Guadalupe
4. Canyon Dam to First Crossing (16 miles)
| Difficulty | II+ |
| Length | 15.8 mi |
| Avg Gradient | 7 fpm |
| Gauge | Guadalupe Rv at Sattler, Tx |
| Flow Rate as of 27 minutes | 57 cfsbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | May 25, 2016 |
River Description
The Lower Guadalupe is fed from a bottom-release dam ( Canyon Dam), and thus it almost always runs relatively clear and cold (60 degrees at the dam.) During the summer months, if the dam release is at 'recreational' levels (< 750 cfs), the river will be clogged with tubers. Referring to this article, The Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority controls the releases from Canyon Dam whenever the lake level is 909' or below, and when this is the case, typically the releases will be geared toward tubing (no more than 750 cfs, and usually much lower) during the summer months. During periods of drought, the GBRA will release only the minimum necessary to maintain the health of the Matagorda Bay estuary and fulfill downstream water contracts (about 50-75 cfs.) When floods occur on the Upper Guadalupe and the lake gets above 909', the Army Corps of Engineers takes control. If the lake level gets too high, then they will attempt to lower it to 909' as quickly as they can, which usually results in days or weeks of 3000-5500 cfs releases downstream (5500 cfs is the maximum dam release.) However, the Army Corps must also ensure that the release, when combined with natural flows, does not exceed 12,000 cfs at Cuero, Gonzales, and Victoria. During big dam releases, the Lower Guadalupe becomes a playground for rafters and whitewater kayakers, but unfortunately this only tends to happen every few years, and extended multi-week big releases only tend to happen once or twice every decade.
Although there are a few decent natural wave trains on this stretch of river when the dam is releasing 3000+ cfs, most of the significant rapids are formed by low-head dams, and the majority of rapids are above 4th Crossing. The stretch from 4th Crossing to 1st Crossing has a lot of flat water. The main allure of this stretch is its scenic beauty, as the river winds through some
...River Features
Canyon Dam Outlet
Park in the public lots on either side of the outlet (located on S. Access Road.) Hike 500' or so down the trail to the river (both sides of the outlet have a trail.)
FM 306 Crossing #2 (Top of the Horseshoe)
Potential access point (no public parking, but you can pay one of the river outfitters)
FM 306 Crossing #1 (Bottom of the Horseshoe)
Potential access point (no public parking, but you can pay one of the river outfitters)
4th Crossing
Potential access point (no public parking, but you can pay one of the river outfitters)
Dam 4 (El Cuatro)
This dam is generally run left of center, and at low flows, the line is easy and unconsequential. At high flows (thousands of cfs), the river right side of the dam forms a large ledge hole (grabby at some levels), but following the green water at river left lines you up for a trashy wave-hole (Trashcan Hole) located 60' downstream of the dam. Trashcan Hole becomes a world-class rodeo hole at around 3000-4000 cfs but earns its name at higher flows than that. At higher releases (generally 4500-5500 cfs), the dam itself forms a beautiful surf wave ('The Niño') left of center, and above 5000 cfs, The Niño has eddy service and is river-wide. This wave is fast and forgiving. You can zone out in a front surf for days on it or easily do spins, and it gives up airscrews and such to more experienced playboaters. Below about 4500 cfs, The Niño becomes less retentive and more difficult to catch, and the wave compresses at river right into more of a wave-hole. There is no public access here for park 'n' play.
The following videos are, respectively, from 2015 of some local kayakers playing in The Niño at 5500 cfs and from 2007 of some local kayakers playing in Trashcan Hole (note that the level shown in the 2007 video was actually about 4000 cfs, not 5000.)
Private Low-Water Crossing
When the dam is releasing thousands of cfs, this is a must-portage. This low-water crossing was responsible for a deadly accident in 2001, during which a recreational kayaker was pinned under her boat at 5100 cfs. It is unknown whether it is passable at lower water.
2nd Crossing
Potential access point (no public parking, but you can pay one of the river outfitters)
Stair-Step
A couple of river-wide ledges. The normal line at low flows is river right. At full dam release, the ledges are completely inundated, and there is nothing but a wave train here. At 3000 cfs, the lower ledge forms a river-wide shallow surf wave.
1st Crossing
No public access. Taking out at First Crossing will require paying a fee to one of the outfitters located on either side of the river.
If you take out below the 1st Crossing bridge, be cautious of the pilings from the old bridge, which are located just downstream of the current bridge. These form about 20 slots across the river. At high dam releases (thousands of cfs), some of these slots can form grabby hydraulics and/or collect large debris (tree limbs, etc.) Generally the second slot from the left is the best one to take, assuming it isn't clogged with debris. The river left side of the bridge also has the most vertical clearance.
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportNOTE: As of this writing, there is a non-linear error in the Sattler gauge that causes it to read too high when the release is above about 4700 or 4800 cfs (which generally only occurs when the Corps are doing a full release from both the dam and the power plant.) The gauge will read 7000 cfs when in fact only 5500 cfs is being released. The Sattler gauge is located at Horseshoe Falls, just below the point at which the Canyon Lake spillway channel joins the river channel. There are no significant contributing streams between the gauge and the dam, so if the spillway is inactive, then the Sattler gauge should match the dam release. Refer to the Army Corps page (http://www.swf-wc.usace.army.mil/canyon/) for the actual release information. If the Sattler gauge disagrees with that, then the gauge is most likely incorrect.