Kayaking
Well known for its natural beauty, BC is a playground unlike any other for kayaking. We sat down with one-of-a-kind kayaker, Ed Muggridge, to get the low-down on his favourite spots there.
Vancouver is known for its consistent and heavy rains. As the rain falls, water levels in the rivers rise and the rugged coastal mountains funnel the water downstream for the kayakers to enjoy the swell.
One of Canada’s top kayakers, Edward Muggridge, lives and paddles out of his home-base of Squamish, BC. Having grown up in Ontario, Muggridge first tried kayaking at 15 years old in the Ottawa Valley with his friends. From there, the spark was ignited and his passion for kayaking grew until he attended the prestigious World Class Kayak Academy. His kayaking excelled rapidly and he learnt valuable knowledge from his teachers on producing and publishing his own video content. After graduating, living in his car, he drove to the West and never looked back.
Rainy season right at the start of the spring when all the snow is melting and the rivers are peak flood. Everything's raging and super sick -- it’s like Christmas time for me.
We asked Shredwardd about his favorite spots to kayak around BC and compiled a list of rivers that brought him to where he is today.
1. Mamquam Falls
Location: Squamish, BC
Known as the “Adventure Capital of Canada”, Squamish has some of the best rivers around, and Mamquam River is one of them. Big granite walls and lots of melting snow means the flows are perfect for kayaking. It’s an easy decision on where to live in BC as a kayaker, Squamish has some of the most picturesque rivers around.
2. Blanket Creek & Sutherland Falls
Location: Revelstoke, BC
Revelstoke has the only inland rainforest in the world. This means good things for kayak enthusiasts, as they get over 1000mm of rain per year. It's similar to Squamish, but it has its own unique style of whitewater that can’t be compared to anywhere else in the world. The small town is low key compared to its Sea to Sky counterpart, as it's deeply tucked away in the Columbia Mountain Range.
3. Fear Canyon
Location: Elaho River, BC
Located just outside of Squamish, the Elaho is known for its white water rafting in the lower sections, but many don’t know about its steeper pitch “Fear Canyon” just above. When the canyon gets more volume, it shows you truly why its first name is Fear. It’s short and super concise with a handful of high level rapids. It’s a perfect place to train and push yourself for bigger expeditions on high volume rivers. It is known as one of the best places in the world to train for that.
The zones I’m most stoked to hit next would be the pacific northwest and entire west coast of the US.
4. Stikine River
Location: Dease Lake, BC
The Stikine river used to be known as the Everest of white water in the kayak community. Only a couple years ago Edward paddled the river at the age of 20. Located up in Dease Lake and loaded with huge flows and an ominous grey tint, it serves an extremely technical paddle for those willing to try.
5. Callaghan River
Location: Whistler, BC
Whistler is off the charts for all sports, including kayaking on the Callaghan River. It has very easy access, and it’s a cool addition to what Whistler already has to offer. Often the first stop on kayak tours of the coast, it is a river you wouldn’t want to miss with perfect waterfalls and easy take outs. Typically flowing glacier green, and clouding out as the rains come.
