Elk Lake Creek
Elk Lake to NF road 6380
| Difficulty | V |
| Length | 9.5 mi |
| Avg Gradient | n/a |
| Gauge | Clackamas River Above Three Lynx Creek, or |
| Flow Rate as of 56 minutes | 1080 cfsbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | June 29, 2025 |
River Description
This is a long day of boating. It has been run starting from Elk Lake itself, but this adds some awkward portages around wood, no significant rapids and really sets a bad tone for the trip. Hammertongue is really the beggining of the upper run. The best way to access the river just above Hammertongue is to follow a small creek that starts in a slight swampy area off the access road to Elk Lake. Mapwork and good forest sense is essential here. The run is not the usual kayaking trip in that while there is good whitewater, it is seperated by lots of manky rapids with some wood issues. Bring a rock boat and treat it like the adventure it is.
The final gorge can be run by itself and when all the drops are runnable it is a good section of whitewater. Be sure to scout the Whale Tail ledge and rapid below it before committing to the gorge because when the wood prevents safe passage, this is a very scary portage. The whole gorge can be portaged.
The gauge is far downstream, so factors like snowmelt can make estimating flows difficult. A visual from the take out bridge is really the only way to know for certain. Read the oregonkayaking.net trip report to get a feel for estimating levels. To run the upper section, 4000 cfs on the Three Lynx gauge is a reasonable minimum to shoot for. The lower run has been done with the same gauge reading just over 2000. Be careful at the upper range of flows, as the final gorge will get more challenging and dangerous. Portage on the left using the trail if need be, dropping down to creek level through a gulley or continue on the trail to the road.
Trip Report from oregonkayaking.net
Trip Report from Oregon Paddling
River Features
Put In
Look for a small creek that forms gradually out of a swampy area and roughly follow this to Elk Lake Creek. It will take some intuition and luck to hit it just right. The tendancy is to parallel the road too much and end up at Elk Lake itself and while it is possible to start here, the creek below the lake is small with wood hazards and difficult to move around in the woods. Better is to drift slightly dowstream as you walk until you find the small tributary creek and start where it meets Elk Lake Creek which should be only a few paddle strokes above Hammerhead Rapid.