EJ’s favourite rivers of the world

BY ERIC JACKSON

PHOTOS: ERIC JACKSON, JASON AMBROSE, Chris Emerick, Patrick Lynch, Tim Burne, Nick Troutman, Stephen Wright, John Binkley and Peter Tranter

Bio
‘EJ’ won the Freestyle World Championship four times – in 1993, 2001, 2005, and 2007, finishing second in 2009. He was given the Everest Award in 2005 and 2007, given to the top freestyler kayaker in the world. Jackson worked for many years for canoe manufacturers as a kayak designer, but in 2003 founded his own company Jackson Kayak. He is now President/CEO of Apex Watercraft.

EJ’s favourite rivers of the world

One of the most common questions I am asked is, “What is your favourite river?” My answer is always the same – I don’t have one. It’s not a fair question. What is your favourite food? Ice cream, steak, pizza, beer? It depends on the time of day, your mood, etc.

I was fortunate that I decided with my wife, Kristine, and kids, Emily and Dane, 25 years ago to move into an RV full time and live a life of a nomad. The primary purpose of moving into the RV was to allow me to kayak full time anywhere in North America and spend as much time at any location as I wanted, all while being with my family. The secondary purpose was to cut my living expenses way down to have the money to travel internationally as desired in the winter.

Legacy runs

Zambezi River, Zambia/Zimbabwe border, Africa. This river is special for four main reasons.

• The whitewater is varied, long sections, incredible and run-able for a wide range of skills. If you are a solid class 3 boater that stays in your boat, you can enjoy this run. If you are a hardcore big water class 5 boater, you will love this river.
• The location allows you to experience the best of Africa’s animals. 2.5 hours from Chobe National Park in Botswana, you can take two days for a camping safari that will blow your mind. (October-November is best, which is also low water Zambezi).
• The culture you’ll experience is about as far from North America, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, or Europe as you’ll get. How immersed you get in the culture is up to you. Ask your porter to take you to his village, and you’ll be in a different world and appreciate how little one needs to be happy. If it doesn’t affect your outlook on life, I would be shocked.
• It is going to be killed – a dam is being planned and seems to be moving ahead that will flood out the Batoka Gorge – 50 kilometres of the river will be destroyed – the best 50. All of the normal run, plus some of the day two section. I am trying to get my son, KC, ready to paddle this river quickly so he can see it while it is alive and free. Plan your trip soon.

Futalafu, Patagonia, Chile.

Big blue waters, with several sections covering over 25 miles of nearly continuous rapids. Like all river runs, water levels affect difficulty and character. Big surfing waves and holes can be found, while pure downriver paddling suffices for most, given the availability of challenging rapids. There are lots of awesome lodging options and outfitters to make logistics easy. A night at ‘Cave Camp’ is always memorable. Taking mules or horses into cave camps is an option for those not running that section of the river.

Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA.

I have only been down the river one time, but it makes my list and should make anyone’s list. The distance alone – 277 miles, makes it unique. It’s long enough that you forget what life is like outside of the canyon. All that matters is your group of friends, the river, camping, food, hiking, and repeat for days on end. Need a break from social media, your phone, and know what life was like before all of that? This is the trip that will detox you from technology. Be careful, as many people need a different detox after getting out of the canyon. Try to control yourself and not trade one addiction for another. The rapids are great, the flatwater relaxing, and sometimes too much, but then the rapids appear again. In total, 80 ‘major’ rapids.

Gorges Du Verdon, Castellane, France.

While I haven’t been there since 1984, it sticks in my memory as one incredible paddling experience. At age 20, I raced slalom and toured around for six weeks during my first trip to Europe. Team USA decided to take the day off in Bourg St. Maurice and headed to the Gorges Du Verdon in our slalom boats. Beautiful water, class 3 rapids, narrow channels, and the climax. A runnable cave! I managed to break my bow off of my slalom boat in that cave, and we had one swimmer in the pitch-black section that created a real-life game of Marco Polo to find him. There are few places in the world like this. I am due for another trip; it has almost been 40 years!

Steep creeks

Tlapacoyan, Veracruz, Mexico.

While there are several rivers in the area – the Alseseca and Jalacingo (tributary) make up a Mecca of creek boat runs that can keep you busy for some time. Ben Stookesberry led the first full descents in 2007. I was lucky enough to be part of that team. The best single day run that came out of the expedition was the ‘Big Banana’, section which starts below ‘Big Banana Falls’. The river’s character is volcanic rock canyons, often with waterfalls at the end. Steep banks make proper scouting extremely difficult, but if you go with experienced people, you can run everything and trust that the canyons are run-able.

The big banana name comes from the massively thick bananas we found during one of our scouting missions back in 2007. You can run many sections, but the other main one is the ‘Roadside Section’. This is where the Alseseca Race is held, with a famous rapid, called ‘S-Turn’. ‘Cave Section’ doesn’t get run often (hmm… wonder why?). Waterfalls like ‘Tomata Falls’ provide park and huck opportunities, but the real lure is the jungle setting and high-quality rapids. ‘Meat Locker’ is my favourite rapid on this river, but there are too many to name that are a close second.

The Upper and Lower Jalacingo.

Low volume bedrock, waterfalls, slides, repeat. Wow – how fun. There are portages (don’t miss them, please – bad things will happen), but you’ll find yourself hooked on this creek. There are two sections. Rafa (local), Nick, Dane, and I did both sections back in 2015 in one day, but it is a long day with big rapids. Three very notable rapids on these sections are ‘Dungeon’, ‘Bukaki’ and ‘Twisted Pleasure’. Each one provides a unique experience of its own.  

Bear Creek, Cloudland Canyon State Park, Georgia, USA.

The Hair of the Bear’ – I first discovered this gem in 1990 during major rains while on a creek boating marathon with Eric Giddens and Brian Homberg. This creek provides the boater with the perfect Cumberland Plateau character (minus the waterfalls). Laurels line the steep banks, bedrock mixed with chunky rock, long rapids, and a continuous stretch of moves and boofs – it averages 270-feet/mile over four miles. It is the perfect length to wear you out if you are pushing your limits mentally and skill-wise or allows you to lap it if you are feeling comfortable and strong. Super easy put in and take-outs take the challenge out of the logistics and allow you to focus on the paddling.

For me, there is always something special about putting in on a class 1 narrow, shallow, clear water section of creek that looks like it couldn’t possibly be a challenging run, but knowing that it turns downhill around the corner. The warm-up pool is a few ferries back and forth with little room for others. The ‘big one’ is ‘Stairway to Heaven’. It can be walked or run with similar dangers to each. I have walked it several times in a row but always decide what I feel like when I arrive. There is no shame in walking something; I feel it reminds you that you don’t have to run everything to have a good time. With that said, it is a shame to miss the ride and rush of a classic rapid like Stairway.  

South Branch of the Middle Feather.

While there are hundreds of Californian creeks that could make this list and plenty of them that I have yet to run, it makes sense to include one that provides all of the outstanding elements into a day run, with easy access. There is something about long hikes to get into the High Sierras that adds an element to a remote run, but there is also something to be said for hanging out at a put-in and being able to get on after a hot cup of coffee and breakfast and be back at camp for beer that night. However, you get to hike out of the canyon – about 800 feet of vertical to assure you at least get some of a leg workout before your first beer.

This is one of those runs that combines clean bedrock fun, with challenging drops, and ‘high-pressure moves’ – the steepest mile drops over 1,000 feet, with the first three miles under 200 feet per mile. The final drop is a 50-foot waterfall that is about as easy as possible. With that said, it still packs a punch at the bottom. One rapid that is both run and walked is ‘99 problems’. It presents an opportunity to try to solve some challenging water at the lip of this 40’er with a re-connect, or just say – “I’ll leave that one for next time.” One of my favourite things about this run is the pacing and spacing needed to give everyone room. Several moves have one or two boat eddies with portages or big rapids below them. Teamwork or small groups is necessary. Water quality, rapid quality, steepness and length of the run combine to make one of the best day creek runs anywhere.

River runs/park and play

Upper and Lower Gauley River, West Virginia, USA.

Name your weapon: playboats, creek boats, 1/2 slices, full slices, slalom boats, squirt boats, long boats. The Gauley River provides such a fantastic combo of water types, cool slots, boofs, play waves, play holes, eddy lines, mystery moves, seal launches, and distance that it can put a smile on any kayaker’s face that can run class 3-4. The Gauley Dam is the put-in of the Upper, and the river provides as much or little action as you desire right out of the gate. I am partial to a playboat on this river due to the endless macho and mystery moves, holes, etc. and the fact that you can run all of the slots, etc., in a playboat as well.

However, many people either want less energy expended on the 12 miles or 25-mile run (Marathon – upper, middle, and lower combined) or just like to go fast. The most notable rapid, Pillow Rock, creates a spectacle during the Gauley Festival that likely has the most and most enthusiastic spectators of any river in the world. If you want to paddle with your friends and everyone else’s friends, this is the river, and the festival weekend is the time. Rafts create an extra layer of excitement as they will be coming every few seconds and the guides come in two kinds – those trying to miss you and those trying to hit you. Most people can do without the crowds and prefer the river during any weekend but Gauley Festival. I like both. For the pure experience of the river – go in the off season, but hit the festival to see things you wouldn’t ever see on a river otherwise.

The river has some undercuts and sieves to watch out for, so take it seriously. However, the rapids are good old-fashioned Appalachian whitewater, with massive boulders and fairly continuous whitewater. There are two ways out of the Upper Gauley – find a ride up from the bottom or set shuttle, or park at the field at the top and do the ‘hike’. I consider the hiking part of the experience and always do it, even if I have a shuttle. I do it as fast as possible, telling me about my current physical condition. It is another reason I like the playboat, much lighter. High water Gauley is quite a ride. Big rains, and you can have over 10,000 cfs easily, which makes for an amazing big water adventure. 

Caney Fork, Tennessee, USA.

I have to put this river on my list. After all, I chose to live here over anywhere in the USA after eight years of full-time RV living. I could have moved anywhere as my income was from being an athlete, and I never had to ‘go to work’ other than go kayaking. I chose this location due to the Caney Fork River, first off. A place called ‘Rock Island’ is a very short river run that can be done as a park and play, or park and Huck.

Rock Island is nestled between two lakes, ‘Great Falls Lake’ and ‘Center Hill Lake’. One and a half miles of whitewater is in between those lakes. Directly below Great Falls Dam is one of the best 15-20’ waterfall sections and a class 5 rapid I named Sieve City when I moved here. From there, the ‘Put-in Waves’, the ‘Top Waves’, the ‘Main Hole’, ‘Brave Wave Rapid’, and finally ‘Boat Ramp Rapid’ that dumps into the lake. What makes this section of the river special is the combination of runnable days. 300+ days/year it runs. Sometimes 365.

The variety of water levels – from 1,500 CFS (one generator) to 100,000 cfs with all the spill gates open. In the winter (December-May), it averages over 7,000 cfs. This means that you have big water playboating, combined with waterfalls, and a class 5 rapid that varies from ‘Creeking’ to BIG WATER, like Rapid #9 on the Zambezi big. This location is why I stayed relevant in freestyle and creek racing while starting and running my kayak company and raising kids.

I could leave my house and be on the water in three minutes, either training in my freestyle kayak in the Main Hole, on Brave Wave, Workout waves, Put-in Waves, Top Wave, 3rd Wave, BackStage, or I was running the falls and Sieve City in my creek boat (or playboat). Dane’s first waterfall was here at Rock Island at age nine, also his first ‘freewheel’ the same year. Today the falls are running at a good low level, and Dane, Joel, Nick, and I will be running them. You’ll see Cobra Flips, freewheels, McNasties, etc., as well as some cool lines down Sieve City.

OK – yes, there is an entire river run upstream that we call the ‘Upper Caney Fork’. It is 30 minutes upstream and ranges from class 2-5 depending on the rapid and water level. A remote Cumberland Plateau run with a classic five-mile, four-wheel-drive take-out makes it more of an experience. Trailer Park Wave is one of the best freestyle spots in the world at the correct level period. Want to scare yourself? High water run of Devil’s Kitchen will do that for you, or you can go at low flows and be a class 3 boater and have a great time, walking only Devil’s Kitchen.

The Potomac River, Washington, DC/Potomac, Maryland, Great Falls, Virginia, USA.

If you have a job that you work eight hours/day, you may want to live here. The Potomac River drops 80 feet over Appalachian bedrock into the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Bald Eagles circle overhead, while the river creates some of the most spectacular whitewater in the world. This is a wide rapid, with dozens of channels, including the Fish Ladder off on river left on the Maryland side. Two hundred thousand cfs is super high water, and 1,500 CFS is low water.

This naturally flowing river gives you every water level you could want. Great Falls are class 4-5, depending on water levels and your line. It has honed the skills of many a great paddler. I spent the 80s and early 90s there and dominated the creek racing scene mostly from my daily paddling at Great Falls (combined with slalom training). Below the falls is Mather Gorge, a classic class 2-5 gorge depending on water. ‘O-Deck and Rocky Island’ are two classic surfing waves still rocking today. ‘Maryland Chute’ is a class 2 play spot where you will always find somebody paddling. ‘Little Falls’ is another class 2-3 section.

You can run and paddle back up the C and O Canal to your vehicle. This turns into massive big water run with +15-foot standing waves at high water. You’ll take-out in DC proper, making it a real gem for a city-run. Want the ultimate kayak experience on the 4th of July? Paddle down little falls to the ‘Tidal Basin’ and have somebody drive your shuttle, bring food and beer and watch the DC fireworks brought to you by the USA. There are no better fireworks that I know of, with a budget over $300,000.
What makes the Potomac special is that every run on it can be done without a shuttle! The C and O Canal parallels the river, and you can paddle back up to the put-in on the canal. Of course, ‘attainments’ are possible there, as this river has more people attaining rapids than any other river in the world. Put in at the take-out, paddle up the gorge, surf, and return. That is a Potomac River phenomenon. 

Ottawa River, Ontario, Canada.

What is special about the Ottawa? It is a spring, summer, and fall destination that never disappoints and a big water playboating river that is good at any level. The most famous two waves come in at opposite ends of the river level spectrum. Garberator is summer lows, and Buseater is in during spring highs. Every level in between has something fun. Corner Wave, 7/8 Hole, Lunchstop Waves, Phil’s Hole, Sattler’s Hole, Triple Nipple, Big Smoothy, Blacks, Waikiki, Big Bus, Pushbutton, Butcher’s Knife whirlpools, Chopping Block… the list goes on! It is five miles long and contains two separate channels after the first rapid – ‘McCoys’.

The middle channel is a lower volume section and typically easier, except for the only big steep rapid, Garvins, which has numerous lines that can get the heart going, such as Dragon’s Tongue, ST Chute, and Elevator Shaft. The main channel has the biggest water, and Colosseum gets quite big at high water. The two channels converge at the take out again, making shuttles the same no matter which channel you choose. Three World Freestyle Championships were held there. One in 1997 at McCoys, one in 2007 at Buseater, and one in 2015 on Garberator. That should tell you something about the quality of play on this river!

The Kaituna, Rotorua, North Island, New Zealand.

This is my final entry into my top 12. First off, New Zealand is a country you must visit if you haven’t already. It is the first country to make me question my USA citizenship. “No shirt, no shoes, no problem.” I like the attitude there. The Kaituna River I first experienced in 1998 and then again in 1999 during the World Championships for freestyle. Spending three months in New Zealand that year with my family, Rotorua was a town we wanted to hang out in, and the Kaituna was a river we wanted to run every day. The river is special due to its nature. It is a creek, with a waterfall, and an amazing play hole.

It is home to some of the most successful creek racers, freestyle, and slalom boaters in the world — Nikki Kelly, Sam Sutton, Kenny Mutton, Mike Dawson, to name a few. The waterfall is burnt into my long term memory. You sit in an eddy above it (unless you are rallying the river as most people do) under a dark canopy of trees, moss-covered rocks and look out into a bright caldron below.

The easy put-in and take-out locations make it such an easy run to do quickly. The play hole at the bottom was a huge attraction for me, but I hear you don’t have to wait in any lines today as the trend is race, race, race. It sounds like it is time to go back and get some hole time at the bottom of the run. You’ll also get some of the best coffee in the world at the local restaurants. Check out the ‘Fat Dog’ and order a Latte. Nikki Kelly was waiting tables there in the ‘90s and always seemed to have a good kayaker feel. Sidebar – go golfing and have boiling mud pits for hazards. The Geothermal action is centred in Rotorua.

Other mentions:
rivers lost

Reventazon, Turrialba, Costa Rica.

Dammed back in the late ‘90s, the ‘Peralta section’, my favourite run for many years, was cut in half and ‘Jungle Run’, among many other amazing rapids, were lost. However, the ‘Super Pasqua’ section is still awesome at high water. Take out at ‘Chepe’s Bar’ – Chepe died in 2002, but his son runs the place now or did. Van Halen 1984 and Dire Straights on the record player – Imperial Beer and ‘Guaro’ – sugar cane alcohol for shots. Landcruiser taxi shuttle back to town. The Pacuare River is right there, and while the rapids are not as cool, the river is gorgeous!   

The White Nile, Bujigali Falls, Uganda.

The Day 1 and Day 2 sections were once one of the most amazing places. Day 1 was dammed in 2006, and Day 2 recently. There are still a few rapids left, and there is still the section at Murchison Falls if you want to deal with hippos and tons of crocs. I spent many winters paddling there, starting in 2003 and eventually with my kids coming as early as 2006: big water, epic playboating, epic training on waves. I can credit my training on the ‘Ugly Sisters’ wave and ‘Nile Special’ wave and a few others for my win on ‘Buseater’ Wave for the World Championships in 2007.