Des perdrix River



Area: South shore (30 minutes East on the South shore of Quebec city
Interest: ★★★★★
SufferFactor: *★
Difficulty: Class IV-V
Season: The Des Perdrix has a long early season, then it’s dry out and run only after a located heavy rain. Mid-April until mid-May.
Level: Visual Gauge at the take out. You want the river between 1 and 3 for your first run. The river is runnable pretty high too but get ready for some pretty
big rapids. You want the Du Sud Gauge around 100 cms.
Gauge location : HERE
Put in / Take out information: HERE



Paddler Billy Thibault and Emrick Blanchette



The Des Perdrix is a new classic section at only 30 minutes of Quebec City. It’s pretty much the Little White Salmon river of Quebec, without the blue water, and Spirit falls. After a quick paddle in, you quickly get to the first class 4 of the day. Be sure to stop right after the rapid in the eddy river right to scout the next drop. The first class 5 of the day is a nice double drop that leads directly in the biggest drop of the section: « The Dutchy ». The Dutchy is a nice ramp turning 90 degrees into a 20 ft tall waterfalls. People have been running the waterfall on the left side and since they broke many boats there, the go to line is now on the right side of the waterfalls. Scout/walk river right



The crew at the bottom of the «Dutchy»



After the Dutchy, You will be reward with the « 3 p’tit cochons », a super fun set of three 5 ft tall boofs. Couple strokes later, you will get to the «Chicken Locker». We name it like this because it reminds a drop call « Meatlocker» in Mexico. Scout/walk on river right. After the drop, the river will pinch, and you want to run it on the right. Left can be sticky at higher flows, especially if you come from Montreal. After the Pinch, you will pass through couple class 3 drop and pool rapids. It will get a little bit bigger, then the river will bent left, then right. In the right turn, you will have to paddle left to catch the eddy on the left, right above another Big drop: «the Deal». Scout and walk on the left, this drop is kinda ugly, but it usually goes better than it looks. Be careful for the presence of trees in this rapid or at the bottom.



François Leblanc-Nadeau in the Chicken Locker



After « The deal » you will paddle a bunch of class 3 rapids until the river spike up again with a nice 10 ft boof. After the boof, there’s a nice class 4 rapid leading in the. « Montreal express ». Another tight pinch that gave problems to a Montreal crew of kayakers. Make sure to boof middle left in the slot. Scout river right. After the « Montreal Express», you will have to navigate carefully because the next rapid is a portage and it is not obvious. You will paddle 2-3 minutes, then the class 3 rapids will get a bit bigger and more continuous. The river will turn a little bit on the left then bent 90 degrees left after. You must eddy out right before the 90 degrees turn.



One of the goodies, The «Chute du chalet»



After the Portage, it’s the class 4 paradises until you get to the « chute du chalet ». 20 ft waterfalls that can be sticky at higher flows. Scout/walk river left. then, the river keeps going until you reach a lake just above a dam. This rapid is actually a nice double drop calls the « Big ».



After the Big, there’s only one rapid left which is calls « the taz ». It’s a long rapid with tons of boofs. It’s the best end you could have design for a river. You take out at the bridge on river right, or at the second bridge if you go there with a big crew. People around like the kayakers. So be quiet and kinds with the residents.


Eddy out