Trip Report: Kayaking the Clackamas River from Three Lynx to Toilet Bowl
When: 10/06/2018
Location: Upper Clackamas River
Conditions: 1600cfs, sunny, a bit chilly, sun set around 4;45. Class 3
Duration: 3 Hours
Difficulty: Class 3 whitewater
Usefull links: www.americanwhitewater.org
The Full Report:
Ohh the good ol' Clackamas. This was the first river I ever explored in Oregon and probably the river I run the most each year. This is mostly because it can be run at a wide variety of flows. From 600cfs to 10,000cfs plus. It can start to feel like the Grand Canyon at high flows but is definitely doable if you know it well. There are also many tributaries of the Clack that can be run at High flows. A couple of these tributaries (higher in class) are Fish Creek, Roaring River, North Fork of the Clackamas, South Fork, and many more.
The section I’m talking about here and have pictured is from the classic class 3 section from Three Lynx Power House to Toilet Bowl rapid. The take-out called Toilet Bowl is at mile 37 along the Clackamas River Highway. It is a couple of miles past the Moore Creek takeout on the right-hand side. Drive up about 8 more miles to the Three Lynx Powerhouse and find a good spot to put in. The great thing about the Clackamas river is that it is mostly "pool drop" which means after each rapid there is a nice flat recovery pool. This makes it a great river for people who are trying to progress in their skills and still working on their roll. (Each rapid on this river has probably been swum hundreds of times). Not to say it’s the safest thing ever but it’s a lot safer for someone to swim on the clack than most other rivers in Oregon.
From Three Lynx to Toilet Bowl there are probably 10 enjoyable class 3 rapids and lots of other little ones. One of them being "The Narrows" which I have a couple of pictures of here. This starts with some fun wave trains leading into a small punchable hole. After that, the water flattens out for a bit so you can enjoy the beautiful rocks walls as the river narrows. Carters Bridge is also another fun well-known class 3 which is easily marked by Carters Bridge itself. This rapid is home to the Upper Clackamas Whitewater Festival each year where people run this rapid in all sorts of crafts like SUP's, kayaks, rafts, and even inflatable pool toys. Toilet Bowl is the last class 3 on this section which comes right after "Rock ‘n Roll". Toilet bowl (at flows over 1000cfs) can be run on river right directly at the big waves. At high water, these waves can get huge!! It is such a fun rapid. You can also eddy out on river right or left and stop for a good surf!
All in all, The Clackamas River is another Oregon classic which draws all skill levels to its pristine blue waters. It is always running when you are ready to get out 365 days a year. It’s also only 45 mins from Portland! I'll often find myself there before work in the morning!
The Full Report:
Ohh the good ol' Clackamas. This was the first river I ever explored in Oregon and probably the river I run the most each year. This is mostly because it can be run at a wide variety of flows. From 600cfs to 10,000cfs plus. It can start to feel like the Grand Canyon at high flows but is definitely doable if you know it well. There are also many tributaries of the Clack that can be run at High flows. A couple of these tributaries (higher in class) are Fish Creek, Roaring River, North Fork of the Clackamas, South Fork, and many more.
The section I’m talking about here and have pictured is from the classic class 3 section from Three Lynx Power House to Toilet Bowl rapid. The take-out called Toilet Bowl is at mile 37 along the Clackamas River Highway. It is a couple of miles past the Moore Creek takeout on the right-hand side. Drive up about 8 more miles to the Three Lynx Powerhouse and find a good spot to put in. The great thing about the Clackamas river is that it is mostly "pool drop" which means after each rapid there is a nice flat recovery pool. This makes it a great river for people who are trying to progress in their skills and still working on their roll. (Each rapid on this river has probably been swum hundreds of times). Not to say it’s the safest thing ever but it’s a lot safer for someone to swim on the clack than most other rivers in Oregon.
From Three Lynx to Toilet Bowl there are probably 10 enjoyable class 3 rapids and lots of other little ones. One of them being "The Narrows" which I have a couple of pictures of here. This starts with some fun wave trains leading into a small punchable hole. After that, the water flattens out for a bit so you can enjoy the beautiful rocks walls as the river narrows. Carters Bridge is also another fun well-known class 3 which is easily marked by Carters Bridge itself. This rapid is home to the Upper Clackamas Whitewater Festival each year where people run this rapid in all sorts of crafts like SUP's, kayaks, rafts, and even inflatable pool toys. Toilet Bowl is the last class 3 on this section which comes right after "Rock ‘n Roll". Toilet bowl (at flows over 1000cfs) can be run on river right directly at the big waves. At high water, these waves can get huge!! It is such a fun rapid. You can also eddy out on river right or left and stop for a good surf!
All in all, The Clackamas River is another Oregon classic which draws all skill levels to its pristine blue waters. It is always running when you are ready to get out 365 days a year. It’s also only 45 mins from Portland! I'll often find myself there before work in the morning!