Deschutes

We (group of 4) packrafted the section of the Deschutes River from Warm Springs to Sandy Beach. We have only moderate experience (and one person was a complete beginner) and made through without too much difficulty, although each of us fell out at least once. I recommend this section for packrafters with some experience looking to step up into Class III(+) whitewater.

Dates: 8/14/23 – 8/16/23 (3 days rafting)

Weather: HOT! Over 100 degrees each day.

Camps: Whiskey Dick (night 1) and Buckskin Mary (night 2)

Notes for each rapid:

Trout Creek: Straightforward, although our beginner packrafter took a swim on the Lower rapid. A swim here is not consequential.

Whitehorse: In a small boat like a packraft or kayak, you can effectively bypass the challenging part by skirting around on the far left side of the river. Three of us did that. The one person who ran it made it through safely reported that it did not feel too difficult. Some of the risk of Whitehorse is mitigated in a small boat like a packraft because you are less likely to get pinned than a larger raft if you make a mistake.

Buckskin Mary: Large waves but short and straightforward. We went straight down the middle and made it through successfully. A swim would not be consequential.

Four Chutes: Pretty straightforward, fairly long. We had one swimmer here (not consequential).

Wapanitia: Somewhat challenging. Big waves (some of the largest on the river) with some side-to-side action. We had one swimmer here (and I almost tipped too after taking a wave from the side). A swim is not consequential as long as you don't go way too far left towards the big rock.

Boxcar: Not as scary or difficult as it looks. A swim is not consequential (we all made it successfully, but saw one person fall out of a kayak before our attempt).

Surf City: Straightforward.

Oak Springs: Challenging. Scout first so you can avoid the really intimidating stuff. We took the left channel. Large hole followed by waves moving side-to-side. Unpredictable current and very slow in some spots, almost felt like paddling in quicksand. I navigated the large hole successfully but then took a long swim after tipping from a wave to the side. Probably the worst spot to swim on this section of the river, since it's a long rapid and there are sharp rocks. I got a few scrapes on my legs but otherwise was fine.

White River Rapids: Straightforward.

Upper Elevator Rapids: Straightforward.

Lower Elevator Rapids: Mostly straightforward wave train, but a little challenging due to some corkscrew action in the waves. One person took a swim here (not consequential).

For a more editorialized trip report, as well as some videos of the rapids and details about our rafts, see this post: https://nicelittleadventures.com/packrafting-the-deschutes-river/

American Whitewater staff joined ROW Adventures for a 3 day trip down the Wild and Scenic Deschutes River on a staff retreat where we also celebrated the long tenure of Mark Singleton as our Executive Director. We launched from Mecca Flat on a Monday morning, camped at Whiskey Dick on Monday evening, camped at Buckskin Mary on Tuesday evening, and took out on Wednesday afternoon at Sandy Beach. With fishermen in for the salmon fly hatch, Mecca Flat was full on a Sunday evening and the river was busy with drift boat fishermen.

We had a great family trip over three nights and four days. We camped at Mecca Flat on Sunday evening and launched on Monday morning. We camped at Lower Redside on night one, Whiskey Dick on night two, and Four Chutes on night three. We arrived at Whiskey Dick early in the day and were able to secure a good site at this popular camp. On the last night however there were several groups at Buckskin Mary and Four Chutes; we had to squeeze in but made it work. On the last day we went to Sandy Beach and took out late in the afternoon. We pulled our boats out there and camped at Twin Springs, a vehicle-accessible campground below Sherars Falls. We were the only group at Twin Springs on a Thursday evening. Some in our group went home while a few of us drove the boats back to Buckhollow and launched there to run the lower river over the next 3 days.

A trip down the Deschutes River to experience the 2017 eclipse.

A trip with family and friends on the Deschutes River spanning the age range of 5-80 and just about every decade in between represented.

The gear raft at the top of Whitehorse. Note boat pinned on rock.

A summer trip down the Deschutes River with the guys.

Site visit of the Pelton-Round Butte Hydroelectric Project (P-2030) just upstream of the Lower Deschutes.

Froth & Burl