Welcome to
"The Umpqua Whitewater Club" 

This is a page dedicated to our home town river...

The North Umpqua

The North Umpqua is the best river in the world!   But of course, I am a little partial.  You see, this is where I got my first taste of whitewater and where I later fell in love with the sport of rafting.  I can remember hitting my first class III and thinking; “if I just survive today I am not going near another raft.”  However, here I am seven years later, president of our local club,  running the North Umpqua almost every weekend, and running other rivers up and down the west coast.

The North is definitely one of the finest rivers to learn on. Its close proximity to highway 138 makes it easy to get off the river if a situation calls for evacuation, yet people hardly notice the road when on the river.  The river is rated a class III with one class IV (Pinball).  The river offers various sections with different characteristics that can be run year round.

The first section is from Boulder Flat to Horseshoe Bend (can be extended by about 2 miles if put in below Soda Springs dam). This section tends to be a little more continuous, with rapids boasting up to a class III rating. A few of the tougher rapids have a tendency to push rafter’s head on into rock walls, so be prepared for boiling eddy lines.

The second section and probably the most popular section is from Horseshoe Bend to Gravel Bin.  It is along this section that the Umpqua Whitewater Club has taken it upon themselves to clean the roadside, as part of ODOT’s Adopt a Highway program.  This section tends to have more pool and drop feel to it, and is rated class III with one class IV (Pinball). This section also has few good size waves, which have personally thrown me from my catyak.

The most notable section below Gravel Bin is from Bogus Creek to Susan Creek. This section only has four class III. Boaters must beware of high water (above 2500 cfs). Many boaters have been munched by the waves created in this section at high water. On a recent trip, one member swam three times in one mile, and yours truly taking a turn once.

There are two more sections which are runnable for whitewater paddlers. From Gravel Bin to Bogus Creek, which boasts one class III. This section is closed to boating from July 15th to October 31st. The other section is from Susan Creek to Cable Crossing, which boasts two class III's which are easily portaged, which makes it popular among newbies.  Beware of two class V-VI rapids below Cable Crossing.

Here's a Forest Service description of the river.   Down below we've posted a few pictures of class IV Pinball Rapid.  More pictures  will be posted as time goes on.  Take a look at our Photo Album for some other rivers we've run. 

Peter Collins

Click on the thumbnail for a larger view

North Umpqua River Pinball Rapid Peter Collins 13' Sotar Raft		North Umpqua River Pinball Rapid Roger Collins 15.5' Sotar Cat
North Umpqua River Pinball Rapid "Pinball Mayhem"		North Umpqua River Pinball Rapid Hitting the Last Hole!