Bruneau,

Bruneau Canyon

Bruneau Canyon
Photo of Peter Spear by Claudia Schwab taken MAY2001

Gauge Information

River Description

FUN FACT: Great kayak self-support trip of 2 days (3-5 days if combined with the Jarbidge) through a remote wilderness canyon.

SEASON: Late April to June

HAZARDS: Possible log jams. Watch out for poison ivy and rattle snakes. Two hiking trails access the canyon between put-in and take-out. Unrunnable low-head diversion dam just below take-out.

PERMIT: Although there is no fee, you will need to register with the local BLM office in advance.

LOGISTICS: From the town of Bruneau head southeast through sage brush country. Many people arrange for shuttle in Bruneau. There is an unimproved gravel road to Indian Hot Springs as a possible put-in, but it is class V and strictly 4-wheel drive. Most paddlers start on the Jarbidge River . Drinking water needs to be purified or carried along. A great map can be purchased from the BLM. You can check out the last part of 5-Mile Rapid from Bruneau Overlook, which can be reached by turning off the shuttle road and driving about 3 miles west.

DESCRIPTION

The Bruneau has about twice the volume of the Jarbidge. Take some time for a soak in Indian Hot Springs at the put-in. Cave Rapid (III-IV) will be reached soon. The water in the right channel pushes into a big cave creating an undercut at certain levels. Several short class III drops alternate with long flat sections for the next 25 miles. Although the whitewater is not quite as exciting as on the Jarbidge, the canyon landscape is breathtaking. At mile 29 (58 miles from Jarbidge put-in) Roberson Trail fords the river. Shortly after, the hardest section of the Bruneau begins. At low levels 5-Mile-Rapid is a long section of boulder gardens separated by short pools (IV-). At medium and higher levels holes may form and the rapid should be much more continuous (IV). After 5-Mile the canyon opens up. One more drop requires attention, Wild Burro IV, past mile 36 (mile 65). Another hot springs is located a couple of miles above the take-out on the left side. Don't paddle over the diversion dam below the take-out.

contributed by Claudia Schwab