Whitewater Rush: Kayakers race to catch runoff as Gallatin River surges
By BEN PIERCE Chronicle Outdoors
GALLATIN CANYON – It’s a race against time on the Gallatin River. Last weekend river flows peaked above 5,000 cubic feet per second in the canyon. It didn’t take long for area kayakers to respond, but the high flows aren’t likely to stick around long.
“(The Gallatin River) came up a lot in the last week,” said kayaker Mikhail Mckenna of Bozeman. “It went up from 2,000-5,000cfs really quickly. That is really fun. It is bigger waves.
“A lot of the time in the late summer, it is just a nice float through the canyon,” Mckenna said. “This time of year it really gets the adrenaline going.”
On Monday, a torrent of whitewater raged around House Rock – a massive boulder just downstream of the 35-mile-per-hour bridge on Highway 191 in Gallatin Canyon. Kayakers Zach Kellman and Chris Newey of Bozeman were among the after work crowd hitting the rapids in the late afternoon.
Newey said conditions on the Gallatin were excellent on Sunday and that the river has dropped just slightly since.
“If we get a few hot days it could all melt out real quick,” Newey said. “I would rather see a slower, longer flow. If it flushes fast our season goes quick.”
According to the United States Geologic Survey, flows at Gallatin Gateway have fluctuated between 4,000-4,750cfs the last few days. The USGS stream gauge is stationed below the whitewater section of the canyon and accounts for water flowing in from Spanish Creek, Hell Roaring Creek and Storm Castle Creek, but it’s fair to say there is a lot of water in the Gallatin right now.
Brad Coe, a guide for Montana Whitewater Rafting Company, said it’s hard to know whether or not the Gallatin will peak again.
“Everybody has there own opinion, but what I look at is low temperatures at 9,000 feet of elevation,” Coe said on Wednesday. “If it is freezing up at elevation, our snow is freezing up. If it is warm, it is going to be racing out of the mountains.”
Coe said that with the snowpack and rain we have experienced thus far this season, boating in the canyon should be phenomenal through late June. He said current flows make for solid Class III whitewater above the 35-mile-per-hour bridge. The whitewater around House Rock is rated Class IV or Class IV+ at current water levels, Coe said.
Mckenna anticipates the peak whitewater season to be fleeting.
“It all depends on the snowpack,” Mckenna said. “That determines where the runoff comes in. On account of snowpack, it might be a little shorter season than boaters would like.
“If it hasn’t already reached the peak, it will in the next two weeks. It could jump up again if we get a hot day or a bunch of rain to melt the snow.”
The forecast calls for showers through the remainder of the week with the skies clearing and temperatures rising on Sunday and Monday.
Mckenna, who works for Northern Lights Trading Company, said an air of anticipation has gripped the shop.
“There is definitely some shared excitement in the community,” he said. “There is a sense that it is not going to last very long, so you have to get it while it is good.
“My girlfriend is getting mad at me for not being around.”
GALLATIN CANYON – It’s a race against time on the Gallatin River. Last weekend river flows peaked above 5,000 cubic feet per second in the canyon. It didn’t take long for area kayakers to respond, but the high flows aren’t likely to stick around long.
“(The Gallatin River) came up a lot in the last week,” said kayaker Mikhail Mckenna of Bozeman. “It went up from 2,000-5,000cfs really quickly. That is really fun. It is bigger waves.
“A lot of the time in the late summer, it is just a nice float through the canyon,” Mckenna said. “This time of year it really gets the adrenaline going.”
On Monday, a torrent of whitewater raged around House Rock – a massive boulder just downstream of the 35-mile-per-hour bridge on Highway 191 in Gallatin Canyon. Kayakers Zach Kellman and Chris Newey of Bozeman were among the after work crowd hitting the rapids in the late afternoon.
Newey said conditions on the Gallatin were excellent on Sunday and that the river has dropped just slightly since.
“If we get a few hot days it could all melt out real quick,” Newey said. “I would rather see a slower, longer flow. If it flushes fast our season goes quick.”
According to the United States Geologic Survey, flows at Gallatin Gateway have fluctuated between 4,000-4,750cfs the last few days. The USGS stream gauge is stationed below the whitewater section of the canyon and accounts for water flowing in from Spanish Creek, Hell Roaring Creek and Storm Castle Creek, but it’s fair to say there is a lot of water in the Gallatin right now.
Brad Coe, a guide for Montana Whitewater Rafting Company, said it’s hard to know whether or not the Gallatin will peak again.
“Everybody has there own opinion, but what I look at is low temperatures at 9,000 feet of elevation,” Coe said on Wednesday. “If it is freezing up at elevation, our snow is freezing up. If it is warm, it is going to be racing out of the mountains.”
Coe said that with the snowpack and rain we have experienced thus far this season, boating in the canyon should be phenomenal through late June. He said current flows make for solid Class III whitewater above the 35-mile-per-hour bridge. The whitewater around House Rock is rated Class IV or Class IV+ at current water levels, Coe said.
Mckenna anticipates the peak whitewater season to be fleeting.
“It all depends on the snowpack,” Mckenna said. “That determines where the runoff comes in. On account of snowpack, it might be a little shorter season than boaters would like.
“If it hasn’t already reached the peak, it will in the next two weeks. It could jump up again if we get a hot day or a bunch of rain to melt the snow.”
The forecast calls for showers through the remainder of the week with the skies clearing and temperatures rising on Sunday and Monday.
Mckenna, who works for Northern Lights Trading Company, said an air of anticipation has gripped the shop.
“There is definitely some shared excitement in the community,” he said. “There is a sense that it is not going to last very long, so you have to get it while it is good.
“My girlfriend is getting mad at me for not being around.”
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