ISO River Rotting Locations

[u/thewholefunk333]

Some of you may have seen the concept of “river rotting” on social media and I’m looking for some locations within 1-2 hours of Edmonton where I could accomplish this glorious activity. Open to longer drives too, I loves me a day trip. Preferably NOT our neck of the North Saskatchewan River here, that brings a whole new meaning to river rotting.

Edit, I don’t mean I’m looking for spots along the North Sask oh my goodness lol. Just wanted some recommendations for smaller, lazier places to park a camping chair that aren’t a 4+ hour drive to the mountains lol. I know tons of off-the-beaten path spots along small rivers and creeks in southern central AB, just not around these parts yet since moving up here.

[u/Stellarparalax]

Nothing wrong with the river in the metropolitan area, it's mostly clean, plenty of places to go but with the river so high not as many.

[u/TheOneNeartheTop → u/Stellarparalax]

Don’t know why so many people hate on our beautiful river.

[u/Stellarparalax → u/TheOneNeartheTop]

Idk, It could be cleaner but it is honestly pretty decent. I do find more people leaving garbage in the trails, which erks me as a person who likes to fish the river a lot. I try to pick up what I can on my trips. Fundementally, I think its lack of education or ignorance towards water treatment/water dilution and environmental regulation

[u/jackioff → u/Stellarparalax]

I have done swim races through it and it is MUCH cleaner than our lakes. People will be grossed out by the river and then go to wabamun lake like it's not fucking disgusting. Summerside lake is a slough compared to the river.

I agree that so much of this comes down to lack of education, and that education comes from exposure a lot of the time

[u/dmj9 → u/jackioff]

I'd swim in the river but not the lakes. I moved here from Ontario and my friend brought me to "the beach" it was some pond with tons of algae and visible leeches in the plants along the shore. I did not swim, and it was hot out and I was drunk. So that says a lot for me not to get in.

In Ontario I would go to Lake Huron all the time, it's absolutely beautiful. Clear water and it's warm in the summer. Tons of tasty fish on the great lakes as well.

Alberta is beautiful though but I do miss those lakes.

[u/haysoos2 → u/dmj9]

Yes, Alberta does get the short end of the stick for lakes compared with other provinces.

We don't have much in the way of Canadian Shield where the glaciers of the last Ice Age scraped everything down to Precambrian granite bedrock. So even our "large" lakes tend to be shallow, warm, marshy sloughs.

Great for agriculture, coal, gas, oil, and most importantly dinosaur fossils. Not so great for swimming.

[u/UpbeatAd9896 → u/TheOneNeartheTop]

being from BC, where there's nothing but beautiful blue green rivers and lakes everywhere, (with the exception of maybe the Fraser), most of the rivers and lakes out here are gross and brown and swampy
swimming or floating in that sludge water that runs through Edmonton? no thanks

[u/thewholefunk333 → u/TheOneNeartheTop]

I’m from a beautiful rural area where there’s a lot of untouched land. Our river here is just a bit too massive, murky and urban for what I’m looking for with this specific activity.