LaSalle Gorge Rapids

Below LaSalle is a 1/4-mile of LaSalle Gorge Rapids.  As a rock-walled gorge at about 1/3 the normal river width, flow is confined and intensity, especially through the steeper middle section, builds substantially (class 2-4) with flow rates over 500cfs.

There is a very good portage trail that is available for doing multiple runs.  The signed, downriver end of the portage starts on river-right, up a narrow crack in the bedrock, off of the large circulating pool immediately after the end of the rapids.

However, the put-in for running just the gorge-rapids is challenging.    Which side of the river you choose to put in on can depend on flow.  The river-right put-in has a large, strong circulating eddy which, from shore, can be challenging to escape from.  At flows below 500CFS, having to paddle free of the upriver eddy-current can be avoided by hiking along the narrow edge of land at the base of the vertical rock wall and launch just past the eddy.  The downriver entrance into the gorge rapids starts on river-left so put-in on river-right requires a ferry-maneuver across the outflow current from the falls.  With flows above 500 CFS, the large, strong circulating eddy, on river-right, fills right up to the rock wall leaving no land to walk out beyond the eddy.  In such cases, it may be desirable to put-in at the base of the falls on river-left.  The river-left put-in is rugged and has no established trail.  To put-in on the left, paddle across from river-right to river-left well above the falls (above the small island) and take-out somewhere that landing is safely possible.  The bushwhack-carry is along the shore and down 2 rock ledges to a somewhat precarious, step-off, put-in near the river-left base of the falls.  Put-in at this location makes starting the gorge rapids more directly downriver than put-in on river-right.