Northwest Whitewater Adventures

Whitewater Rafting in Portland and Salem Oregon

Mon, 27 Feb 2023 08:39:10 -0800

If you are looking for a thrilling adventure in Oregon, then whitewater rafting on the North Santiam River is an activity you won't want to miss! This river is located just east of Salem and offers a perfect spot for family fun and group outings.

Whitewater rafting is an adrenaline-packed experience that will leave you with memories that last a lifetime. The North Santiam River is an excellent choice for first-time rafters as well as experienced paddlers. The rapids range from Class I to Class III, making it suitable for families with children as young as five years old. The North Santiam River offers a unique blend of scenic beauty and exciting rapids, providing a perfect balance of adventure and relaxation.

When it comes to rafting in Oregon, group rates are an excellent way to save money and make memories with your loved ones. The North Santiam River has several whitewater rafting companies that offer group discounts for 10 or more people. These group discounts can help you save up to 20% off the regular price, making it an affordable and fun adventure for everyone.

One of the best things about rafting on the North Santiam River is the stunning scenery. You will be surrounded by beautiful forests, towering mountains, and crystal clear water. This river is home to an abundance of wildlife, including deer, elk, and even the occasional bear.

Before you embark on your rafting adventure, it is essential to take some safety precautions. Make sure to wear a life jacket, appropriate footwear, and sunscreen. The North Santiam River is a cold-water river, so dress in layers to stay warm. Also, listen carefully to your guide's instructions and follow their lead.

In conclusion, whitewater rafting on the North Santiam River is an excellent activity for families and groups looking for an exciting adventure in Oregon. With its stunning scenery, affordable group rates, and a range of rapids suitable for all levels, this river is the perfect place to make memories that will last a lifetime. So why not gather your family and friends, and experience the thrill of whitewater rafting on the North Santiam River!

I'm a River Guide

Wed, 24 May 2017 16:26:52 -0700

https://vimeo.com/212819277
River rafting can be an exploratory journey where understandings begin to emerge between self, others, and the natural environment. Although I have guided on northern rivers for close to ten years, I have just come to realize that for much of that time my eyes were closed. They were closed to the beauty and wonder of the landscape through which we passed, the changes in people as they began to feel at home in the wilderness environment, and the even more subtle feelings of interconnectedness between myself, other people on the trip, and the river environment.

Clackamas River/Sandstone Bridge to Memaloose

Tue, 25 Apr 2017 13:09:26 -0700

The Upper Clackamas River from Three Lynx to North Fork is a great 13 mile winter/spring run close to Portland, OR. You'll experience continuous class II/III whitewater with some class IV excitement thrown in. This is among the most popular rafting trips in northern Oregon due to it's proximity to Portland, great whitewater, camping opportunities, and classic Pacific Northwest scenery. Oregon 224 follows the river which makes it easy to scout rapids and do a shorter run. Oregon has more Wild & Scenic Rivers than any other state and with plentiful rainfall, it is an ideal state to raft and kayak all year round. The Clackamas River is one of the most popular Whitewater rafting rivers in the Portland Oregon area.

Definitely be careful at Hole in the Wall Rapid (IV) where a river left eddy/whirlpool has trapped many a boater. It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to exit this without scrambling over wet rocks and using ropes to line the boat to safety.

There are tons of places you can choose to put-in or take-out. There is river access at Three Lynx, Fish Creek, Carter Falls, Big Eddy, below Toilet Bowl, Memaloose, and more. After Toilet Bow (III+), the river is mostly Class II down to North Fork Reservoir.

Each May, the Clackamas River is the home of the Upper Clackamas River Festival . This is a weekend full of raft and kayak races, gear workshops, fantastic vendors, and spending time with awesome boaters.

Let's Get Wet!

Fri, 14 Apr 2017 09:50:37 -0700

Wild and Scenic Rivers

Tue, 28 Mar 2017 15:59:35 -0700

The Obama Administration took decisive action in adopting a 20-year ban on new mining for over 100,000 acres of public lands in the Wild and Scenic Illinois, Rogue, and Smith River watersheds and in portions of Pistol River and Hunter Creek in Southwest Oregon.

The protected area is a part of a vast, wild, largely roadless and globally unique environment bordered by the Pacific Ocean and wilderness area that is home to one the highest concentrations of Wild and Scenic Rivers outside Alaska. These rivers have some of the strongest runs of salmon in the lower-48, provide clean drinking water to downstream communities and support outstanding boating, hunting and fishing.

The action by the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management follows years of robust public involvement, including overflowing local public meetings where over 750 people showed up to support the mining ban and comment periods that generated over 50,000 comments in support of protections for these wild rivers.

Dept of the Interior announced the protection of the #SmithRiver and #IllinoisRiver in the #KalmiopsisRivers region of #OR and #CA from new mining claims.CLICK TO TWEET

Thank you to our coalition of local, state and national advocates who have worked tirelessly to protect this area and especially the Klamath Siskiyou Wildlands Center, Kalmiopsis Audubon, Native Fish Society, Friends of the Kalmiopsis, and the Smith River Alliance.

An extra special thank you goes out to Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Representatives Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Jared Huffman’s (D-CA) who have been incredibly dedicated in their years of work (in the case of Wyden and DeFazio two decades) to protect these special watersheds from industrial strip mining. Their bill, the Southwest Oregon watershed and Salmon Protection Act, was the original impetus for the agencies action today. Needless without the endless pressure endlessly applied by these champions of wild rivers this would not have happened.

And thanks to all of you, who sent in letters, called and contacted Congress on social media. It’s through your support that we were able to get this accomplished.

Unfortunately the ink isn’t even dry yet and the American Energy and Mining Association has already called on Congress, including a U.S. House that has already taken action to speed the sale of our public lands, to reverse these protections from mining despite the strong support from local communities and Oregonians of every political stripe.

We will have to remain vigilant to protect these unique, wild rivers, but today we should celebrate!

Written by American Rivers
americanrivers.org

What Makes a River?

Tue, 28 Mar 2017 15:50:26 -0700

THE UNITED STATES HAS MORE THAN 2.9 MILLION MILES OF RIVERS.

They range from small streams and wetlands to large waterways. No two of these rivers are the same. Each river is unique to its landscape, winding through low foothills and valleys, rushing clear and cold from mountain forests, or sweeping warm and muddy down desert canyons.

ANATOMY OF A RIVER

No matter how different our rivers are, however, all rivers share some basic anatomy features.

What parts make up a river?

TRIBUTARIES

A tributary is a river that feeds into another river, rather than ending in a lake, pond, or ocean.

If a river is large, there’s a good chance that much of its water comes from tributaries. How do geographers decide which river is the “main” river and which is the “tributary” when they’re naming rivers? Usually the bigger river gets to be the “main” river, but sometimes history or other factors come into play.

UP AND DOWN, RIGHT AND LEFT

Downstream always points to the end of a river, or its “mouth.” “Upstream” always points to the river’s source, or “headwaters.” As you look downstream, your right hand corresponds to “River Right.” Your left hand corresponds to “River Left.” As in, “Hey, river cleanup volunteers – here’s a nasty tire downstream on River Left! Let’s go get it!”

HEADWATERS

The beginning of a river is called its headwaters. Even if a river becomes big and powerful, its headwaters often don’t start out that way. Some headwaters are springs that come from under the ground. Others are marshy areas fed by mountain snow. A river’s headwaters can be huge, with thousands of small streams that flow together, or just a trickle from a lake or pond. What happens in the headwaters is very important to the health of the whole river, because anything that happens upstream affects everything downstream.

CHANNEL

The shape of a river channel depends on how much water has been flowing in it for how long, over what kinds of soil or rock, and through what vegetation. There are many different kinds of river channels – some are wide and constantly changing, some crisscross like a braid, and others stay in one main channel between steep banks. The bends in a river called “meanders” are caused by the water taking away soil on the outside of a river bend and laying it down the inside of a river bend over time. Each kind of river channel has unique benefits to the environment.

RIVERBANK

The land next to the river is called the riverbank, and the streamside trees and other vegetation is sometimes called the “riparian zone.” This is an important, nutrient-rich area for wildlife, replenished by the river when it floods. In the West, these riverside areas provide habitat for more bird species than all other vegetation combined. These areas also provide valuable services like protection from erosion during floods, and filtering polluted run-off from cities and farms.

FLOODPLAINS

Floodplains are low, flat areas next to rivers, lakes and coastal waters that periodically flood when the water is high. The animals and plants that live in a floodplain often need floods to survive and reproduce. Healthy floodplains benefit communities by absorbing floodwaters that would otherwise rush downstream, threatening people and property. It has been estimated that restoring the 100-year flood zone of the five-state Upper Mississippi River Basin could store 39 million acre-feet of floodwaters — the same volume that caused the Great Flood of 1993 — and save over $16 billion in flood damage costs.

MOUTH/DELTA

The end of a river is its mouth, or delta. At a river’s delta, the land flattens out and the water loses speed, spreading into a fan shape. Usually this happens when the river meets an ocean, lake, or wetland. As the river slows and spreads out, it can no longer transport all of the sand and sediment it has picked up along its journey from the headwaters. Because these materials and nutrients help build fertile farmland, deltas have been called “cradles” of human civilization. Deltas are “cradles” for other animals as well, providing breeding and nesting grounds for hundreds of species of fish and birds.

WETLANDS

Wetlands are lands that are soaked with water from nearby lakes, rivers, oceans, or underground springs. Some wetlands stay soggy all year, while others dry out. Although wetlands are best known for providing habitat to a wide variety of plants and animals, they also help protect our communities by acting as natural sponges, storing and slowly releasing floodwaters. A single acre of wetland, saturated to a depth of one foot, will retain 330,000 gallons of water – enough to flood thirteen average-sized homes thigh-deep. Wetlands also help provide clean water by naturally filtering out pollution.

FLOW

“Flow” refers to the water running in a river or stream. There are two important aspects to a river’s natural flow. First, there is the amount of water that flows in the river. Some rivers get enough water from their headwaters, tributaries, and rain to flow all year round. Others go from cold, raging rivers to small, warm streams as the snowpack runs out, or even stop flowing completely. A river’s natural ups and downs are called “pulses.” Like a human being’s pulse, a river’s natural flow of water is life support for animals, plants, and fish, delivering what they need to survive at the right times. When we divert water away from a river, we change the river’s natural flow.

The second component of natural flow is how water moves through a river’s channel. In a natural, wild river, the water runs freely. But in more developed or degraded rivers, dams and other structures can slow or stop a river’s flow. When a river’s flow is blocked, migratory fish like salmon can suffer, unable to move up or downstream.

Written by American Rivers
americanrivers.org