Vitals
- Locale: Mandeville, Quebec
- What It's Like: A short 1 km section with one huge slide/rapid.
- Class: V at 6 cms.
- Scouting/Portaging: Easy.
- Level: Online gauge: Mastigouche below Lac Sainte-Rose.
- Time: 1-2 hours.
- When To Go: Spring/early summer, or after rain.
- Info From: May 2007.
- Other Beta: French canoe route guide - has good maps of the area.
- Map: Click here for a map to the put in and take out
Description
This page was last updated in March 2010 and it is not regularly maintained. Information may be inaccurate.
The Mastigouche is the less-known sister stream of the 'other' Mastigouche. A very short section with just one rapid of note - and it's a big rapid of note - this river is worth checking out if you're in the area.
There is an online gauge found here. This information is from a run at 6.0 cms, which corresponded to a medium-low to medium level. It would be possible a little lower and quite a bit higher. If you push higher water levels on this run be very careful as the big rapid comes quickly from around a blind corner with small eddies above it.
To get to the river, drive to Berthierville on highway 40 between Montreal and Trois Rivieres. Follow the directions linked above through Mandeville and head north around Lac Maskinonge. A map of the local area would be very handy as these rural roads are not well marked. The put in is at the outlet of Lac Sainte-Rose, and the take out is at a bridge about 1 km downstream from the lake outlet, just above Lac Henault. Parking here shouldn't be a problem. This river is very close to the well-known North Mastigouche and its iconic big slides.
This run is mainly composed of slides. There are several fun class III-IV slides and drops at the start and finish of the run that can be run quickly. In the middle of the run is a monstrous, multi-staged slide that is bigger than anything on the North Mastigouche. Be very cautious until you get to this drop as the river is swift with few eddies above it. The right side of the entrance slide falls into a terminal looking cave. After the initial slide the river turns to the left and continues sliding around the next corner out of sight, eventually ending in fun 6-8 foot boof.
There's not much else to say aside from this is a section worth checking out, particularly as an add-on to other runs in the area.
Christy probes the highlight of this river. Shown here is about 40 % of the rapid.
Updated Mar 2, 2010
