Welcome to the 5th Packraft Canada Roundup, a 4-day weekend of shared passion for packrafting! Make new friends, paddle new rivers and have fun!
Date and time June 28 · 4pm – July 1 · 4pm MDT
Location Kootenay Plains Provincial Recreation Area, Group Campground, Two O’Clock Creek Group Sites 3 & 4, Kootenay Plains Ecological Reserve Clearwater County, AB Canada
For map, see this link.
About this event
Join us for the 2024 Packraft Canada Round-up, in Alberta’s Nordegg Country along the North Saskatchewan River. At Canada’s largest gathering of packrafters, we celebrate the spirit of packrafting and foster continued growth of the sport. This will be a 4-day weekend of shared passion for packrafting, paddling and skill-building in a supportive environment. Rivers in the area include the Bow, Whirlpool, North Saskatchewan, Cline, and Howse, among many other options in the foothills and front ranges of the Rocky Mountains near Saskatchewan Crossing (4 hours from the Edmonton or Calgary airports).
WHO CAN COME We welcome families, friends, and paddlers of all levels and boat types. We aim for the event to be inclusive for all paddlers, whether you paddle a packraft, kayak, IK, or raft. Feel free to invite your friends and family and spread the word. The more, the merrier! As a reminder, the event is not a lesson or skills clinic; it’s a social gathering for people who love to paddle. 3 nights of camping at Kootenay Plains Provincial Recreation Area, a communal meal, a movie night, a fundraising raffle, demonstrations/packraft demos by industry reps, and lots of socializing opportunities with paddlers from across the country.
WHAT’S INCLUDED IN YOUR REGISTRATION Fees cover all the expenses related to the event including 3 nights of camping at Two O’ Clock Creek Campground, a communal meal on Sunday night, paddling film night, a fundraising raffle, packraft demos by industry reps, and lots of socializing opportunities with paddlers from across the country. Children that are eight years old and younger can share the communal meal at no cost and as part of your camping ‘unit’ incur no fees.
WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED IN YOUR REGISTRATION Food and beverages and drinking water throughout the weekend are at your own expense. Please bring a potluck dish to share with the group on Saturday night. Group dinner prepared by Packraft Canada volunteers is $12 per person and can be paid when you arrive at the campground.
Important: This is a non-instructional event. Participants are responsible for their own safety and should have prior whitewater paddling experience. Family members who attend that do not have prior whitewater experience are advised to take a course beforehand, or to participate vicariously. There may be opportunities to paddle on lakes and flat water for those with less experience. All are welcome to camp with us and partake in pre-and post-river activities, but we cannot include those with no paddling experience in river sessions.
YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY!
This event has been organized as a chance for like-minded people to get together. You are responsible for your own safety on and off the water at all times. Having said that, there will be plenty of local and experienced packrafters who can provide support and share tips and ideas. To participate on the river you must have a packraft, paddle, whitewater helmet, and PFD.
For liability reasons, Packraft Canada is not responsible for volunteer-led outings at the Roundup. The outings are not ‘guided.’ Any paddling you choose to do will be solely at your own discretion with those you choose to paddle with. It is particularly important that you know how to self-rescue in the case of a capsize of your boat.
AREA RIVERS
Most of the nearby runs are Class 1/2/ 3 with the occasional 4. We will not be paddling any section above Class 3. We will have information on all the local river runs and access points. Some of the options we will consider, based on water levels, are:
Various sections of the North Saskatchewan, which is great for beginners (grade 2) or the upper north Saskatchewan which has some grade 3 components and a short hike in.
Blackstone River, Clearwater River (grade 2)
Red Deer River, Panther River (grade 3)
Cline River (grade 3 and includes a half day walk-in)
Hiking into Glacier Lake or through Mistaya Canyon to the Howse River and paddling some of the North Saskatchewan after the confluence to make a day of it (grade 2 and a half-day walk-in)
Bow River (various sections, there’s a good grade 3 section above Lake Louise and a good grade 2 section below it)
Various sections of the Sunwapta or Athabasca in Jasper (grade 2 and can include hike-in options)
Whirlpool river (grade 3 and a half day walk-in)
Cascade River (grade 3+ and a half-day walk-in)
LOCAL INFORMATION, DATE & PLACE & CAMPING
About the area: We will be staying in an Alberta recreation site campground–within Kootenay Plains Provincial Recreation Area. It’s alongside the North Saskatchewan River within 20 minutes of Banff National Park’s entrance and 45 minutes from Jasper National Park’s entrance. This is a spectacular location with glacier-fed rivers and some of the best scenery in Canada. The campground is a little over 4 hours from both the Calgary and Edmonton airports.
Kootenay Plains Campground, Two O’ Clock Creek Group Sites 3 and 4: · We will be sharing two group sites that will be able to accommodate vans, RVs, tents, or other camping vehicles.
- The campground is fairly remote. We recommend bringing all your food needed for the weekend.
- It’s also a good idea to bring a petrol can with extra fuel for your vehicle, as petrol prices at Saskatchewan Crossing are notoriously high.
- Firewood is available for a fee (or bring your own)
- Check-in 4 pm June 28th, Check-out 2 pm on July 1st
- There is no potable water on-site, however there are groundwater pumps. Alberta Parks cannot guarantee that the water is potable, so please plan to bring water with you or have the ability to treat it.
PARKING AND CARPOOLING
We’ll be based at the campground and will carpool out to surrounding rivers for paddling. There will be paddlers driving in from nearby cities. The Packraft Canada Facebook group is a good place to find people to carpool. Convenient flights arrive at both Calgary and Edmonton airports. The drive from either location to the campground is about 4 hours.
REGISTRATION AND FEES
The main cost of the event is the fee to camp at Kootenay Plains.
- Cost per camping unit – $150 for the weekend (three nights of camping). A camping unit is a tent of any size with any number of people sharing it, or an RV or van and its inhabitants (so the camping fee can be split among those sharing a tent). Registration is through Eventbrite and you can register here.
- Group Dinner ticket– $12 per person (this is to be paid when you arrive)
Note: Once you have signed up, please send us an email to let us know how many people are in your unit, along with all the names. If you plan on attending the group dinner on Sunday night, you can let us know that, too. You will be paying for the dinner upon arrival (in cash) and will receive a dinner ticket. Only participants who have completed the registration form, completed the waiver and paid for the event can participate in the group paddling and raffle.
ANTICIPATED PROGRAM
The event officially starts in the evening of Friday, June 28 and ends on July 1. We will all need to check out from the campground by 2 pm on July 1, but we plan to paddle that day. Informal groups may wish to paddle rivers together after the Roundup and can sign up for an additional night of camping with Alberta Recreation sites.
Day 1, June 28 will be an arrival day – check in at the campground. One of our volunteers will show you where to camp. Evening meal on your own. Tentative speaker from Parks Canada on how to protect Canada’s waterways from aquatic invasives. If you arrive early during the day, we recommend finding a friend to paddle the North Saskatchewan or hike the 5-km trail from the day use parking area to Siffleur Falls. There’s also a rock climbing area at Kootenay Plains Provincial Recreation Area. For information, check here.
Day 2, June 29 will start with a welcome, introductions and River & Safety info, and any brief workshop activities and boat/gear demos. Split into groups to paddle according to your abilities.
Happy Hour at camp begins around 5 p.m. Potluck meal to follow, packraft Olympics, movie night. Optional campfire. Bring your own utensils, cups, etc. Evening social into the night.
Day 3, June 30: Join into groups for relaxed social paddling and exploring the area. Group dinner/ BBQ prepared and served by our Packraft Canada volunteers! Raffle for paddling gear to be held in the evening.
Day 4, July 1: Happy Canada Day! Check out of Two O’ Clock Creek campground by 2 p.m. Optional group paddle day or organize post-roundup trips with other paddlers.
For those who have the time and inclination, we encourage you to organize post-Rendezvous packrafting trips within the region with fellow paddlers. There are some amazing multi-day trips to be had for those keen to hike into the backcountry to connect with more remote river experiences. We’ll have information at the Roundup on some of the routes available in the area.
The Roundup is 100% volunteer run, by packrafters, for packrafters. All monies raised through the event (beyond covering our camping and user fees) will go to support the non-profit activities of Packraft Canada and the organization of future roundups. If you would like to help support this event (donations of gear, daily river section leader, rescue presentations, evening presentations, etc.) please let us know. Huge thanks to our volunteers and sponsors and to anyone that will become a volunteer or sponsor this year. We could not do it without you!
GEAR LIST FOR THE EVENT
Your personal packrafting kit. There may be a selection of packrafts and packrafting gear available to test. For information on how and where to rent packrafts for the event, contact packraftcanada@gmail.com
- Packraft
- Paddle
- Whitewater helmet To participate in any activities on the river you must wear a Whitewater helmet and a Canadian Coast Guard-approved or US Coast Guard-approved PFD.
- PFD Type III (minimum 16 lb. flotation)
- Throw bag and other paddling-specific safety/rescue kit that you normally carry
- Bow bag, dry bag or waterproof daypack
- Hiking / packrafting shoes
- Paddling clothes and a wetsuit or drysuit.
- Camp clothes, sleeping bag, tent, cookstove, fuel
- Insect repellent, sunscreen, toiletries etc.
- Food and beverages for the weekend – please bring items for potluck dinner Saturday
- Guitar/musical instruments (optional)
- Large jug/container of water for drinking or water treatment gear. If you are driving to the event and can bring large jugs of potable water, this would be helpful for the whole group
- Boat sponge or cloth, biodegradable liquid soap, quick-dry towel—for boat cleaning
- Water bottle, eating utensils (knife, fork, spoon, bowl, cup, etc.)
CAN I BRING MY DOG?
Yes, well-behaved dogs are allowed but we really want to avoid awkward situations to please be sure your dog can meet high behavioral standards and that there will be someone at the camp throughout the day to care for your dog. Well-behaved is: verbal recall on callback, no barking, trustworthy around other pets and other humans, no camp robbers, no chasing wildlife. If there is discomfort or polite request to remove your dog from the event due to repeat complaints, thank you in advance for your understanding and compliance. There will be no refunds in this situation. We love dogs but they are secondary to our Round-up experience. Kootenai Plains Campground has the following rules regarding dogs: Provincial Park regulations require that pets are on a leash during your stay and while using trails to protect your pet, wildlife and other campers.
- Pets are prohibited on public beaches, in public swimming areas and in public buildings.
- Please pick up after your pet.
- Be considerate of other campers—please ensure that your dog doesn’t bark excessively.
ALCOHOL, CANNABIS AND TOBACCO AT KOOTENAY PLAINS CAMPGROUND
- In accordance with the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Act, open possession and consumption of liquor or the use of cannabis is restricted to the Group Camping area.
- We ask that you be respectful of others using the campground – this is a family event.
CONSERVATION AND ZERO WASTE
As packrafters we have a unique opportunity to explore nature intimately. Our actions can make a difference in protecting the rivers we all love. With the realization that Canada’s rivers are threatened by invasive species, we share a responsibility to prevent the infection or spread of undesirable species. We will demonstrate and use best practices for cleaning and drying our boats between waterways.
Packraft Canada strives to be a Zero Waste event where all discarded materials are designed to become resources for other uses. We plan to have Zero Waste Stations to handle our recyclable waste. Buckets will be set up for recycling of plastic, metal (cans), and compost. Please bring recyclable or compostable eating utensils.
SPONSORS Thanks to the generous support of Kokopelli Packrafts, Robfin and other companies, our weekend will feature a raffle for paddling-related gear, with the opportunity to support Packraft Canada and future activities through your purchase of lottery tickets.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How do the camping fees work with camping ‘units?’
A camping unit is any one tent or vehicle that you plan to sleep in. It can be any size. If you bring a 6-person tent and have 6 people sleeping in it, your group will pay $150, or each person will pay $25. If you have a van or RV with 2 occupants, you will pay $150, or each person pays $75.
What items can I bring for the potluck dinner?
If you have a cooler, you can bring pre-prepared food in a container. Other ideas are to bring fruit or vegetables to make a salad in the campground. Or you could prepare a group dish on your camp stove. Bread, Desserts, or Beverages are also a good idea.
How can I find someone to carpool with to the Roundup?
Communicate with others via Packraft Canada Facebook page.
If I come with my family and I’m the only one paddling, what is there to do in the area?
There is a hiking trail in Kootenay Plains that goes to Siffleur Falls. There are many other trails in the area, including Allstones Lake, Two O’ Clock Ridge, Tuff Puff, Flag Hill, Bluff Trail and many others.
Refund Policy: No Refunds
We ask that you please adhere to all safety guidelines and regulations while on the water. Also, let’s Leave No Trace and foster a supportive community atmosphere. Get ready to laugh, play and paddle on some of Alberta’s beautiful rivers. See you at the Roundup!