an adjacent waterfall providing a refreshing shower for the hardy.
Day Four begins with a visit to the famous Class IV ‘Grizzly Drop’ where it is quite common to see Grizzly Bears fishing! Later in the day there is an opportunity to hike to the abandoned Native village of Kisgegas and the remnants of the turn-of-the-century Jesuit Mission, now overgrown with wildflowers. After leaving Kisgegas, the river valley opens providing stunning views of Mount Thomlinson while we raft down the Babine as it pours its contents into the much larger Skeena River.
Day Five begins with large splashy rapids—the sinuous waters and rock-lined canyons bordered by coastal cedars provide a mysterious ambiance. Our final campsite on the Skeena River provides a perfect setting for our final night in the wilderness together.
DAY SIX – 10 MILES OF RAFTING & BACK TO CIVILIZATION
On our final day of rafting we begin to see the signs of civilization along the shores. We raft pass the confluence of the Kispiox and Skeena rivers, next to the functioning native village of Kispiox, where giant totem poles pay silent tribute to generations past. We take out at Hazelton BC, the historic terminus of the steam powered river boats traveling the Lower Skeena at the turn of the century. Our evening is spent back in the relative luxury of Smithers where, after well-deserved hot showers, we’ll get together for a final dinner. Stories can be practiced and embellished with your new friends before taking them home to family and friends.
