This is a small river, but fast and furious without a breakout to be found. The get-in is above the bridge where the road crosses sides of the river above Les Borels. To get there, follow signs for Orciers for about 15 km, until the road splits. The water is up to grade IV and is more fun than it looks. It only takes about 20 minutes to do this section! Get out on the gravel area where the road crosses the river. This river is recommended for a laugh, but it wouldn't be so funny if someone went for a swim due to its unrelenting nature. In lowish water this may be technical, but it certainly wasn't when we did it - it was a straight thrash.
At the get out the guage (river right) was on 0.80m when we bombed this.
This is a totally different river to the Drac Blanc. The upper and lower are tight, difficult, rocky low volume grade V sections, whilst the middle part is a gravel bed type river with many islands, shallow easy water, but desperate undergrowth hazards!
We had a good level of water, but it was not in flood conditions. There is a gauge on the river, but it's about half way down the second grade V section, and I can't remember what it read, strangely enough. The get-in was from the road bridge immediately under Orcièrs (the road goes up to Les Audibers). The water is immediately hard, and continues like this down to the next bridge, after about half km. This then starts the gravel section, which has little to recommend it except as a link to the next part of the river, in about 2 km distance.
A bridge, plus a stream dropping precipitously on the left, marks the next stage of the river, a section of over a kilometre of grade 5 type canoeing. Inspection is more or less essential, but it can all be paddled, including the pipe bridge near the end! This is a series of pipes laid across the river and covered in gravel to make a road. Pop through the tunnel (left is the lowest route) into a notable stopper on the other side! You'll live. Get out at the confluence with the Drac Blanc and clamber up to the road.
It is probably possible to do this river from higher than we tried it. However, this is certainly as hard as the hard bits lower down, so care will be needed.
The canoeable section of the Drac proper is well below the confluence of the Drac Noir and the Drac Blanc. This is a large river, but even with a good water level is rather shallow compared to the Durance. It is grade 2-3 normally but in high water (we paddled it when it was chocolate coloured) it goes up to grade IV. It is a long paddle with the occasional wave or stopper worth playing on. At least the current caries you quickly. If you get bored you can get out where the N85 crosses the river at the Café du Drac. This is a good spot for lunch as it is a couple of hours gentle paddle down. There are two gauges under and downstream of the bridge. When we did it at a reasonable level, the first was out of the water, and the second (left, 50m down river) read 0.84. The concrete base of the bridge could be walked on and was 15cm out of the water.
Continue down to the D217 road bridge, which turns off the N85 at le Motty. The river beyond here gorges up and eventually runs into a lake, but only after going over a 20 foot barrage. Do not attempt to paddle to the lake. It is a long paddle across the lake to the roads nearest approach to the water, and the barrage is potentially dangerous as it lurks within a gorge. This piece of river is not very good compared with the upper sections nor with the Severaise, but is a good run for beginners.The get in is 1.5 hours drive from Guillestre.
Where the road climbs to go to Le Clot, turn down to the river and get in by the bridge which carries a sign about snails. After about 1 km, the footbridge of Le Casset rolls up, and the next section is a rather fine technical shoot of IV+ at the quite high level we paddled it. This can be paddled without inspection. The river then settles down to grade III until the get out which is on the road just above the village of Villar Loubière, by the camping municipal. A barrage at this town spoils the canoeing downstream. There was a guage at the campsite bridge which read 52cm at this enjoyable level.
The river appears more or less uncanoeable above Le Bourg. If the road is taken in this direction, the river is obviously very hard - it includes big drops and boulder chokes, and appears to vanish under a huge boulder bridge at one point. It may be possible to attempt this section, but portages and inspection would be needed.
The Terry Storry guide is wrong to suggest that this river can be canoed above Le Bourg in high water - it would be dangerous without special precautions.
The scenery at the head of this valley is particularly excellent.
This is a good grade IV run in the Drac area. It was suggested to us that you could get in just above the village of St Dizdier, but after driving up that far in the pissing rain and looking at the river which runs close by the road, we decided that this was bollox. You would need a hell of a lot of water to paddle up here and it would then be grade V-VI for a lot of it.
We got in at the D537 bridge. There's a guage here which read something between 30 and 50cm while we were doing the shuttle, but it kept changing. The river was also a dark chocolate colour courtesy of a load of pissing rain.
A little way down from here the river is enlarged by two sizeable snowmelt tributaries. Just below this is another road bridge (the D217). In lower water this might provide a good alternative access point. A hundred metres down river is a footbridge marking a grade V rapid. After this the river is grade IV(V). Quite a long way downstream there is a footbridge over the river, immediately before a tight gorge. Do not pass this footbridge as you can't get out below this, and you really, really need to! Get out before the bridge and portage via a steep track on the river left. Once in again the remainder is up to grade IV+, including a very nice gorge just before the river passes under a road bridge as it enters the Lac du Sautet.
Put in immediately below the D526 road bridge at Entraigues at a little footbridge. Directly under the bridge it is grade VI. Below this bridge the river is grade III down to an alternative get in at Pont du Prêtre. There is a gauge here, and good levels exist when this is between 70cm and 80cm. Below this bridge the river becomes grade IV. About half way down there is a grade V-VI slot which is quite hard to spot early but can be portaged with difficulty. The get out point is at a dam at Pont Haut, close by the N85.
Bertie adds: "Get in at Estraingues. There's a good campsite here with free hot showers and sheltered cooking area. The slot was paddlable. Can escape via a viaduct if necessary on river right. The lower gorges approach IV+ in places and there was a portage just after the viaduct."
Contents Top