MOUNTAIN LIFE - Blue Mountains | Summer 2018

42 ML BLUE SUMMER 2018 Paddling the Beaver River from Kimberley to Heathcote offers a huge slice of pristine wetland that feels like wilderness. Much of the river corridor along this route is protected inside the Grey-Sauble Conservation Authority’s Beaver Valley Lowlands Management Area. The river is not far from roads, but you’d never know it—it feels more like Jurassic Park when the great blue herons and egrets arc overhead and old-growth cedar and hemlock shadow the riverbank. The river here is deep and quiet enough to paddle pretty much any time of the year. (At low water, just keep your eyes open for submerged or semi-submerged logs.) The approximately 15km of twisty river is a good full half-day paddle, unless you’re really pumping. (A shorter option is to pull out at the Epping bridge.) Kayak, canoe or paddleboard, the choice is yours. Keep in mind that kayak skegs and SUP fins might hook sunken tree branches, depending on water levels. Nothing can beat an open canoe for this route, which is a chilled-out journey through the region’s most unspoiled yet accessible waterway. DIY: The Google Earth coordinates of the put-in off County Road 13 north of Kimberley are Lat: 44°23’50.74”N/Long: 80°32’4.39”W. Free Spirit Tours offers guided paddles of the Beaver from several entry points: freespirit- tours.com . And the Grey County Tourism website offers maps and route tips: visitgrey.ca. HALF DAY TRIPS 17 It feels more like Jurassic Park when the great blue herons and egrets arc overhead and old- growth cedar and hemlock shadow the riverbank. Paddle the Beaver River—Kimberley to Heathcote GLEN HARRIS