Williamson
Kirk to Williamson River Campground
| Difficulty | IV-V |
| Length | 7.4 mi |
| Avg Gradient | n/a |
| Gauge | Williamson River Near Klamath Agency, or |
| Flow Rate as of 56 minutes | 0 cfsbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | March 29, 2024 |
River Description
FLOWS: This run doesn't have water all that often, so data is limited. It only runs during large snow years when the Klamath Marsh fills and spills. When that happens the run can be consistenly in for days or weeks.
From two trips in 2017 we gathered what a likely minimum range is. The low limit of 300 cfs is not set in stone, but the boaters who ran the stream in 2017 felt they wouldn't want to go in there with all that much less water than they had. The two trips (photos in the photos tab) at 400 and 375 cfs were fun flows, but both groups felt the stream would be even more enjoyable with more water. How much more water? We are not sure yet. If you do a run in there, let us know the flow and what you thought of it in the comments.
STREAM: A unique run on the dry side of the Cascades. The water is tannin-colored, possibly the only whitewater run in Oregon of this palette?
Flat water near the top and bottom, railroad on the left side of the canyon and arterial roads high on the right. These are the things that bound a rugged gorge with fun rapids, straight forward scouting and portaging, all in a unique and scenic setting. The first set of two ledges is called Root Beer Falls by the locals. Most of the rapids on this run feature fun ledges from 5-10' tall. The pool depth situation on this run is a bit dubious, but there is a fun and runnable part of every rapid save possibly one, scout thoroughly.
The crux of the run comes near the end as paddlers enter The Brewery, a series of 4 large rapids. Three of these have been run for sure, the tallest vertical drop (~20') will probably get run some day but an uncertain depth on top of other hazards has kept anyone from probing as far as has been recorded. It's the kind of drop that if the probe had a good line, others would likely follow. A summertime scout might solve the depth question.
There is also a known climbing wall on r
...River Features
Put In
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Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportIn the heart of the Williamson Canyon.
400 cfs
An exceptionally fun and lap-able slide at the entrance to the Brewery.
400 cfs
About as easy as they come, so far as put-ins go.
400 cfs 4/15/2017
Pleasant floating near the beginning of the run.
400 cfs 4/15/2017
Priscilla Macy run the last large rapid on the run, the final drop of The Brewery.
400 cfs 4/15/2017
Ben Mckenzie runs a fun rapid on his birthday trip.
400 cfs 4/15/2017
Emile Elliott runs the second tier of Root Beer Falls
400 cfs 4/15/2017