GPT74P (Rio Yelcho)

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* Start Date to Finish Date (use Format YYYY-MMM-DD) / Duration in Days / Hiking or Packrafting / Travel Direction (SOBO for Southbound or NOBO Northbound) / Chosen Route and/or Option Name (RR for Regular Route) / Names or Alias

Summary with remarks to route that are considered useful for other hikers and packrafters. Include alerts, suggestions and personal perception of attractiveness and difficulties.

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Section Log, Alerts and Suggestions

Season 2023/24

• 2024-Jan-18 to 2024-Jan-19 / 2 days / Packrafting / NOBO / GPT 74P Rio Yelcho / madnomad

The river had a great flow of 5 to 10 km/h usually. We scouted the first Rapid {74P} [10.9+0.2/55], where you can easily portage but in the end we paddled it on the far right side, as it was suggested in the previous comments and it was fine. The next rapids were even easier, so I would say this river is a good introduction for beginners. That doesn't mean it's totally calm but it's definitely not wild. The scenery is amazing and there are lots of wonderful spots to wildcamp! We chose the little, lush green island at Camp {74P} [33.1/10]. It seems we reached Chaiten during low tide and we struggled a bit to find a way to the ocean, as big parts of land were uncovered. We finally walked and dragged the packraft through the canals that were formed and we reached the deep water after a little detour.

• 2023-Nov-06 to 2023-Nov-09 / 3 days/ Packrafting/ Northbound / GPT 74P Rio Yelcho / Jordan Jennings

My time on Rio Yelcho succeeded days of heavy rain. The river was swollen and very pushy. My guess is that it was moving at around 12km/h. Maybe more. I appreciated headwinds.

Saying this, the biggest risks that I noted were the many (and usual) partially submerged trees. The first rapid, I easily portaged. There was even an eddy in perfect proximity in an adjacent creek flowing into Yelcho which allowed for an easy reentry. The second rapid, although I knew where it was on my gps, I passed without noticing. Perhaps it is more prominent with lower levels of water.

On my final day, I got a beautiful sunny day after 6 days of rain. From my camp 2/3rds down the river, I watched the sun come up over a gentle mist rolling down the valley. When the sun hit the mist, it lit up a stunning golden. One of the most spectacular sights I have ever seen.

Season 2021/22

• 2022-Jan-14 to 2022-Jan-15 / 1.5 days / Packrafting / NOBO / GPT 74P Río Yelcho / Tobias Schorcht

Río Yelcho is a fast floating and wide River. It’s well documented in the Track files with a numerous of beautiful camps all along the way. There are 2 easy Rapids. The First one is class 2, if you take the more fun line and paddle through the waves on the right side. The chicken line (class 1) is on the very right side, where a portage is also possible. The second rapid is class 1 and leads you through some fallen trees. Enjoy!

Season 2017/18

• February 2018 / GPT74P: Rio Yelcho / Jan Dudeck & Meylin Ubilla

We just paddled down Rio Yelcho from Puerto Cardenas to the Pacific. It’s the perfect river for packrafting. There are two moderate rapids that were easy to walk around now with lower water levels. There are plenty of nice places to camp along the river. There is just one downside: the river is just 40 km long. Therefore you could float down the river in one day but to appreciate the river at most camp before you reach the sea.

Links to other Resources

Retired Section Article GPT74P - Río Yelcho