Broad

I & some friends have run this stretch several times. Right below the Columbia Canal diversion dam (which has been run many times on RR side--NOT recommended at very low or very high spillover levels), there's a river-wide shoals that contains some good play waves at favorable levels, then a stretch of flat water to the U.S. 176 bridge. Right at the bridge there's a river-wide 'ledge', of sorts, that was formed by rubble & debris dropped into the river when the bridge was widened from 2 to 4 lanes. It's runnable, but watch for sharp rocks & rebar at low levels. After this the next feature is Earlewood Shoals, a class 1 rock garden where the river constricts but there isn't much gradient. After this, the next rapid starts at the approach to I-126 bridge, where several good surf waves form at the right water levels--class 2 at low flows & class 3 at higher flows. At the pool below this drop is the Saluda confluence on far river right, but the river is a half mile wide at this point. Staying left, the next rapid is Water Works (class 2+), a boulder garden with a few feet of gradient. The final rapid before the take-out at Gervais Street bridge is the class 2 Jailhouse Shoals, so named for the former state penitentiary that was located here. Overall, it's a good beginner- to intermediate-level run at moderate flows; a more serious run at higher flows.