Tripping on and getting a permit for the John Day River, Oregon

"The river holds the longest stretch of free-flowing water west of the Rockies and is an Oregon Scenic Byway. One hundred forty-eight miles are designated Wild and Scenic and require a permit to float. The two most popular sections are the 70 miles between Clarno and Cottonwood and the 48-mile stretch from Service Creek to Clarno upstream."

Standing on river left at Clarno Rapid, I watched the water tumble over a wide ledge, forming a hole that stretched from bank to bank.

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When I was there, the flow was so low that the "ledge" was essentially a wall of rocks with a narrow passage in the middle. There was a chute, little more than a canoe width with a deep hole on the right side of it. The approach, as I recall, had current angling from left to right. Running the gap perfectly would be a smooth ride, but missing the line a little to the right would be a bad move in the loaded MR Guide. I chose to line the boat through the rocks and willows along the left bank.

Not as exciting, but I stayed dry and lost no gear.

Go in the spring. Watch out for high flows.

Go now, water is dropping fast. I just got off yesterday from almost a week on the water. I did the Service creek to Clarno section and had a few layover days for fun and relaxation. Had some nice sunshine and hammock time, showers, freezing overnight temps, a few great day hikes, and only saw a handful of other folks. I launched last Wed. and only saw other floaters on Fri. and Sat., the other days were just me and my lonesome, all on my ownsome. I did the trip in a small, 11' cataraft but had my canoe on my mind through all the rapids. I've only done it in inflatables, but am working on getting my whitewater canoe skills up to snuff. The water is cold and the views are epic. I would only attempt in an open canoe if I had solid class 2/3+ experience and skills, some large waves could easily swamp an inattentive boater. Lots of lovely campsites and it really is a unique area.