The Valley Triple

Welcome to Crescent Valley, center of the universe and home of Endless Adventure. In the age of carbon footprints and global warming it can be challenging to justify the amount of driving us paddlers have to do. We travel hours on logging roads, highways, and even suburban roads to seek out our passion. What can we do to diminish the reliance on fuel? For one, a vehicle packed full of boaters and gear with a bike strapped to the back for shuttle, how about a kayak trailer for a bike? Or, what you could do is live in a place where kayaking is central. On the Ottawa River, my home river, all you have to do is drive a short distance to the put in and catch a ride with one of the many paddlers or buses back up to your car. I had the notion that paddling was pretty low impact that is until I really started creeking out west and realized the nature of exploration involved. My quest to find a paddling location that would be central and host some awesome whitewater began.




While traveling across Canada, the thought of settling on a place to live that could quench my thirst for paddling without the burden of much travel was always looming in the back of my mind. I had no intention of moving out west that specific trip as it was my first and I was driving a van that belonged to my father-in-law. That all changed the day I rolled into the West Kootenays. Winter playboating 20 km from home, the Slocan River at my doorstep, and a plethora of quality creeking a stones throw away up the majestic Slocan Valley, I have found home.

This past week, my busy schedule has allowed early morning paddling and not much else. Leaving Crescent Valley at 6am and taking a drive up the valley for some sick creeking had me home at 9:30, a half hour to spare before I opened shop. Aside from evening trips on the Slocan I was able to complete the Valley Triple- Lemon Creek, Koch Creek, and a little further up but still close enough, Wilson River. Of course, there are more creeks and rivers that qualify as Valley favorites but these three are among my favorite. Lemon Creek, located south of Slocan City is quite literally a blast. Put in at around 5 km and hold on. There are no large drops on this one so Kodak boaters bewared. The run is technical, fast and eddys are few and far between. Lemon Creek always has the element of wood and changing conditions as it comes up and down several times in a given spring. The road follows the river so scout first!


Koch Creek, a classic favorite for area boaters, is most definitely up on the stoke list. This is another quick run with numerous challenging rapids including the Crux, unfortunately, it has no other name due to local paddlers lack of creativity, you can find the crux on many creeks in the West Koots, and boulder gardens, and "s" bends" and weirs and so on and so forth, but that is the topic for another post. Koch is one to check out for the intermediate to expert boater who loves the thrill of continuous big nasty water and the glimpse of the hole that coulda chewed you up as you rocket past it. Those who know go for Koch.

The last on the list, Wilson, can take many shapes and sizes. At lower water levels the river boasts some of the best candidates for "my first waterfall" There is about 4-5 km of canyon rapids that force us to stay on our blade and focus hard. At high water it is an entirely different experience that can trip up even the smoothest paddler. The once friendly 1st drop, again no name, turns into a chundering nightmare if run incorrectly. For clarification on this one just ask Bradd Tuck or his borrowed Rocker and broken paddle.
The Valley Triple would be a great overnight trip for the adventure seeker creeker. The best arrangement would be to start with a day on Wilson, a night of the best Mexican food and margaritas at the take out restaurant, The Wild Rose (250-358-7744, don’t tell Randy I sent you) and camping at the Roseberry Provincial Park a quick stumble across the highway. Head south for a morning warm up on Lemon followed by lunch at the Cedar Creek Café. Once you have a full belly of hippie food served with a smile, head to Koch Creek and paddle like you mean it. For dinner that night, I suggest the Frog Peak café in Crescent Valley. If you are totally burnt out from two days of hard creeking, nestle into our campsite at Endless Adventure with hot showers and a Slocan River view.

See you on the Water,

Chris