British Columbia is a mountainous province, home to challenging creeking and multi-day wilderness whitewater trips. Easy and intermediate day trip paddling can be found as well. The ocean offers infinite paddling opportunities, with tidal rapids, island circumnavigations and winter paddling on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands.
Rivers in BC originate from rainfall, snowmelt, and glacier melt. Rain-dominated regimes are found primarily in coastal lowland areas and at lower elevations of the windward side of the Coast Mountains. Highest monthly flow is November and December, since this is when the most intense frontal weather systems move over the British Columbia coast.
Snowmelt regimes occur in the interior plateau and mountain regions, and in higher-elevation zones of the Coast Mountains. Here, winter precipitation dominantly falls as snow until spring melt. High flows occur in May, June, and July. Low flows may also occur during the late summer and fall as a result of low rainfall and a depleted snowpack.
Glacier-fed rivers are similar to snowmelt regimes, except that the period of high flows extends from about May to August or September, and low-flow conditions occur only when precipitation is accumulating in the snowpack, usually from December to March. During exceptionally hot weather during the melt season, glacier-fed rivers can go into flood stage.
Here are packrafting trip reports from packrafters throughout the province. Contact us @ packraftcanada@gmail.com if you have any trip reports to add; we’d love to add them to our growing list!
Packrafting Gold Creek, Golden Ears
Packrafting and Bushwhacking Wild Vancouver Island
Packrafting 100km on the Similkameen River
Bridge Valley over to Lord River and Taseko Lake
Alexander Mackenzie Trail and Blackwater River
Canoe River near Mt. Robson, First Canadian Packraft Rendezvous, 2018
Packrafting the Fraser River in Mount Robson Provincial Park, BC
Packrafting the Nanika Kidprice Canoe Route
Berg Lake Trail to Moose River, Mount Robson Provincial Park and Jasper National Park
Packrafting & Hiking Vancouver Island: 30 Days Solo
Tree to Sea Bikepacking Loop-Vancouver Island
Paddling the Coquitlam and Fraser Rivers
Packrafting Gold Creek, Golden Ears Provincial Park
Pitt River; Widgeon Slough; Widgeon Peak
Squamish to Vancouver-Packrafting the Indian Way
A Ski to Packraft Odyssey in British Columbia’s Coast Mountains
Packrafting the Tatshenshini River 2021
Packrafting the Mamquam in snow: Backyard Adventures
The Squamish Coffee Pizza Traverse
Deep Cove-Belcarra Bikeraft Circuit
Sky To Sea: Whistler to Vancouver
Squamish to Vancouver Bikepack
Mt. Edziza, Stikine River and Mess Creek in Northern BC
Pedals To Paddles: An Epic Remote BC Bikeraft
Chasing Wild – Journey into the Sacred Headwaters
Exploring B.C.’s Threatened Unuk River
First descent of the Castleguard River, Banff National Park-watchman circuit part vii – packrafting
Raush-Clearwater Packraft Traverse
Packrafting and Kayaking the Redwillow River
Small River to Holmes River Valley Traverse
Fortress Lake, BC Packrafting and Fishing – Hiking in Jasper National Park
Packrafting Simpson River, Kootenay National Park
Wood River Packrafting Expedition
Matt’s Vancouver Island Traverse, 2020
Cheakamus River Paradise Valley
Packrafting the Nitinat Triangle
The Search for Maggie’s Cabin: Legacy & Packrafting (and Rain) on the Nitinat Triangle
Kid Packrafts Beaver Falls – Holmes River BC
Packrafting the Canoe River (Canadian Packraft Rendezvous – Valemount BC)
Packrafting in British Columbia: A Provincial Park Ranger’s Personal Take
Chilliwack River-Thurston to Tamihi
Upper Pitt River (Mostly) Hiking and (a Little) Packrafting
Coast Range Traverse, ending with Packraft down South Gate River to Bute Inlet
Packraft Trips on British Columbia Paddling Maps
We Backcountry Paddled to the Tulsequah Chief, B.C.’s Most Infamous Abandoned Mine
Chilcotin: Gold Bridge to Bella Coola
Packrafting Trips-DIY Packraft
Packrafting Mcleod River To War Falls – Robfin Packraft – Carp Lake Provincial Park British Columbia
Big Dumb Loop
Packrafting & ski touring British Columbia’s Coast Mountains
Packrafting the Capilano River