Wilko wrote in :

John Fereira wrote:

For those with class IV skills, how many would be satisfied paddling a
class I-II river if it was in their own backyard? How far you're
willing to drive to paddle also depends on what kinds of waters you're
willing to settle for and that is largely dependant upon ones
experience.

If only we had class I-II in our backyard. The nearest class I/II, if
it has enough water, is at least 100 miles away... And although I'd
prefer class IV stuff, that's at least as far away from here, again, if
there is enough water. For most of the year, we simply have no
whitewater of any kind for a day trip. The sea surf or fla****er
playboating is the only alternative for us. :-(

We have somewhat similar conditions here. There are a few local streams
that offer class I-II conditions limited times in the year or (even class
III-IV during flood conditions). However, he Moose river is about 4 hours
away. It is also very seasonal in that for several months of the year much
of the water in the area is frozen. While I have paddling clothing for
immersion in cold water I don't often padding in the winter locally.
Instead, I don't take vacation time in the summer, but instead travel south
in the fall, winter, or early spring where I can paddle in warmer water.

I used to drive to the Czech Republic every 2nd weekend, that got me
decent whitewater for part of the year, but we're talking 600+ miles,
one way.

When I used to do a lot of downhill skiing I would drive from the San
Francisco bay area to Lake Tahoe every other weekend (about 250 miles one
way) and would even do occasional day trips midweek. Similarly, there were
no "class I-II" rivers locally but when I did travel to ski I could ski one
of the best mountains in the country (Squaw Valley).