Klamath River Rafting

Upper Klamath and Lower Klamath River Rafting Information Directory:
Klamath River Whitewater Rafting

For wilderness river trips California's Lower Klamath River is considered one of the most reliable and best rivers in the west. For powerful summerlong whitewater rafting trips the Upper Klamath, on the Oregon and California border, is the reputed king of the Pacific Northwest.

The Klamath begins in Oregon and then crosses the California state line, becoming on longest Wild and Scenic River segment in California. The combination of exciting rapids, warm water in the summer, incredible scenery, abundant wildlife, and easy access make any rafting trip exceptional.

The Upper Klamath river rafting, also known as Hell's Corner Whitewater, features numerous class IV and IV+ rapids in a scenic canyon. The Lower Klamath is primarily made up of class II and III rapids. The most popular section for Lower Klamath river rafting, from Happy Camp down thirty five miles, offers incredibly fun whitewater, great side hikes, large beaches for camping, and easy access to Highway 96.

The Klamath River is California's longest and biggest whitewater river with 184 runnable miles. The Klamath has a huge watershed. Just east of Crater Lake in Oregon snowmelt from the eastern slopes of the Cascades gathers in the broad, shallow basin of Klamath Lake then flows southwest into California.

The Upper Klamath, which travels through Oregon and ends just inside the California border, is a rugged volcanic canyon with big, challenging whitewater. Once in California, the river leaves the Cascades and mellows a bit. It enters the Klamath Mountains where the gradual transition from dry eastern climate to a wet coastal climate occurs. The vegetation changes from a sparse cover of juniper and even cacti to mixed forests of pine, oak, madrone, fir, hemlock, and cedar to magificent stands of redwoods near the coast.

The Klamath region is rich in history and remains relatively unpopulated. The largest town along the river is Happy Camp with about 800 residents. Happy Camp was formerly a logging and mining town and was named due to the prospectors satisfaction with the pleasant surroundings and significant gold strikes. The original residents were several groups of Indians including the Klamath, Shasta, Yurok, and Karok. The Indians lived along the river and depended primarily on the plentiful salmon and steelhead for subsistance and their lives were profoundly disrupted by the gold-seeking whites who built dams, dredged and dumped tons of rock and dirt into the river suring their mining operations with little regard for the consequences to the fish or native populations. With the decline of mining and logging the Klamath River is regaining its wilderness.

Commercially guided rafting trips are available on the Upper and Lower Klamath. These trips range in length from one to four days and are ideal for whitewater enthusiasts, first-timers, families and independent travelers. For more information on these and other Pacific Northwest river trips see the Destination Wilderness website.

River flows for rafting are generally best from May through September.

For information on other great Oregon and Idaho rafting rivers, please click on the links below.