Questions tagged [rivers]
Questions referencing Rivers, this may also include springs, streams, tributaries and river mouths.
65
questions
21
votes
5
answers
6k
views
How can I find the safest place to cross a frozen river from a map?
Where is the better chance the ice on the frozen river in winter will be thicker and safer to cross?
I expect the river width oscillates between the following conditions:
on a shallow, wider, slower ...
- 311
4
votes
1
answer
411
views
How long does it take to sail up the Mississippi?
The head of navigation of the Mississippi River depends on the type of craft and on the source you look at. For large oceangoing ships, it seems to be Baton Rouge, but otherwise, seems to be the Coon ...
- 1,691
2
votes
1
answer
137
views
Why would a glacier-fed river have its peak flow levels at mid morning?
How would the Hoh river, glacier fed, have peak flow at about 9am?
The meter is about 20 nautical miles from the source, and Google suggests it's about 40 river miles. It should only take 10 hours ...
- 21
1
vote
2
answers
161
views
Is the head of navigation same for sailing and motorboats?
Rivers are often described as having a 'head of navigation', the furthest upstream point you can reach in a ship coming from the sea. Does this equally apply, regardless of propulsion method?
In ...
- 1,691
6
votes
5
answers
591
views
Can you notice a waterfall in time to get off the river?
If you are going downstream by canoe or raft on an unfamiliar river, and there is a waterfall ahead, are you likely to be able to detect the sound and the cloud of spray sufficiently far in advance to ...
- 1,691
26
votes
5
answers
6k
views
Is it significantly faster to hike along a river bank?
Hiking through old-growth forest with no trail, is a lot slower than hiking on a trail. The actual speed seems to vary greatly depending on the particular forest, with estimates ranging from perhaps 1 ...
- 1,691
17
votes
5
answers
7k
views
Figuring out from a map which direction is downstream for a river?
If you pull up a river on Google maps it's not clear what's downstream from what.
Like the Colorado River... Hoover Dam is downstream of the Grand Canyon, which is downstream of Lee's Ferry, which is ...
- 715
1
vote
1
answer
169
views
tips for wading in knee deep water where water moccasins could roam
Lately I've taken up a new hobby: taking pictures of train trestle bridges. There's one that goes over the San Gabriel river in Texas that I can get within half a mile of but any further than that ...
- 715
2
votes
5
answers
14k
views
How dangerous is it to swim in the Amazon river?
I have a long term dream of visiting the Amazon rainforest. I have been trying to determine how dangerous it is to swim in the Amazon river. I realise it is a large river, with various side channels - ...
- 131
3
votes
1
answer
161
views
How long would it take to canoe the entire length of the Belize River upstream in July?
Hopefully someone has made this trip so I can craft a realistic scenario for a novel I’m writing.
Assuming you had a crew of one experienced paddler and two inexperienced paddlers, about how long ...
- 201
6
votes
1
answer
95
views
How long to travel the Mopan River by canoe between San Ignacio and Melchor de Mencos?
I’m researching river travel for a novel and need to figure out about how long it would take a canoe to go from San Ignacio to Melchor de Mencos via the Mopan River. This would be upstream travel, so ...
- 201
1
vote
0
answers
90
views
How do you determine where to cast when fly fishing bigger, mostly featureless rivers?
Smaller streams are easy to tell where to cast when fly fishing given fish's tendency to hang out in pools or hole or undercut banks. It easy to decide where you need to cast and approximately where ...
- 69.2k
3
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Name of this Forked Fin Fish with Teeth Caught in Miami River, Florida, USA
What type of fish is this?
I caught this fish in the Miami River in Southern Florida, USA. This river is brackish I believe, so I am not sure whether it is saltwater or freshwater. It is brown, green,...
- 721
6
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Flat bottom boat trolling motor power
I am wondering how to estimate the needed motor power for boating upstream on big rivers like, for example, Danube. (mean the bottom to middle part, i.e. where the Danube is wide and "slow"?).
To be ...
- 163
11
votes
2
answers
721
views
How do you protect yourself against crocodiles when you have no option but to camp on the banks of a croc-infested river?
I am reading Escape Routes by David Roberts. This is a collection of 20 articles ranging from a winter ascent in Iceland to the first descent of a river in Ethiopia, the Tekeze, a major tributary of ...
- 23.4k
33
votes
4
answers
7k
views
In the US is it legal to travel on any river/creek my canoe will navigate?
I have always assumed that if my Canoe will float, and the waterway ultimately reaches an ocean it is legal to travel on.
I looked around for documents that said it clearly one way or the other. ...
- 30.3k
3
votes
1
answer
724
views
Small Islands in Androscoggin river, Berlin NH
We were recently driving through Berlin Hew Hampshire, and saw these small islands in the river for several miles. There was not a good place to stop and take a picture of them, but they show clearly ...
- 30.3k
5
votes
1
answer
539
views
Can you sit on the comfy trike saddle while the canoe is in the water?
My answer to How to carry a bicycle in a canoe? includes the image below.
The following question was asked in a comment, and to give it a decent answer, I am posting it as a new question.
...
- 30.3k
2
votes
1
answer
130
views
What causes the current in the interior lagoons of Presque Isle State Park PA?
There is canoe trail, in the interior lagoons of Presque Isle State Park PA. No gas engines are allowed, travel is bidirectional, like a bike path most travelers make a two way trip on the same path. ...
- 30.3k
24
votes
3
answers
4k
views
Can horses ford deeper/faster rivers than humans?
Is it safe to follow a equestrian trail and assume I can ford where the horse-trail does? Or should I expect equestrians to ford rivers too deep or swift to ford on foot? I'm thinking of the ...
- 27.1k
5
votes
0
answers
119
views
What's the best way to use bucktail jigs to catch Butterfly Peacock bass?
I would like to fish for Butterfly Peacock bass with some bucktail jigs, but I haven't been able to find information on the best way to rig my line to have a successful setup.
I live in Florida and ...
- 721
4
votes
2
answers
245
views
What is this 40 cm long greenish and golden shining fish with brown fins?
I caught this fish yesterday in St. John river in Canada. My father and I don't know what it is.
Fish like this have been caught recently (this Summer). Apparently, the fish was caught using worms.
- 41
10
votes
2
answers
370
views
Does fordable by 4WD imply fordable on foot?
I am investigating the feasibility of a hike looping around Hofsjökull. Among the foreseen challenges are 17 crossings of named rivers (and many smaller ones). All rivers I need to cross have 4WD ...
- 27.1k
7
votes
1
answer
241
views
Strange river level changes (similar to tides) near the "Lech Fall"
The "Lech Fall" in Austria is a huge waterfall with a small peninsula on its inflow. This picture gives a nice overview:
From Wikimedia
I was standing on that peninsula and experienced extremely ...
- 23.5k
11
votes
5
answers
5k
views
What are the risks of stream crossing with bare feet?
Sometimes while backpacking you have to cross streams, and from a weight point of view, it would be nicer to just cross in your bare feet, instead of bringing an extra pair of shoes along.
These ...
- 69.2k
12
votes
2
answers
1k
views
What is this floating raft-like object in the waters of a reservoir in Massachusetts?
My husband frequently walks at the Wachusett Reservoir, which spans a few towns in central Massachusetts.
This past Sunday he was on his usual path, and saw something floating in the water which he ...
10
votes
3
answers
2k
views
How can one know where to throw one's spear when spearfishing?
Spearfishing has been around ages and everyone has heard of how great the Native Indians were at spearfishing.
As we all know, light is refracted (bent) when it enters water. The key to spearing fish ...
- 9,619
11
votes
3
answers
449
views
How to cross rivers or streams at night or in darkness?
I am preparing a dayhike with some buddies of mine but to get to the trailhead, we have to cross more than ten river crossings which are passable by huge vehicles. The water there is quite fast and ...
- 1,521
5
votes
3
answers
4k
views
How can I use horsetail as a "indicator plant" to find gold while gold pannig?
How can I use horsetail as a indicator plant to find gold while gold pannig?
What are Indicator Plants?
Indicator plants are peculiar to a certain place. Though they aren’t necessarily rare, ...
- 9,619
7
votes
1
answer
1k
views
What is an ice circle, and how does it form?
I've seen ice do a lot of strange things, but I've never seen it do this before: Ice Circle spinning on Middle Fork Snoqualmie River (Vimeo).
What causes ice circles to form?
- 53.5k
8
votes
1
answer
188
views
Long term autonomous winter expedition northern Quebec/Labrador: Advices/questions
I'm pondering a longer-term hike in Northern Quebec/Labrador. Autonomous style, sky or snowshoe (TBD) with a sled etc. Right now, considering going Fermont, going south to Sept-Iles (possibly ...
- 510
13
votes
4
answers
4k
views
Why do some people stand inside the river fishing?
Why do some people stand in the water to fish and not just stand on the bank of the river? They get wet this way.
- 233
17
votes
3
answers
718
views
How can I take my dog kayaking?
I wonder if there are any dog crazy people like me out there who have ever tried to take their dogs kayaking or floating down the river. Has anyone seen anything created for dog-friendly kayak ...
- 171
13
votes
3
answers
434
views
Can I expect a mountain stream to have less water in the morning, even when it is not primarily fed by meltwater?
In late September 2015, I hiked part of the trail in the incredibly beautiful Lónsöræfi in southwestern Iceland, near Vatnajökull. The easternmost segment of the trail requires fording Hnappadalsá (...
- 27.1k
11
votes
3
answers
902
views
How do hikers cross fast-flowing rivers without wading staffs?
Outdoor instructions in Lapland often recommend to always use a wading staff for river crossings, and not a trekking pole. Ever since I purchased my Folding Wading Staff in a Swedish outdoor store, I ...
- 27.1k
10
votes
1
answer
577
views
Are there any possible telltale signs along a water's edge that it would be a good spot for gold panning?
A friend and myself would like to do some gold panning this summer for the first time. We both live in southern British Columbia and have the intention of going into some known gold producing areas.
...
- 9,619
10
votes
2
answers
7k
views
Bald eagle vs. vultures?
I witnessed a bizarre scene on the James River in Richmond, VA, USA (1000 yards west of Mayo Bridge if you want to examine Google Maps). It was on a large rock in the middle of the river, where nearly ...
- 291
18
votes
10
answers
9k
views
What is the best type of shoe to wear for crossing deep rivers?
I'm heading up for some walking to Scotland soon. I will need to cross multiple rivers.
I have no interest in crossing wearing my walking boots as so many people like to do as wet feet are the worst ...
- 399
12
votes
6
answers
4k
views
Can I use a blue plastic tarp to float my vehicle across water?
For those unaware, the US army has been using canvas tarps to float jeeps across water for decades.
Video http://www.criticalpast.com/video/65675028751_US-4th-Engineers-troops-with-Bantam-...
- 30.3k
21
votes
4
answers
16k
views
Can a human survive in Saltstraumen or other whirlpool?
I am fascinated and afraid (at the same time) of whirlpools and water currents.
I wonder if a average human could survive water currents or whirlpools or maybe even the Saltstraumen?
- 311
14
votes
2
answers
5k
views
In kayaking how would you escape an underwater whirlpool current if you were trapped in one?
In kayaking I've heard a term called the 'washing machine'. Apparently as a river is flowing over terrain it can create whirlpools and currents that swirl in all manner. Occasionally a condition can ...
- 873
5
votes
1
answer
352
views
Terminology and cues for reading river water when fly fishing
When reading or watching videos on about reading water for fishing in English, I often come across terms like riffle, run, pool, seam, among others. However, when I get o the river ready to float that ...
- 1,934
3
votes
1
answer
408
views
Creek discovery. Two structures at opposing ends of the bank. What are they?
I found these structures in a fairly inaccessible area of the creek. The oven like construction is made of bricks (which can be found around in the creek bed itself due to runoff) and mud for the seal ...
4
votes
1
answer
279
views
How many bike paths parallel the Ohio River?
I have a bike and canoe combination that I have been using to explore rivers in my area that have public access between the river and the bike path. I tow the canoe up the bike path and paddle back ...
- 30.3k
8
votes
3
answers
293
views
What is the longest stretch of bike trail that parallels a navigable river in the US?
I have begun adventuring where I drive to a boat launch on a river near a bike trail, put the canoe on a trailer, and tow the canoe up the trail with the bike. At another boat launch I put the canoe ...
- 30.3k
18
votes
4
answers
4k
views
Sleeping in an inflatable boat
I am going to make a trip on a river in an inflatable rowing boat. The trip is going to be two days long: one day down the river and the next day - back.
The question is how I should spend night. I ...
- 313
3
votes
0
answers
49
views
Sleeping in an inflatable boat [duplicate]
I am going to make a trip on a river in an inflatable rowing boat. The trip is going to be two days long: one day down the river and the next day - back.
The question is how I should spend night. I ...
- 313
12
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Advice on wild swimming in Ontario, Canada
I am pretty much a newbie when it comes to wild swimming, or swimming in rivers and lakes having only went once or twice. However, I'm an avid swimmer and have participated in several swimming ...
- 223
18
votes
3
answers
3k
views
How do you survive getting towed under a log jam?
When I was a boy, my father and I were unexpectedly swept into a log jam (pile of logs the size of a house) on the banks of the Elk River while canoeing near our home.
Somewhat similar looking jam, ...
- 53.5k
11
votes
5
answers
2k
views
River crossing in winter?
So we were out looking for some new ice to climb today and discovered this short pitch of ice:
There's only one problem:
The ice is on the wrong side of a rather wide creek. The nearest crossings ...
- 53.5k