Where's the best late-summer Rafting?
With school only six weeks away summer is officially half over – although we like to think of it as only
half begun. There is still plenty of time, warm weather and running water for a splashy whitewater adventure this summer.
Here’s a round up of how Ouzel’s rivers are doing and which ones are still good for rafting.
Rogue River: 2000 CFS at Agness. Lost Creek Reservoir was full this spring so good flows are expected through the rest of the summer.
September will be great – read about September trips in next month’s newsletter.
Lower Salmon: 4000 CFS at Whitebird.
The Salmon is
flowing at about half its normal flow for this time of year. The upside to low water is warm water – now at 75 degrees!
Our trips will not be
affected – in fact some of the rapids get bigger at lower water.
McKenzie River: 690 CFS at Trailbridge.
Getting low a little ahead of schedule but will have more than enough water the rest of the summer. Just a few more rocks to dodge!
Deschutes: 3910 CFS at
Madras.
As always, the
Deschutes is “steady as she goes”. Dam controlled and dependable, the
Deschutes will be great all summer.
North Umpqua: 780 CFS at Copeland Creek. Getting a little low a little earlier than normal.
Flows will be okay through the end of the month and our last trip is on August 1
st.
August will be great for inflatable kayaking!
We sold out early this year, so get your reservations in early for 2008!
John Day & Owyhee: With a combined flow of 170 CFS, they’re both pretty much creeks at this point.
Taking reservations for 2008.
What's CFS? Cubic Feet per Second measures the volume of water passing a given point each second. The character and gradient of a river are important for determining how much water volume is needed for rafting and every river is different. For instance the Rogue River is a "pool and drop" river that has a gradient of 13ft/mile. The river moves slowly and the rapids are created by big boulders and bedrock. 690 CFS on the Rogue would make some of the boulder-choked rapids almost impassible. On the other hand, the McKenzie River which is steeper (31ft/mile) and more channelized, would be a fast and exciting ride at 2000 CFS.
