Thompson
Nicoamen River (Frog) to Fraser River
| Difficulty | III+ |
| Length | 10 mi |
| Avg Gradient | n/a |
| Reach Info Last Updated | August 26, 2022 |
River Description
The Thompson is a great late-season run that attracts boaters from across the region for fun play boating and impressive scenery. Although there are opportunities for a run that starts further upstream (mostly class II), most put-in at the Frog which is the start of the best rapids. In fact, many regard the Frog as one of the best play features in the region and it is a popular park and play spot (350-450 cms are ideal for this spot). At flows of 350-600 cms the overall run is considered class III+ to IV- bigwater run. As levels increase the run becomes more demanding with fewer good play features.
The best features on this run come at the start but there are several fun play spots throughout the entire length of this run and the canyon scenery is amazing. The Frog is the first feature and if you want to avoid the few strokes of warm-up paddling you can even put in right here at an alternate parking area. Depending on levels the Frog is a great hole and surf wave combination just upstream of a massive mid-stream chunk of bedrock that resembles a frog. During the month of September this is one of the most consistent play features in the entire region and the easy access makes it a popular park-and-play site.
While one can spend hours at the Frog, the next fun rapids are only a short distance downstream. The first horizon line leading into a big bouncy wave train takes you toward Witches Cauldron, a whirpool eddy at the end of the wave train along river right that is generally avoided.
After a short recovery section you will be at the Cutting Board. This rapid is a marked by a mid-channel bedrock island. The preferred line is down the river left channel. Stay with the main flow as the current cuts hard right and takes a dogleg back towards the center. The most challenging part of this rapid is the start which you can see from the top. Once it disappears around the corner, the river calms down again. The river right channel has been run but there a
...River Features
Put In
The Frog
A destination Park and Play Spot that draws paddlers from throughout the region.
Cutting Board
Lytton Take-Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportI drove past Nicomen a few days ago. The put-in at Nicomen is a construction site. There are plenty of other options upstream - as far as Spences Bridge for a long paddle. It also looks like you can head East (away from the river) 1/4 mile, park, and walk down the Nicomen to the Thompson.
9/11/2016, 580cms
570 cms 9/10/16
Megi flew up for a couple days of boating and we joined Dirk for some fun boating on the Thompson. We drove up to the put-in and began our run, slowly forming a group with others as we made our way downstream. We met Peter Spear and Claudia Schwab who gave us the beta on upcoming drops and helped with the rescue when Megi swam at the Cutting Board. We all camped together at the Stein that evening and the next day ran a shuttle with Peter and Claudia for our trip the next day. It was a great level and we had fun on the Frog and at the other features along the way. The flow was 390 cms.
Megi flew up for a couple days of boating and we joined Dirk for some fun boating on the Thompson. We drove up to the put-in and began our run, slowly forming a group with others as we made our way downstream. We met Peter Spear and Claudia Schwab who gave us the beta on upcoming drops and helped with the rescue when Megi swam at the Cutting Board. We all camped together at the Stein that evening and the next day ran a shuttle with Peter and Claudia for our trip the next day. It was a great level and we had fun on the Frog and at the other features along the way. The flow was 390 cms.
Megi was in town for a whitewater adventure to Canada. We ran the Nahatlatch, camped overnight and drove up the Thompson River canyon on our way to the Adams River and then the Clearwater. On this day it was approximately 40,000 cfs.