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Class: IV-; Ave. Gradient: 20 m/km; Portages: 1 (V+); Length: 8 km; Time: 2.5 hours
Season: August to October; rafts? no; Highlights: pretty sandstone riverbed; Crux Move: catching the water
Water Quality: good; Water Temperature: cool
PI: roadside (elev.: 840m); TO: Guerrero bridge
Description: (click here for general notes about my descriptions)
The Guerrero is a lovely little creek draining a sandstone masif, unusual in these parts. If you're in the area during the height of the rainy season it's worth checking out.
There are several rather long/steep rapids along the way, mostly in the first hour, with a handful worthy of a careful scout. There is only one rapid you are likely to portage, though, coming about halfway through the run. The last 15 feet of this rapid drop off into an ugly mess of rock and foam with no obvious clean line. The portage is easy.
The rest of the run is mostly class III read-n-run.
Flash Flood Danger: normal.
Descent History: The only known descent was in October 2005 by George Pratsinak, Mark Shimanski, and myself (a week after Hurrican Stan).
Flow Notes: The only gage is way downstream on the Río Independencia, linked to below. However, the Guerrero's fractional contribution is very small. You will need some luck to catch a boatable flow. My impressions are with 700 cfs at the TO.
click here for the height graph |
Shuttle Notes: The town of Guerrero lies on a main highway about 8 km south of Frontera Comalapa. Where the highway crosses over the river is the TO. For the PI, take the river-right street uphill for 6.4km to a point close to the creek. (The road runs close the river all the way, and this is the last point of contact in this area.)
For those without a car, you may be able to find a truck in Guerrero to take you up the hill, or a safer bet is in Comalapa.
Accommodations: Frontera Comalapa has several budget hotels.
Nearby Tourist Attractions: Not much in this area.
mayanwhitewater.com, the guide to the rivers of Chiapas, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador © 2012
