The Saugeen River Again

As I've said, the Saugeen is a popular river for canoeing in these parts.  The Conservation Authority has arranged access points up and down the river, with good maps posted and available online, so it's easy to access the water and plan your outing.  I haven't seen any other river where canoeing is promoted so well.

This time we're paddling the main Saugeen, a little further up the watershed, starting east of Hanover and finishing some distance downstream from Walkerton.  

For the most part it's an easy-going river, and the paddling was pleasant.

We went under several old railway bridges, this one from the Wellington Grey and Bruce Railway, built in the 1870s but long since decommissioned.  The pillars are original but the bridge itself has a new deck, suitable for biking and hiking.

We portaged around the small dam in Hanover, and sat in the shade for lunch.

We went back in a few weeks and started again at Walkerton.  Soon after you come to this tall sweeping sandbank, lining a large bend in the river.  The current speeds up here and you need to be careful going through the only real whitewater you'll encounter.

High on the vertical bank are these homes of bank swallows.

The water is a little choppy here, but you could stand up anywhere if you needed to.

We found a gravel bar for lunch, 

And I found this bright purple Vervain, entangled with the white blossoms of Wild Cucumber.

This is the sort of map that's posted at every access point.  Makes it pretty easy to see where you are.

They're posted at all the access points, with a few parking spaces and a way to get down to the river.  All in all this was an enjoyable paddle, spread over two days.