Deschutes
L. Sherar's Falls to Columbia River (Lower Deschutes Segment 3 and 4)
April 10, 2026
| Reporter | Stephen Wages |
| Gauge Reading | 4500 cfs at DESCHUTES RIVER AT MOODY, NEAR BIGGS, OR |
| Flow | Medium Runnable |
First time on this stretch of the Deschutes (full Buckhollow to Heritage Landing run). Midweek, so I had the place to myself. I I got 7 miles on day 1, and took 4 days overall, which was a very leisurely pace. I stopped often to check out various campsites. Some of the descriptions on the BLM site about 'shady' are way off...maybe trees have died.
I'm a class III/IV boater and the rapids seemed fine in my 14' raft. I scouted from the boat. Colorado III was probably the rowdiest of the bunch, but no problems running it.
I enjoyed a lot of good birding along the way. The Pheasants and Chukkars were out, and all the birds are singing to attract the ladies. I even saw a tom turkey fully strutting his stuff!