Come join
us on the river this summer.
MKC offers whitewater Kayak & Open Canoe instruction, all summer
long - Weekend and 5-Day courses, and runs 2-hour Family Rafting
excursions here on the 5km section of the Madawaska River.
Or join us on the legendary Ottawa River with
OWL Rafting, our sister company..... for a 1-Day or 2-Day
whitewater rafting excursion - High Adventure & Family Rafting.
We want to make your experience a memorable one.
Please find water levels for the full length of the Madawaska
River below - updated once a week in our paddling season. Descriptions on what the
levels mean, are below the table.
The Madawaska River Levels -
2010:
| Date |
Upper Mad |
Middle Mad |
Lower Mad |
| May 4 |
30 cms |
5 cms |
36 cms |
| May 7 |
30 cms |
10 cms |
48 cms |
| May 18 |
25 cms |
9 cms |
42 cms |
| May 21 |
22 cms |
6 cms |
44 cms |
| June 3 |
18-20 cms |
2.8 cms |
25 cms |
| June 7 |
17-20 cms |
2.8 cms |
30 cms |
| June 10 |
20 cms |
2.8 cms |
26 cms |
| June 14 |
21 cms |
2.9 cms |
28 cms |
| June 17 |
18 cms |
2.8 cms |
34 cms |
| June 21 |
18 cms |
2.8 cms |
24 cms |
| June 22 |
20 cms |
26 cms |
25 cms |
| June 24 |
25 cms |
3 cms |
47 cms |
| June 25 |
45 cms |
3 cms |
59 cms |
| June 27 |
50 cms |
3.2 cms |
63 cms |
| June 29 |
45 cms |
26 cms |
60 cms |
| July 02 |
35 cms |
3.3cms |
50 cms |
| July 06 |
25 cms |
26 cms |
37 cms |
| July 09 |
20 cms |
3 cms |
32 cms |
| July 12 |
25 cms |
3 cms |
33 cms |
| July 13 |
30 cms |
26 cms |
57 cms |
| July 15 |
33 cms |
26 cms |
40 cms |
| July 16 |
33 cms |
3 cms |
40 cms |
| July 19 |
|
26 cms |
52 cms |
| July 22 |
20 cms |
26 cms |
40 cms |
| July 26 |
16 cms |
26 cms |
|
| July 27 |
20 cms |
26 cms |
18 cms |
| July 30 |
20 cms |
3 cms |
25 cms |
| Aug 01 |
17 cms |
26 cms |
24 cms |
| Aug 06 |
10 cms |
3 cms |
14 cms |
| Aug 09 |
12 cms |
26 cms |
14 cms |
| Aug 13 |
10 cms |
3 cms |
24 cms |
| Aug 16 |
12 cms |
26 cms |
24 cms |
| Aug 18 |
12 cms |
OC Slalom
33cms |
24 cms |
| Aug 24 |
18 cms |
26 cms |
42 cms |
| Aug 28 |
18 cms |
22 cms |
46 cms |
| Aug 30 |
15 cms |
26 cms |
48 cms |
| Aug 31 |
|
26cms |
|
| Sept 02 |
|
26 cms |
|
| Sept 11 |
|
30 cms |
|
| Sept 13 |
|
3 cms |
50 cms |
| Sept 29 |
|
60 cms |
|
| Oct 1 |
|
75 cms |
170 cms |
| Oct 8 |
35 cms |
30 cms |
70 cms |
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The Madawaska River,
from a paddling point of view is divided into three sections:
 |
Upper Mad
- Whitney to the town of Madawaska
|
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Middle Mad -
5km section below Bark Lake Dam to Lake Kamaniskeg, where MKC is located
|
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Lower Mad
- The Palmer rapids section down to Griffith
|
The gauge is updated weekly, during MKC's season (mid May - Labour Day).
The river levels are given in cms (cubic metres per second), with the paddling
level in brackets (eg. high water).
Water levels for the middle Madawaska, in the summer months only flow
between Monday and Thursday. Friday, Saturday and Sunday normally see a minimum 3cms
flow, unless specifically indicated.
Water Level explanation for Whitewater Paddlers
Upper Madawaska - the
section between Algonquin Park (Whitney) to the town of Madawaska (Bark Lake)
| Level (in CMS) |
Comment |
| > 120 |
very high
water |
| 60 - 120 |
good paddling
level |
| 25 - 60 |
medium/low
levels |
| < 25 |
low, too
little water to paddle |
Middle Madawaska -
the section infront of MKC, between Bark Lake and Lake Kamaniskeg (there is an MNR
minimum flow requirement of 3 cms)As of July 8th, the water releases are Mon - Thurs. from
9am - 3:30pm only.
| Level (in CMS) |
Comment |
| > 50 |
huge,
with some keepers |
| 25 - 50 |
high |
| 25.6 |
regular MKC
release level -great! |
| 15 - 25 |
low, but
navigable |
| < 15 |
too low to
paddle |
Lower Madawaska -
this is both Palmer Rapids and the section from Aumonds Bay to Griffith, as the Palmer Dam
feeds this whole section. (the minimum MNR flow requirement is 10 cms)
| Level (in CMS) |
Palmer |
Snake Rapids |
| > 250 |
washed out |
huge
- be careful, water runs through the trees |
| 120 - 250 |
pushy, with
boily eddy lines |
high |
| 80 - 120 |
high, three
chutes at Jessups |
great,
forgiving and perfect for Haas' hole |
| 40 - 80 |
good |
medium,
very enjoyable paddling |
| 25 - 40 |
good |
low, but
still a good run |
| 10 - 25 |
low |
very low,
rocky |
|
