Klamath

River trips begin at Spring Island, a Bureau of Land Management Recreation site on river right located immediately downstream of the site of the former J.C. Boyle Powerplant. This access site is utilized by boaters and outfitters so be considerate of others. This is a day-use site and those who wish to camp overnight should use one of the campgrounds located a short distance downstream along river right.

The Upper Klamath (UK) starts off with a small taste of what is to come. Fifty yards out of the practice eddy, boaters float into Saddle Horn. The typical line is left of center. The brown water hides the rocks and the current sweeps boaters into the second rapid (Saddlehorn) as if they were one long rapid. Welcome to the UK!

An island splits the river and the obvious channel is to the left. A large rock sits at the upper right of of the rapid and the current pushes left into another large rock just befor the river turns right. The rapid continues for about 75 yards.

After a long pool is a horizon line. The V slick terminates into a shallow rock. Run just left.

An access point at the upstream end of Frain Ranch on river left provides good access about a half mile upstream of Caldera (and is better than the access point closer to Caldera). This access is sometimes used by those just doing the section from Frain Ranch to Stateline or Access 6 where the majority of the challenging whitewater is found. A high-clearance vehicle and some grit are necessary for the shuttle along river right. but it is possible to get a raft trailer down to the water's edge.

Caldera is Spanish for the boiling cauldron. Boaters know it as The Gateway to Hell (Hells Corner Gorge that is). From here to Stateline Falls the whitewater action is nearly constant. Caldera changes quite a bit between low-med and high-med flows. To see where the current is going and which rocks need to be avoided a scout from river left is recommended. The large hole 20 yards into this rapid gets very large at high-medium flows. The rock just below this hole is known as the 'Mushroom Rock' running to the left or right of Mushroom are both standard routes. Caldera is a long class IV rapid and scouting its entire length is difficult and not very practical. Scout just the upper portion since the difficult moves are all before 'Mushroom Rock.'

After a short recovery pool and a good eddy on river right below Caldera, the river drops over the next horizon line an Bermuda Triangle. You can read-and-run this rapid staying generally center but stay alert for the big hole that forms on the left at higher flows around 3500 cfs.

Stay left of center at Gunsmoke and be aware of the two rocks right of center that form a big hydraulic that is best avoided.

The last wave in the wave train is really a sharp submerged rock.

A breaking wave at the bottom makes for a good hit and as flows increase it just gets bigger. At flows above 3000 cfs it becomes huge and transition to a very large flushing hole capable of flipping large rafts.

One of the classic rapids on the Upper Klamath.

A 150 yard 90-degree right-hand turn with large holes, large waves, and large rocks river left. The preferred line is to start left and cut to the right squaring up to the diagnols. Satans Gate starts the three rapids that make up Hells Corner. The current sweeps pretty immediately into Hells Corner Rapid, so swims should be avoided if at all possible!

Hells Corner is a 300 yard long class 4 rapid. You can break this rapid into two sections--an upper and lower--even though it is one long continuous raipd. Scouting Hells Corner is possible from river left but is difficult and takes alot of time. The rapid starts on a blind left hand corner. Enter near the left at the top close to the big boulder and then cross towards the right. Once the holes and waves subside, work through the sleepers back to river center and prepare for two large waves.

After you have worked back to river center you will find two 6' haystack waves that are a lot of fun. Once past these, you want to get hard right (at 1700 cfs - 1 generator) or left (at 3000 cfs - 2 generators) in order to prepare for the final 90-degree right-hand corner. This last part contains (among many others) the wrap rock known as the Ego Bruiser. At one generator you can catch the safety eddy on the right below Hells Corner and prepare for the Dragon. At 2 generators these two class IV rapids run in succession.

A large fun hole lurks at the top. The current will push you into the Dragons Teeth: two submerged rocks in the middle and at the end of the rapid. The best waves are to the left of these obstacles.

Straightforward read and run.

This rapid has an actual drop that you can go over at the top or stay to the left to miss it.

Lots of rocks in this one keep the boats dancing. This is one of the trickiest rapids at low flows.

The Dance Hall turns the corner around the right and leads into Ambush. Stay to the left side of the main current on this one as a rock to the right lurks has a pillow that makes it hard to see from upstream. Unsuspecting boatmen have found themselves stuck on this rock.

One of the biggest hits on the river if you take it down the middle and hit the big haystack wave head on.

In 1978 Pacific Power and Light, (currently operating as PacifiCorp) worked with the City of Klamath Falls to file an application for the Salt Caves Dam that would have inundated the Klamath River between the J.C. Boyle and Copco dams and their associated reservoir. Today paddlers float past the dam site marked but the bedrock wall on river left just past Bushwhaker The proposed dam would have been an earth-fill dam 120 foot high and 380 foot across. Pacific Power and Light ultimately backed away from the project although the City continued to pursue it. The proposal ultimately died in 1994 when an 11-mile stretch of the Upper Klamath was designated Wild and Scenic at the request of the State of Oregon under Section 2aii of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.

This rapid is formed by a rocky bar with most of the flow heading down the right but you need to be careful and pull hard left as you near the bottom. A rock just off the bedrock wall on the right can catch raft and hold them and represents a particular challenge for heavy gear boats.

Easy read and run.

Follow the main flow towards the left but be careful of one rock that can catch you off guard.

Big waves and pourovers.

The right channel is generally the preferred line. Make sure you stay left towards the bottom of the rapid.

Good options are available either on the right side or center left.

A take-out often used by outfitters immediately downstream of the Oregon/California state line. The road is steep and deeply rutted with drainage issues meaning you need a high clearnance vechile to get down to the river. Outfitters routinely bring their trailers down to the river's edge. A rustic BLM campground is on the bench above the river with few amentities other than a vault toilet.

The end of the main whitewater and a standard take-out for those running Hell's Corner. The access features low-bank access and can be uesd by standard passenger vehicles.