Cochrane and the Bow River

You want to hit the river - us too! Here are a few sections of the Bow River close to our beloved home town, with some descriptions of each section. Make sure you know your ability, know your water craft, know your crew, and be safe out there.

Let’s start right in the heart of Cochrane, with this short and sweet class 1 section

Put In: https://maps.app.goo.gl/jjuwtmZdooEWCyPQ7

You will put on the water right under the hwy22x bridge. You will park your vehicles at Riverfront Park parking lot, as you should not park and leave vehicles under the bridge. The area under the bridge is a staging area only, and should be kept clear for loading/unloading of watercrafts, and for emergency services.

Take Out: https://maps.app.goo.gl/RFAj9fhKJwwFqYDq9

You will take off the water right before the Jack Tennant Bridge, on the left hand side (west side) of the river. This is part of the off leash dog park, so be prepared to pet some puppers and walk a short distance to the parking lot!

Notes: when ever you hit the river, you want to think about how your shuttle will work.
For this section, we recommend meeting up with your paddling crew first at the Take Out (Jack Tennant Bridge) and leaving a vehicle(s) there. Then, carpool up to the Put In (Riverfront Park). You want to try and carpool to the Put In in vehicles that can carry all the gear and people necessary for your trip. The vehicle that is left at the Take Out will be used to shuttle people back up to the Put In when your river trip is over. The last thing you want is to get off the water, and have no way of hauling your stuff and people back to their own vehicles! It’s a long walk back to Riverfront Park to reunite your crew with their cars.

This Section
This is quite a lovely float through town, with some meandering turns and bends.
As you float downstream from the Put In, and trend to the right through the first bend, the river is quite shallow. Be careful not to put your feet down, and expect some small ‘waves’ and riffles.
Making your way through the second bend which curves to the left, and for a few hundred meters after the bend, the river gets quite deep and can sometimes have some swirling currents depending on the flow. The river will feel slower here.
Leading up to the pedestrian bridge, and just past it, the river becomes shallow again. You can choose to go left, or go right, around the island that is in the middle of the river. We recommend going left. Watch for one or two slightly bigger waves on the left side of the river, along the shoreline of the off leash dog park.
You will paddle a long, straight section that become shallow, then deep, then shallow again. Always pay attention to the depth of the river, as falling in when it’s shallow can hurt! After the long straight section, you will hit your last bend in the river before you take out. The biggest waves in this bend are towards the right shorline, and in the centre, so to avoid them try to stay close to the left hand shoreline. This will also set you up for an easy paddle into shore, and not float under the bridge - floating under the bridge means you miss your take out.

This section runs from Ghost Lake Dam, to Wildcat Gas Plant. It is considered class 1, with some class 2 features.

River Put In (blue flag): https://maps.app.goo.gl/WJTXaFm5roYXLueD8
Parking for Put In (yellow star): https://maps.app.goo.gl/eDXEn2aFeUn2vTyT7

River Take Out (blue flag): https://maps.app.goo.gl/h3wcoifBmWsoWAWA8
Parking for River Take Out (yellow star): https://maps.app.goo.gl/Wbh5Cf9WhPdRdJhj9

Notes: for shuttle, we recommend meeting with your crew at the Take Out Parking area, then shuttling together to the Put In Parking.
These ‘stars’ are the closest that you are allowed to park to each Put In and Take Out, respectively. The Ghost Lake Dam access road is technically private, so you must park your vehicle outside of the chainlink fence otherwise you may face being towed. The same is true for the Wildcat Gas Plant - you must walk down a hiking trail, or the access road, to and from the river where the Take Out is. You cannot park closer as there is a locked gate, with no key access. Be prepared to walk 5 to 10 minutes downhill to the Put In with all of your gear from your vehicle, and be prepared to walk uphill for 10 to 20 minutes to your vehicle from the Take Out. We recommend walking each Put In and Take Out section first, before committing to paddling this section, so you know what is necessary for hiking in and out with your gear. These spots can be challenging for families.

This Section
Make sure to walk all the way to the little lagoon to put on this section of river - dont get sucked in to sticking close to the fence and turning right at the bottom to head to the river! Follow the path/road straight along the cliff face, and you’ll end up at a little pond/lagoon area where it is calm and nicer to get set up for your paddle.

When you start paddling downstream, you will paddle over a few riffles/waves - this section is a bit shallow with quick moving water so be ready. The river will bend slightly to the right, and give you an option to go left or right around a long forested island.
Going Right: this side is quite pretty, with a big flatwater lagoon on the right hand side in-between two cliffs where a lot of folks like to hang out, swim, have lunch, etc. It’s a great spot to practice rolling, and practice eddy turns. Just passed this large lagoon is the first class 2 feature, which can be a standing wave or a bit of a hole, depending on the river level. The river constricts, picks up speed, gets shallow, and drives to the left and into this standing wave/hole. It can flip canoes and kayaks if you are not experienced or prepared. You can entirely miss this feature and pass beside it by keeping very far left, following the shoreline of the island. After this feature, you can cross over to the main flow right away if the water level allows, or continue following the right hand channel until it trends left and meets up with the left hand channel.
Going Left: a simple, straight section with no fuss or muss. It will have two spots where the right hand section flows into it.

When the left and right channels meet up, the river becomes a bit shallow before getting very deep and very slow. Be prepared for the change of pace. The river stretches on fairly flatly for maybe half a kilometre before it bends to the right. This is our second class 2 feature, which is a long rocky ledge that extends across most of the river from the left shorline, into the middle of the river. At certain levels, you can completely miss this feature by staying to the right side of the river and passing by it. You will either stay to the right, and have a small gravel bar be inbetween you and the feature, or the water will be high enough that you wont see a gravel bar at all and you can easily stay to the right however you like.
If you choose to go through the feature, which is on the left side of the river, be sure you are prepared to potentially flip and swim (depending on your skill level). This spot has flipped many a canoe, and many an inner tuber, as it catches most people by surprise with how frothy it can be and how fast.
Your take out is a few hundred meters passed this feature on the left. If you end up floating under a natural gas line bridge, you have gone too far.