Clackamas

This run was remodeled by the December 2025 floods and some rapids, like Monolith, are significantly different. That said it was still fun in hardshells & packrafts with a 3 lynx gauge reading of 1300 CFS, which translates to less than a third of that where we were paddling. There was one place just upstream from the hotsprings where two logs blocked the entire wet channel and it would have been an easy portage on the left but we ducked the logs on the left edge of the channel and made it. We also portaged Monolith, it still had the large log on the right (out of play at this low flow) and another piece of wood between the two large rocks in the middle. It did have a line--start right move left and punch hole.

There was only one portage on the section we ran, the wood pile that has been there for some time and is easily portaged along the road. We put in here and went left of the first island to avoid some wood: 45.02784567538855, -121.96556339626498

It appeared that one of the log hazards mid-way down the run had been cut and is now clear.

We took out just below the final boulder garden. Levels were on the low side of a friendly medium.

There are 3 river wide trees. 2 were mandatory portages at the flow we ran (~2500). All are visible from the road and also from well upriver when running it. All had easy eddies to catch. One is relatively early on, within about a half mile to a mile of the put-in. Easiest portage was on river right. You can eddy out, hop out, and slide boats over it easily. Second one thats a mandatory portage at our flow is about 3/5th or so down the run, before Monolith if my memory serves right, and it can be portaged easily on river left. Catch a big pool of an eddy just upstream and you can easily slide your boat through the logjam near the bank and then put in just downstream in the eddy from the logjam. Last log is virtually at the takeout and can be ducked-under on the left hand side at 2500cfs (depending on how flexible your back is, or you can do a very low sculling brace under it). At higher flows this may become a mandatory portage.

Clackamas River upstream of the Collawash
confluence.

Just below put-in bridge on Clackamas R. June Creek section