Difficulty: Class III (one IV) Length: 35 miles Flows: 1,000 to 10,000 cfs at Agness Put-in: Grave Creek Take-out: Foster Bar Gradient: 15 ft/mi The Rogue River is one of the great river trips of North America. The U.S. Congress included the Rogue as one of the original eight “charter” rivers to receive protection under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in 1968. A trip down the Rogue River is memorable for its fun Class II and III rapids, lush green scenery, warm water, and abundant… Read More
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Deciding between the two most common oar retention systems, oar locks and pins and clips, is a common debate among boaters. It’s much like the “ale vs lager” debate for beer drinkers. Some people only drink one type of beer, say derogatory things about the alternative and couldn’t fathom switching sides; enlightened people realize that there are times and places for both. Most rowers feel strongly about one method of attaching their oars to their frames, but have little or no experience with the alternative methods.… Read More
The West Fork of the Hood River is the best Class IV run in the Columbia Gorge. It has consistently fun rapids, two beautiful basalt gorges, and is fun at a wide variety of flows. Most people take-out just above Punchbowl Falls, which is a great lower leg work out for kayakers and a rope challenge for rafters. Difficulty: Class IV Length: 5.5 miles Gradient: 82 fpm Put-In: Lake Branch Take-Out: Punchbowl Falls Flow: 4.5 to 7 feet Hood River at Tucker Bridge. Class V at… Read More
The Lake Branch is a major tributary of Oregon’s West Fork of the Hood River and one that I’ve wanted to paddle for a long while. It’s known for its steep, challenging rapids that tumble through a beautiful canyon. Difficulty: Class IV-V Length: 2.2 miles Gradient: 113 fpm Put-In: Diver’s Creek Take-Out: West Fork Confluence Flow: Around 6 feet on the Hood River at Tucker Bridge The Lake Branch starts with a couple miles of Class III rapids that are a perfect warm-up. As the canyon… Read More
On October 26, 2011 the Condit Dam on the White Salmon River was removed after years of negotiations between environmental groups, FERC, and state and local governments. It was built in 1913 to supply power to paper companies in Washington and was decommissioned to comply with modern environmental laws and increased maintenance costs. This is great news for rafters and kayakers and even better news for the Columbia’s salmon and steelhead. Removal of the Condit Dam restored approximately 33 miles for steelhead and 14 miles for… Read More
BOOM, went the dynamite at 12:10 PM on the White Salmon River. The water hurtled forth in a frothy, gray gusher as the crowds cheered this historic explosion. It was an amazing site to see this sad, dry riverbed come alive almost instantly with churning whitewater. Northwestern Lake (the dam’s reservoir) already looks like a river again, 30 minutes later. Over 10 years of effort by American Rivers and the Yakama Indian Nation have culminated in the blast that will drain the reservoir. Boaters and river… Read More
Vladimir Gavrilov wrote this fantastic book about the whitewater rivers of the former Soviet Union. He led many expeditions in the 1970s and 1980s throughout his native Russia as well as the Ukraine, Georgia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. This book describes the major rivers of these countries and includes stories from his expeditions. This is a book written with boaters in mind. You’ll find complete logistics, maps, and detailed descriptions of over 40 different Class IV – VI whitewater rivers. You’ll also enjoy the pictures… Read More
“The love of wilderness is more than a hunger for what is always beyond reach; it is also an expression of loyalty to the earth … the only home we shall ever know, the only paradise we ever need — if only we had the eyes to see.” – Edward Abbey Last week we explored the National Wild and Scenic Chetco River, a little known entirely free-flowing river with its headwaters and almost half its watershed in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness. Our team was Zach Collier, Andy… Read More
Last week I went out with a few of my trusted boating buddies to run the beautiful Rough and Ready Creek, which is a tributary of the Illinois River in Southern Oregon. Rough and Ready Creek flows from the Kalmiopsis Wilderness, through the South Kalmiopsis Roadless Area and the Rough and Ready Botanical Area and Area of Critical Environmental Concern. With the West Fork Illinois River, it hosts to the highest concentration of rare and endemic plants in Oregon and one of the highest in North… Read More
This last weekI joined a trip down Idaho’s South Fork of the Salmon River. This is a little known tributary to the Salmon River near the more famous Middle Fork of the Salmon River in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. The South Fork is rarely run since it has difficult Class IV and V rapids that can only be run in a narrow range of flows for a few weeks each year. Secesh River We started our trip on the Secesh River, which… Read More