Owyhee

We put on May 9 for a 6 day trip to Leslie Gulch. 1st obsicale was the rock dam 1/2 mile below the bridge at Rome. Even though flows started out at a 1k CFS I had to get out of my boat to finagle it and the fam over the Rock dam, the most challenging part of the whole trip. The rest of the trip went without a hitch including the Morcum Rock dam with the flow down to 600 CFS. Whistling bird was its normal self just a little bit tighter, but not bad considering flows where around 700-800 cfs. Montgomery was way tight with my left oar basically touching the left wall. With my right oar I had to plan my strokes to keep from sticking it in the rock bar on the right. Thankfully the river wasn't too pushy and it was fairly easy to line up and make the slot between the rocks bottom left. Rock Trap was visually challenging until you get down into the throat of it, and could see the way through the maze. Even though it was a low to very low water raft trip the river was fairly easy to navigate. I'm guessing we were the last trip on the river as we saw no other rafts once the two solo boats left us below Montgomery.

With flows dropping 300 cfs a day we experienced all the best of what this section has to offer. With just two of us in a 16' RMR we were able to complete the 48 miles from HWY 95 put in to Birch Creek in 3 days. The flow range being from 2600, dropping to 1900 cfs made all the major rapids technical and challenging but also low enough to have action practially on every corner. All the campsites were beautiful with plenty to choose from. With good weather there was plenty of company as well with all of the other boaters being helpful and friendly. I can't say enough about the scenery. With canyon walls towering overhead and geologic wonders all around, the contrasting colors and rock formations make this truly a one-of-a-kind experience. Bring a camera and prepare to be busy. To Note: the Birch Creek take out road is really rough. Single lane with very few turn outs. Caution in wet conditions.

With low flows of 300 cfs we elected not to boat the Owyhee but instead set up a couple base camps including one at Leslie Gulch and explored the area with colleagues from Friends of the Owyhee, American Whitewater, Oregon Naturual Desert Association, and Conservation Lands Foundation.

A rare opportunity to enjoy the Owyhee River in late June.

Golden Eagle soaring above Crooked Canyon on the Owyhee River.