Klamath

We launched from access one, and found the 7 miles leading up to the mouth of Wards Canyon to be delightful and much more entertaining and prettier than expected. Also, due to its fairly swift current, the float punctuated by class two rapids only took about an hour and a 45 before reaching the dramatic climbing basalt walls that mark the entrance of the Canyon. We found it to be swift enough to make easy progress and most likely would carry boaters with relative ease even with a little upstream wind.

because there Is currently no take-out access at this transition point, boaters will currently need to run the Canyon and should be comfortable on class IV read and run.

Wards Canyon's walls immediately begin to build, giving you a feeling of being small amidst the basalt grandure.

The entry rapid just above the dam site is a blind class III rapid and is best run down the gut of the first wave, staying center left. Be aware of a partially submerged Vehicle on river right.

once you enter the canyon, it's building class III to IV and pretty full on due to routing through a maze of root wads, grounded stumps, branches hanging over the banks, wood in the channel. Be vigilant and be aware that as the flows increase both rocks and wood will likely move around in the future. Being that this section had been behind a dam leaking under 20 CFS since 1910, it provided a perfect catalyst for tree growth in the river channel.

After a few long rapids with waves, holes and sporadic ledge holes sprinkled in, you arrive at the first stand out rapid with a very generous eddy on river left.

“Generator” marks the true start of the run as the rapids become pretty stacked below. This rapid is a clear left to right move above a few corner pocket, boat eater holes in a succession of waves on the inside of the left turn, culminating in a few smaller holes.

At this point, the run really takes on it’s gradually peaking difficulty, as you navigate boulder Gardens, sitting on top of bedrock lava flows. Several interesting 4 to 8 foot ledges begin to appear on the left or right of rapids and could prove to be some excellent side hustle lines for kayaks and small rafts.

The rapids get steeper, more constricted and reminisce the feeling of staring down horizon lines on the Hell’s Corner section of the upper Klamath. Wood remains a factor as branch nubbins are ever present in the main lines.

As you round the corner of the horseshoe bend, The canyon ends on a straightaway as the walls begin to recede marking the last 3/4 of a mile. But not before the whole run is punctuated by the final drop and climax of the run.

Don’t be fooled by the friendly pool at the bottom of Wards Falls. The river constricts through this final junky sieve pile, terminating in a river wide, steep boat stopper. Three of four kayaks saw the sky but managed to stay left, one raft swimmer just above the final move, a few stalled out rafts and one kayak gave us a nice rodeo show that ended in a less than friendly swim to river left.

With power company buildings on both sides and a bridge just below, The takeout at fall Creek is another 3/4-1 mile downstream. This class II run out has some small surf that looks to be promising as flows increase.