This is a bit of a letter to the Browns River. This is a place I have spent many days paddling over the years, exploring different sections of the river. Nowadays we have access to two different river sections, the Upper at the bottom of the Medicine Bowls and the Lower at the Old Dam site on the Browns.
With the wisps of Fall weather approaching, this river will soon return to life, and groups of people will be paddling different sections of this river. It also confluences with the Puntledge River giving us a nice 12km section of river to paddle.
The Upper Browns is a bit of an adventure to get to. A walk for a km or so, then lower boats into the canyon, the first little bit has a portage, a slide, a triple drop, and another fun drop. Then there are continuous rapids for the next 5km to connect with the lower put-in.
The Triple set of the Upper Browns has had a piece of wood below the 1st rapid for over twenty years. The Levels for this section have a smaller window than the Lower section. 12cms to 23cms for the Upper, however, the lower can be run from 10cms – 90cms on the high end.
The Chute below Triple with a couple of different levels and lines by Jaime Sharp, Kiril, and Aidan
After these few moves in the first kilometer of the river, it is off to endless carving whitewater for the next 5km. Ledges, chutes, corners, small drops, some holes to avoid and always keeping an eye out for wood.
Once through the canyons of the Upper, including the rapid Sandstone express, it is on to the Lower section of the Browns. This section has a bunch of smaller rapids leading to a 12ft waterfall, a 20 ft slide then a 40ft ramp. Then the gradient eases and it heads down to the confluence of the Puntledge river.
The Browns can have many moods depending on the time of year. Misty, cold, raging, and bony, they all bring different moves and times when one section is better than the other.
There are lots of fun spots to explore on this river. Bonus that it is close to town and your can drop into this corridor and feel like you in a faraway location, then you can pop in for a beer downtown after you finish.
Hoping that someday the medicine bowls and surrounding area can go through to Nymph Falls Nature Park. Nymph Falls Nature Park protects 61 hectares (151 acres) of second-growth forest on the Puntledge River’s north side. The river and falls rage over a series of exposed bedrock ledges, from fall to spring, to the delight of white water enthusiasts. The whole Browns River corridor is pretty amazing, hopefully many more days of paddling here in the future.
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