Rouge

The Seven Sisters of the Rouge is the classic and most famous section. Depending upon water level the

character changes greatly. At low and medium levels the upper is class III. At medium-high and above

class IV. At very high levels it approaches class V in difficulty. The gorge section with the waterfalls

is class V at all times.

The name 'Seven Sisters' is a bit of a misnomer. The name dates from before the river was used for

whitewater rafting and boating.  The 'sisters' refer to a number of rapids and waterfalls, some of which

are above the 'usual' whitewater section (Sister McNeil—Just below the gage), or in the middle (Sister

Elizabeth) of the run.

The name may refer to the Sisters of Charity of Ottawa (Les Soeurs de la Charité d'Ottawa), (also known

as the Gray Nuns), founded by Sister Élisabeth Bruyère in 1845.

A local legend says: 'At the beginning of colonization, Amerindians [Native Americans] descending the

Red River in a canoe would have been caught in the rapids and were therefore doomed to drown. On

the bank there were seven nuns who by their prayers succeeded in raising the canoe and transporting

it to a safer place, which saved the lives of these men.'

Put on above Propulsion Rafting near a bus-turnaround lot. Do *not* park in the bus turn-around area

or risk your car being towed. Park instead at Camping Vallée de la Rivière-Rouge (a few hundred yards

downstream of a river-wide waterfall). Or put-in further upstream where the road runs along the river.

The first difficult rapid in this section is a III+/IV rapid (Chute Elizabeth) and consists of two tight class IV

drops forming an S-turn. After that is 'Slice-N-Dice','The Mushroom', the 'Washing Machine' and 'Dryer'.

Finally towards the bottom is the gorge with the six waterfalls. Only extreme boaters run the falls (to the

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