Niagara
Niagara Gorge
| Difficulty | V+ |
| Length | 7.6 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 65 fpm |
| Reach Info Last Updated | June 9, 2016 |
River Description
Ain't no legal putin on this here stretch of water. 'Tis a pity.
Lat / Longitude data are very approximate.
Niagara Gorge Background
The New York State Department of Parks, by regulation, prohibits launching a boat from park property, which is the only feasible access from the US side to the rapids above the whirlpool. The old regulation provided for the issuance of permits and it was that regulation that boaters exploited to gain access in 1987. Subsequently, the regulation was modified to adopt an absolute boating prohibition above the whirlpool. American Whitewater was unsuccessful in our challenge to that regulation. There have been some efforts to secure legislation or a revised regulation that would permit limited access, but, to date, they have been unsuccessful.
History of river-running in the Niagara Gorge: Captain Joel Robinson navigated the first Maid of the Mist steamer through the rapids on June 6, 1861, as he had a date to sell the craft if he could get it to Lake Ontario. In those pre-hydro days, the flow was 250,000 cfs.
In 1976, two intrepid entrepreneurs began commercial rafting in the Gorge. This enterprise came to a halt when a raft flipped on their twelfth run. There were four drownings.
In October 1982, for a taping of The American Sportsman, Chris Spelius, Don Deedon, Carrie Ashton, and Kenneth Lagergren managed a run ( watch the video).
In October 1987, permits were issued for four groups. The first included Pete Skinner, Bob Baker and his brother Al, Bob Glanville, Gibbs Johnson, Chris Koll, John Maxwell, and Marty McCormick. One had Skinner and Maxwell joining Nolan Whitesell's open boat. Another included Risa and Woody Callaway; and the last group included Spelius and Davey Hearn. (This from a report in the Nov/Dec 1987 AW Journal.) Access was then denied, and there has been no resumpt
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Log in to add a reportOne of the 15+ foot waves in the Himalayas section of Whirlpool Rapids.
Niagara river rapids above the falls.
If you ever ran the falls you might as well run it in a barrel. At that hight it does not matter what you are in, kayak, tube, raft, ducky... (that would be interesting to watch). You are going to get torn out of your boat on or before impact and if you are lucky they might find your body.
Jesse had guts but that is just suicidal.
Video of First Legal Descent of the Niagara Gorge
What river is this?
Looks like a nice surfing hole...
Just got back from a touristy visit of the falls, and had to look at the gorge of course. From under the bridge you have about a half mile long rapid. A few guard holes on the top right, but you pretty much want to be in the middle. From there, no more holes. Just huge water. Lots of massive V waves, that cycle, build and explode from time to time. A lot of the run is going to be about luck and timing. All the rest is just hitting your roll and not even thinking about taking a swim. There is a slight lull between the first rapid and whirlpool. From the scout whirlpool would be best taken left to right. You definatley DO NOT want to be on the left at the bottom or you will get slurped by one of the most evil whirlpool boil thangs you have ever laid eyes on. Around the corner from whirlpool is one more wave train and then some smaller rapid. According to the park, the gradient is 54 feet per mile and the run is 1.6 kilometers.
As a side note, the rapids above the falls would be a hoot, but missing the last eddy would re-define 'SUCKS'.
If you are ever stupid enough to run the falls, the mad dash from the canadian side would be the way to go. You can get a car with in 100 feet of the water, and only have to hop a 4 foot tall fence. From there, peal out and you'll have about 75 feet of fast moving flatwater before the bottom drops out.
I'm the first kayaker to survive running Niagara Falls! Haha, just kidding, I cropped it!