Oregon Whitewater Rafting River and Natural History Description
Clackamas River Rafting Guided Trips
River Description / Natural History
The Clackamas, the closest river to Portland and Mt. Hood, Oregon, offering year-round whitewater rafting, flows through dramatic canyons and verdant forests en route from its headwaters to the Willamette river. Much different from the slower, murkier, and suburban lower stretch the Upper Clackamas runs clear and strong through pristine wilderness.
In spite of its proximity to two great mountains, 11,239-foot Mt. Hood and 10,497-foot Mt. Jefferson, the Clackamas is not fed by snowmelt and runoff from these two giants. In fact, most of the watershed for the Clackamas sits below 5,000 feet. The good news is that the watershed is one of he wettest in the state, providing ample snow and winter rains to feed the Clackamas all summer long. This, in addition to a series of small upstream reservoirs that release hydroelectric flows renders a wild class IV river in the spring and a playful class III river in the summer.
The Clackamas is also rich geologically. The second largest batholith rockbed in the U.S. underlies the Clackamas river. Volcanic formations known as postpiles also are seen from the river. In spots the cliffs and rocks squeeze the river down to less than 50 feet wide. This stretch of river also runs through a healthy alpine forest, home to Osprey and a variety of wildlife. Although rare to spot land animals on this stretch, the water hosts a variety of fish, including salmon and trout.
The Upper Clackamas comes to a sudden stop at the North Fork reservoir, the upper end of which signals the end of the whitewater run. Below the dam the river spills again, quieter now as it passes the town of Estacada. This portion of the river is famous for good fishing, fun canoeing, and entry level kayaking. It runs through a deciduous oak and alder forest before reaching more populated areas down stream.