Klamath

Drive up the river from Oreleans and stops to take photos of key features and access sites.

Photos from a drive down the Klamath River.

Maqlaqs Paddle and Ríos to Rivers put on the first Paddle Tribal Waters program on the Klamath river in July 2022. The program is teaching Indigenous youth from the region to paddle with the goal of setting them up to be the first to kayak the soon to be undammed Klamath River. Native American tribes have led the long effort to get these four dams removed to help restore the river and its salmon runs which are central to the health, well-being, and cultural identity of the tribes in the Klamath watershed. The 12 students have tribal affiliations with the Hoopa Valley Tribe, Yurok, Quartz Valley Indian Reservation, Klamath, Modoc, Confederated Warm Springs, Navajo, and Hopi.

I joined the crew for a day on the river from Persido Bar to Sandy Bar. It was the student's second week of kayaking and their stoke was high. They had clean lines and a ton of fun while continuing to build their skills.

The program also focuses on river stewardship and advocacy, something that is already part of the lives of many of the the students. It was inspiring to hear of their connections and relationship to the Klamath River and the other rivers in their tribal territories. This is truly the next generation of river stewards!

With no summer camps or other organized group activities during the summer of 2020 we got a three families together for a week of river exploration including a trip on the Klamath River from Happy Camp down to Stuarts Bar. We had one raft for a group of 12 with 8 people in solo kayaks. We launched the afternoon of Monday July 27th and took off on Thursday July 30th. Flows ranged from 1050 to 1020 cfs over the course of the trip. We were on this section down to Coon Creek for two nights and then did one night on the next section downstream. We did not encounter other groups on the water. Driving back upstream on the weekend we saw several groups on the river for weekend trips. Despite the presence of the road, it was lightly traveled at night and we found this to be a great multi-day trip. The water was warm (almost too warm) and water quality was an issue but we were able to find side tributaries to filter and replenish our water supply.

This is a typical rapid on the easy stretch of the Klamath between Coon Creek and Ishi Pishi Falls.