Boreal River Expeditions - Expéditions Rivière Boréal

The Lorne is the first rapid on the Main Channel of the Ottawa River. It is home to 3 iconic surf waves with the ‘prime’ surf levels being:
• the Grey Hound Bus Eater (levels 14.5-17)
• Waikiki (levels 7-8)
• Garburator (levels 0.5 and below)

There is always fun to be found at this rapid! In this drone shot, a Boreal raft comes through Garburator, then works its way back up the river left eddie, to use the reactionary going back in for hit #2!

We have a couple of rules on our rafting trips (Ottawa River, Mutehekau Shipu, Rio Pacuare):

- on trips with high school / youth groups, our limit is always class 3.

- on other trips, if there’s a class 4 that we can raft, we always give everyone the heads up, describe it well, including what would happen if you swim, and give everybody the opportunity to decide for themselves whether to paddle it or walk around.

If you’re looking into a guided whitewater trip, find out what class the rapids are.

You can always pick a trip that’s just right for the level of risk and challenge that you want.

A few things to keep in mind:

- A rapid’s difficulty changes throughout the season as water levels and conditions change

- The system is subjective. Some people might call the rapid in this video a class 1 while others might call it a 3. So make sure to go off reputable sources and get various opinions.

- In Quebec, canoeists use a different system (R1 to R6, S, C, etc) a Class 2 would usually be an R3

- Find out if you can opt out of the bigger rapids by walking around them

Here’s a rundown of the classification system:

INTERNATIONAL SCALE of River Difficulty (via American Whitewater)

“CLASS 1 – Beginner
Very easy with small, regular waves and riffles. Suitable for a wide variety of craft.

CLASS 2 – Novice
Easy rapids and waves requiring some maneuvering. Suitable for a wide variety of river-specific craft.

CLASS 3 – Intermediate
Moderate difficulty with large waves and features requiring skilled maneuvering. Suitable only for whitewater-specific craft and equipment.

CLASS 4 – Advanced
Difficult with powerful rapids and hazardous features requiring precise maneuvering. Suitable for skilled groups with whitewater-specific craft and equipment.

CLASS 5 – Expert
Very difficult with long rapids and strong turbulence and features that require expert maneuvering around frequent obstacles. Near the limits of navigation. Suitable for highly skilled groups with whitewater-specific craft and equipment.”

Source: American Whitewater – International Scale of River Difficulty

🎥 This video was from last July — Upper Gatineau River with the g

“Our trip with Boreal River Expeditions was one of the best experiences our family and friends have ever had. We were a group of 15 people, ranging in age from 12 to 65, and everyone came away feeling challenged, safe, and completely blown away by the river and the guides. Ten members of our group had travelled from Spain, and their biggest travel wish was to experience Canada’s wilderness—this trip exceeded every expectation.”

Cory Deegan — Group Organizer — Ottawa River Wilderness Expedition

**KEY DETAILS**

4-Days | Rafting, Multi-Sport, and Riverside Camping

PRIVATE TRIPS: July – Sept. Group size: 5 to 25

SET DEPARTURE 2026: July 23 – 26
Group size: Up to 15. Guide ratio: 5:1

FOR WHO: 12* and up. All skills levels.
*Ages 5 and up with private groups.

MEETING LOCATION: L’île-du-Grand-Calumet, Québec. 4.5 hrs from Toronto, 3.5 hrs from Montreal, 90 Minutes from Ottawa

See the full description on the Boreal River Expeditions website .

Please don’t hesitate to DM us, call, or email with any questions at all. We’d love to hear from you!

You can only get here by river or walking trail, making this an incredible, peaceful place to connect with the river, your group, and yourself.

We only host one group at a time, from 6 to 25 people, for expedition-style riverside wilderness camping, during the 3 to 5-day Ottawa River Wilderness Expedition (rafting and multi-sport).

One of the amazing things about this place is you can experience a small group wilderness river trip, only 4.5 hrs from Toronto / 3.5 hrs Montreal / 90 from downtown Ottawa.

The river is the greatest audio of all 🌿🌊
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