Vitals
- Locale: Brittania Beach, British Columbia
- What It's Like: A roadside double drop park and huck attraction with easy access and a sketchy take out.
- Class: IV-V
- Scouting/Portaging: Easy.
- Level: Visual only.
- Time: 1 hour.
- When To Go: After rain or snowmelt - runs frequently.
- Info From: May 2014.
- Other Beta: None.
- Map: Click here for points of interest.
Description
Brittania Creek is a small stream that pours off the side of the mountains along the Sea to Sky Highway, running through the town of Brittania Beach. Like many of the little creeks that flow under highway 99, most of it is too steep and too small to be of much interest for kayaking, but just up from the highway at the top of the town is a nice double drop that makes a worthwhile park and huck diversion when driving up to Squamish, or if you're just looking for something different to do.
Access to the river is easy. Get off highway 99 in Brittania Beach (it's the town with the mining museum on the way from Vancouver to Squamish) and follow the main (only) road up the hill through a residential area. The drops are located under the second bridge over the river where the road crosses from river right to river left. Park, scout and paddle - access etc is obvious. The level is visual only. Drive to the drops and have a look - it will be apparent quickly whether the flow is high, low or just right. It runs after rain and during early season snowmelt.
The 2 waterfalls are nice drops, and the line is straightforward. The first is about 15 feet and the second is about 20 feet. The lead in is manky and there is a bit of an undercut in the pools between the drops. The major complication here is the fact that there is only 1 eddy about 30 feet downstream from the 2nd waterfall that you absolutely have to catch or you will be flushed over the next unrun/unrunnable 70+ foot waterfall. Luckily it's possible to set very good safety to help stop someone from being washed downstream if they miss or are unable to catch the eddy.
Though Brittania isn't exactly a classic, it's still good fun. Have fun checking it out.
The Brittania Creek double drop.
Updated May 27, 2014
