View topic - Questions 'bout the Black River

So I went on a trip down the Manigotagan this past summer and wanted to try the Black next spring. I am trying to convince a friend of mine to join me but he wasn't super fond of the idea. He didn't have a great time on the Mani because of lots of paddling across lakes and few rapids. So anyway, does anyone have any pictures from previous trips as well as information on what a good level is to go, camps, portages etc. Thanks

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STOKED BACKWOODS!!! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSasNU ... Dk02wdbctA

The Black is a much more difficult river than the Manigotagan. It is best paddled in higher water but can also be quite dangerous in high water (dangerous take-outs and put-ins). There are a lot more rapids than the Manigotagan but there is still a lot of flat water paddling (though not much on lakes).

I would not recommend paddling the Black unless you have some experienced paddlers with you. The portages can be extremely difficult or non-existent. There are not many Black River pictures on the web but you can find some in my trip report (in Manitoba Trip Reports) and some older pictures here:

http://www.combinatorialmath.ca/rivers/black/black.html

The Black is not a maintained river like Manigotagan, Bloodvein, etc. The take-outs are not marked and portages are not maintained. As far as campsites go, see the pictures in my trip report. They are marked on a map.

Ok, thanks Neil.

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STOKED BACKWOODS!!! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSasNU ... Dk02wdbctA

Neil did a fine good in his reply.

The Black is a wonderful river trip, more of a full-on whitewater wilderness trip that any other river in the area. More rapids, less developed or travelled. And it is longer than the Manigotagan River. Definitely a trip for experienced trippers. Having said that, it's a river that has never let me down, I'm always impressed.

Best water levels are in May or after a big rain.

Goldminer06, were you canoeing or kayaking the Manigotagan? As Neil said, the Black does a long flat water section which would be slow in a ww kayak. I think a group of boats from the Manitoba Whitewater Club paddled the river a few years ago in a combination of canoes and kayaks.

Maybe give us a better idea of your experience or what you are seeking.

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Brian
http://www.JohnstonPursuits.ca

 

So far I have done a 2 and a 3 day trip on the Bird, a 3 day on the Rabbit, a 4 day on the Manigotagan as well as 6 years of just random overnighters and day trips . The others in my group are for the most part, less experienced, but there are a few guys who have been paddling for 30 some years. Well, this August I did a 4 day trip down the Manigotagan from Caribou Landing to The town of Manigotagan. My group used 2 canoes and 2 cheap Pelican Kayaks. I used a Creekboat which allowed me to paddle more rapids than the rest of the group including Cascade, Old Woman and Poplar Rapids. For next year I am looking for a river with 4-5 days of paddling, more rapids, tougher ones as well as a fair amount of easy ones. Also more rapids per km of travel as well as something with less lake travel. Oh and one more thing, and river requiring chartering a plane is most likely not going to happen, unless I can convince my dad to pay a few grand. lol

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STOKED BACKWOODS!!! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSasNU ... Dk02wdbctA

The Black sounds like a good fit for your statement (4-5 days, more rapids, tougher ones, fair amount of easy ones, more rapids per km, less lake travel, road access).

Bear in mind that more means you need to be more prepared--skills, knowledge, training, equipment, judgement, experience, and so on. Such as training in whitewater paddling, rescue, first aid, and so on.

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Brian
http://www.JohnstonPursuits.ca

 

Could anyone recommend a book that has info on camps. Thanks

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STOKED BACKWOODS!!! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSasNU ... Dk02wdbctA

Do you mean info on where to camp on the Black River?

Other than the book I'm working on I don't know of any such book but the Black River is typical Canadian shield with numerous potential camping sites as well as some sections that do not offer much for camping.

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Brian
http://www.JohnstonPursuits.ca