trip description
Our journey begins at True North Outpost where you will check in, gear up and meet your guide. We will shuttle you to the put-in in Niagara, WI, where the river flows next to granite bluff walls of 100 or more feet. On the trip, we’ll guide you past these rugged rock bluffs and through breathtaking scenery, where it is not uncommon to see native wildlife such as deer, fish and native birds like the Bald Eagle, as we are floating right through their nesting habitat.
Once we are on the river, we’ll go through an initial safety discussion, learn to paddle, and play some games to get started. After about 45 minutes of team building, swimming, splashing, and drifting, we enter a stretch of class I – II+ rapids that travel through dense northern forest land.
Before entering the class IV + rapids, we arrive at the ancient Piers Gorge Portage Trail. Anyone who does not meet our minimum requirements or who does not want to ride through the class IV+ rapids will remain at the portage trail overlook to watch from shore. Those who are willing and able to ride through the Gorge will climb back into the raft and get ready for the adventure ahead.
After traveling through this whitewater section of river, we walk back up to the overlook to rally with our onlookers, we can then switch supervising adults before we go through the Gorge a second time. We then collect our onlookers, depart from the lower beach, and travel down a little further to our last rapid, ‘Terminal Surfer’. At "surf hole" (conditions dependent) we can surf any who are willing.
Due to this river’s unique operating platform we are able to accommodate children and persons with certain impairments on a class IV river trip. Persons who require supervision must be accompanied by a competent individual from their group on the portage trail. The supervising adult will have the opportunity to switch out with another supervising adult for the second run, ensuring everyone gets a ride through the Gorge.
At approximately a half mile in length, the Class IV section of Piers Gorge whitewater rafting is short in duration in comparison to other rivers, but it is not to be minimized. The rapids are large, immensely powerful, technically challenging, demanding, and FUN!
CHILDREN UNDER AGE 12
We have something special for the youngsters not going through the class IV rapids. From the moment they gear up they are going to be part of our “Junior Raft Guide Program”. They will have special instructions at the put in as to what to look for during their training on the flat water.
When the group gets to the beach above the class IV whitewater they will meet their Junior Raft Guide Trainer who will take care of them for the next part of your trip. They will accompany their trainer to the overlook where they will watch the rest of the group go through Piers Gorge and learn about the river features & “How to guide the big water!” After they take photos at the gorge with the group they will walk down to the bottom beach and learn how to guide a boat.
Once the group is done with their second run in the gorge your child may get back in the boat with you if they would like. Otherwise they will help their trainer in guiding the boat through the next rapid called terminal surfer. After that, they will be free to hang out with your group for the rest of the trip. After we get back to the outpost, at the counter they are given their junior guide prize pack and they are then a “Certified Junior Raft Guide!”
Please call ahead to check the availability of this option. It may not be available on all trips each day.
