North Fork of the Rogue River
Natural Bridge Run
Natural Bridge Run
Location - Prospect, OR
Difficulty - Class III-IV Length - 3.5 miles
Level - 870 cfs
Date - November 29, 2008
Difficulty - Class III-IV Length - 3.5 miles
Level - 870 cfs
Date - November 29, 2008
The North Fork of the Rogue originates from springs high on the sides
of Mt Mazama, the volcano whose top exploded away to form Crater
Lake. The high Cascades here receive some of the heaviest snowfall in
the state and the resulting melt water feeds aquifers that keep this river
flowing at runnable levels throughout the year. The landscape in this
area has been heavily influenced by volcanism and the Mt Mazama
eruption as much of the Rogue’s interesting features are a result of the
numerous lava flows and ash deposits that affected this region.
The fall of 2008 was unusually dry, with only several significant rain
events hitting Oregon by Thanksgiving. Desperate to paddle, we
decided to head south to check out the North Fork of the Rogue. The
long drive brought us over the Cascade Crest and back again to the
west side before dropping into the valley of the North Fork. On the way
to the river we looked up at the high peaks of Mt Theilsen and Mt Bailey
while slowing down to navigate a few stretched of icy road.
By the time we reached the put in at ten o’clock the sun was out and
things were slowly warming up. As the rocks and trees dried out in the
sun waves of vapor rose and filled gave the illusion that landscape was
smoking. Instead of gearing up for the run we decided to make the mile
and a half hike downstream to scout Taklima Gorge to decide if we
would continue our run through the class IV+ rapids contained between
its sheer walls. From fifty feet above the rapids in the gorge looked
nice, but one of the first sizeable drops contained a nasty looking sieve
and narrow crack with a strong hole just upstream. In the end the
rapids looked serious enough that we did not want to venture into the
gorge at the end of the day and risk running out of daylight in the event
of a mishap. It is always tough to walk away from good looking
whitewater, but there were plenty of interesting features to check out on
the North Fork on this short day.
of Mt Mazama, the volcano whose top exploded away to form Crater
Lake. The high Cascades here receive some of the heaviest snowfall in
the state and the resulting melt water feeds aquifers that keep this river
flowing at runnable levels throughout the year. The landscape in this
area has been heavily influenced by volcanism and the Mt Mazama
eruption as much of the Rogue’s interesting features are a result of the
numerous lava flows and ash deposits that affected this region.
The fall of 2008 was unusually dry, with only several significant rain
events hitting Oregon by Thanksgiving. Desperate to paddle, we
decided to head south to check out the North Fork of the Rogue. The
long drive brought us over the Cascade Crest and back again to the
west side before dropping into the valley of the North Fork. On the way
to the river we looked up at the high peaks of Mt Theilsen and Mt Bailey
while slowing down to navigate a few stretched of icy road.
By the time we reached the put in at ten o’clock the sun was out and
things were slowly warming up. As the rocks and trees dried out in the
sun waves of vapor rose and filled gave the illusion that landscape was
smoking. Instead of gearing up for the run we decided to make the mile
and a half hike downstream to scout Taklima Gorge to decide if we
would continue our run through the class IV+ rapids contained between
its sheer walls. From fifty feet above the rapids in the gorge looked
nice, but one of the first sizeable drops contained a nasty looking sieve
and narrow crack with a strong hole just upstream. In the end the
rapids looked serious enough that we did not want to venture into the
gorge at the end of the day and risk running out of daylight in the event
of a mishap. It is always tough to walk away from good looking
whitewater, but there were plenty of interesting features to check out on
the North Fork on this short day.
By the time we got back to the cars it was noon and we quickly geared
up and headed back to the put in at the Natural Bridge. Here the North
Fork of the Rogue is heavily affected by past volcanic activity. The
entire river runs through a narrow basalt canyon and disappears
underground into the roof of a collapsed lava tube. For several
hundred yards the river flows out of sight through the serpentine tube
before emerging from the river left wall. This is a pretty interesting
feature and completely unrunnable just in case you were wondering.
After checking out the natural bridge we headed back downstream on
the well established path and checked out the class V rapid just above
the standard put in. The drop looked really good, with a five foot boof
leading into a steep and somewhat trashy run out dumping into a
narrow basalt canyon with an overhanging river right wall. The line
looked difficult but very manageable, but a large log laying parallel to
the current made for an extra hazard that rendered the rapid more or
less unrunnable. Adding to the complexity of the drop is a large lava
tube on river left that takes a good bit of the flow half way down the
drop. It would be difficult to get off line enough to flounder into the tube,
but if you ended up in there it would be pretty nerve wracking, although
it looks to be collapsed and paddling out might be possible.
With the big log in the drop it was easy to decide to put in below the
rapid on river left. To do this you have to climb over a fence by the
footbridge and walk down a narrow ledge to a flat spot from which you
can seal launch into the river. By the time we were set up to get going a
fair number of people had stopped on the bridge to watch us launch. I
always feel uncomfortable when large groups of non boaters start to
gawk and I think everyone else was sharing this thought. We got in the
water and paddled on down towards the first rapids pretty quickly.
up and headed back to the put in at the Natural Bridge. Here the North
Fork of the Rogue is heavily affected by past volcanic activity. The
entire river runs through a narrow basalt canyon and disappears
underground into the roof of a collapsed lava tube. For several
hundred yards the river flows out of sight through the serpentine tube
before emerging from the river left wall. This is a pretty interesting
feature and completely unrunnable just in case you were wondering.
After checking out the natural bridge we headed back downstream on
the well established path and checked out the class V rapid just above
the standard put in. The drop looked really good, with a five foot boof
leading into a steep and somewhat trashy run out dumping into a
narrow basalt canyon with an overhanging river right wall. The line
looked difficult but very manageable, but a large log laying parallel to
the current made for an extra hazard that rendered the rapid more or
less unrunnable. Adding to the complexity of the drop is a large lava
tube on river left that takes a good bit of the flow half way down the
drop. It would be difficult to get off line enough to flounder into the tube,
but if you ended up in there it would be pretty nerve wracking, although
it looks to be collapsed and paddling out might be possible.
With the big log in the drop it was easy to decide to put in below the
rapid on river left. To do this you have to climb over a fence by the
footbridge and walk down a narrow ledge to a flat spot from which you
can seal launch into the river. By the time we were set up to get going a
fair number of people had stopped on the bridge to watch us launch. I
always feel uncomfortable when large groups of non boaters start to
gawk and I think everyone else was sharing this thought. We got in the
water and paddled on down towards the first rapids pretty quickly.
The first few rapids where wide and shallow class III+ slides with a few deep channels and a
couple of nice holes to punch and surf. Many of the rapids on the run are made from basalt
ledges and they tend to be somewhat shallow with outcrops of rock in strange places. Basalt
tends to erode into a knobby pattern with sharp edged projections in the rock which makes
the nature of the run somewhat unforgiving despite its relative ease. All through this section
large evergreens lined the banks and water word volcanic cliffs made up the banks in many
places. The scenery made up for the lack of big rapids, and the sunny weather put a smile
on our faces.
Eventually we came to a steeper rapid that picked up after a left turn. I boat scouted down to
a last chance eddy on river left and was able to the line through the class III+ rapid. Basically,
the best route was right down the middle with a larger hole on river right and a few funky
boulders in the run out. I had to make a fun ferry back to the center of the river to hit the line
before snaking through a neat little slot at the bottom. The pool at the bottom of this rapid
was situated at the top of the best rapid on the run.
A lot of wood could be seen in the river at the top of this rapid so we got out on river right to
scout and I set up to take some pictures. Karma is a great looking class IV rapid that lasts for
a few hundred yards. From high up on the river right bank we could see that there was a line
on river left under the logs that led to the steep middle part of the drop. This stretch had a
few good looking boofs and ended with an eight or ten foot slide into a pool. Although the
sun was not perfect, I watched the others run through and everyone had pretty good lines.
For my part, I hit the boofs nicely and only had to throw one brace on the way down the slide
at the end of Karma. This was a quality rapid and we all found ourselves wishing that the
river kept up this pace, but it did not.
Mellow rapids and slow water led for a ways to the portage around Knob Falls, known to
paddlers as Therapy Falls. Therapy Falls supposedly received this nickname after a boater
was pounded in the cave behind the drop so violently that he had to receive therapy
afterwards. The drop is not obvious from necessarily obvious from upstream as the horizon
line is hidden by a sharp bend in the river. At the end of a straightaway a large ridge on river
left makes up the outside edge of a sharp bend to the right. The portage goes up and over
this ridge and a faint trail can be spotted. The twenty foot falls is at the end of this ridge
where the river bends back to the left. We took our time to scout the drop and found a sweet
looking twenty foot plunge with a nice tricky lead in. The only problem was the terrible
looking hydraulic at the base set in a narrow canyon with a violent looking cave behind the
deep and powerful curtain. The falls have been run successfully before, but at this level the
risk far outweighed the rewards.
couple of nice holes to punch and surf. Many of the rapids on the run are made from basalt
ledges and they tend to be somewhat shallow with outcrops of rock in strange places. Basalt
tends to erode into a knobby pattern with sharp edged projections in the rock which makes
the nature of the run somewhat unforgiving despite its relative ease. All through this section
large evergreens lined the banks and water word volcanic cliffs made up the banks in many
places. The scenery made up for the lack of big rapids, and the sunny weather put a smile
on our faces.
Eventually we came to a steeper rapid that picked up after a left turn. I boat scouted down to
a last chance eddy on river left and was able to the line through the class III+ rapid. Basically,
the best route was right down the middle with a larger hole on river right and a few funky
boulders in the run out. I had to make a fun ferry back to the center of the river to hit the line
before snaking through a neat little slot at the bottom. The pool at the bottom of this rapid
was situated at the top of the best rapid on the run.
A lot of wood could be seen in the river at the top of this rapid so we got out on river right to
scout and I set up to take some pictures. Karma is a great looking class IV rapid that lasts for
a few hundred yards. From high up on the river right bank we could see that there was a line
on river left under the logs that led to the steep middle part of the drop. This stretch had a
few good looking boofs and ended with an eight or ten foot slide into a pool. Although the
sun was not perfect, I watched the others run through and everyone had pretty good lines.
For my part, I hit the boofs nicely and only had to throw one brace on the way down the slide
at the end of Karma. This was a quality rapid and we all found ourselves wishing that the
river kept up this pace, but it did not.
Mellow rapids and slow water led for a ways to the portage around Knob Falls, known to
paddlers as Therapy Falls. Therapy Falls supposedly received this nickname after a boater
was pounded in the cave behind the drop so violently that he had to receive therapy
afterwards. The drop is not obvious from necessarily obvious from upstream as the horizon
line is hidden by a sharp bend in the river. At the end of a straightaway a large ridge on river
left makes up the outside edge of a sharp bend to the right. The portage goes up and over
this ridge and a faint trail can be spotted. The twenty foot falls is at the end of this ridge
where the river bends back to the left. We took our time to scout the drop and found a sweet
looking twenty foot plunge with a nice tricky lead in. The only problem was the terrible
looking hydraulic at the base set in a narrow canyon with a violent looking cave behind the
deep and powerful curtain. The falls have been run successfully before, but at this level the
risk far outweighed the rewards.
We spent some time checking out the narrow gorge below the falls
before completing the portage with the steep walk back down to water
level. Seeing new rivers is always fun and I found myself having a great
time on the North Fork despite the fact that high quality rapids were few
and far between.
Below the falls the river runs through a few of the more fun rapids on
the run. The first couple are wide open and straightforward class III, but
the last is a four or five foot plunge into a walled out hole at the head of
another long canyon like crack eroded into the basalt flows that cover
this area. This drop is best run right down the middle to keep off of the
walls and to avoid the river right eddy. I entered the drop paddling hard
to punch the hole and shot through without a problem. Just as my boat
resurfaced I noticed a swimmer in the river right eddy just below the
drop and managed to pull over to help them out. I grabbed the
swimmers paddle and he was able to climb up and out of the water on
his own. It only took a few minutes to help ferry the swimmer across the
river and soon we were on our way once again. It should be noted that
past trip reports have mentioned that wood has been a problem in this
narrow drop so it might make sense to give a quick scout to ensure the
route is clear.
After this fun stretch the North Fork of the Rogue flattens out for about
a mile and runs over a somewhat shallow sand bottom. The scenery is
great through this stretch, but the low afternoon winter sun was shining
directly into our eyes and refracting off of the eerie mist that was rising
off of the frigid spring water. The effects was nearly blinding and we
fund ourselves paddling on the shady side of the river whenever
possible. A few class II rapids punctuated this section, but the
whitewater did not really pick up again until we reached a series of
basalt ledges with interesting narrow channels eroded into them.
The first three or four ledges all had clean chutes and the lines were
pretty obvious and simple. Wood could be an issue in any of these
narrow chutes, but everything was clean on this day. Eventually the
river gathered to the right and dropped down through an obviously
steeper rapid and into what looked like a very narrow mini canyon. I
pulled out on some shallow islands above the chute to scout for wood
and saw that the rapid was clean. Basically a three or four foot drop into
a flushy hole sat at the head of a very narrow slot less well under a boat
length wide. A few years ago one of our buddy came through here, got
his paddle wedged in the slot, and bashed his face on the chocked
paddle.
We wanted to avoid eating our paddles, and it was easy to do this by
boofing off of the right side and keep the paddle vertical. Most
everyone came through the slot with no problems, but we had one
swimmer when an unlucky boater flipped and was pressed against the
rock wall in such a way that made rolling difficult.
Flatwater followed this fun slot and continued for a short distance to the
last rapid at Woodruff Bridge. Here river left plunges down a violent
crack in the basalt with nasty undercuts and decapitation rocks on
either side. To make matters worse, a sticky looking hole waited at the
bottom of the drop set in a narrow slot that would make escape very
difficult. River right offered a shallow slide with a scrapy lead in. A final
ledge dropped into a deep pool below the take out bridge. More water
would certainly have made this last rapid more fun, along with most of
the other drops on the river, but the level that we had was adequate
and made for a nice day of exploring a new river.
before completing the portage with the steep walk back down to water
level. Seeing new rivers is always fun and I found myself having a great
time on the North Fork despite the fact that high quality rapids were few
and far between.
Below the falls the river runs through a few of the more fun rapids on
the run. The first couple are wide open and straightforward class III, but
the last is a four or five foot plunge into a walled out hole at the head of
another long canyon like crack eroded into the basalt flows that cover
this area. This drop is best run right down the middle to keep off of the
walls and to avoid the river right eddy. I entered the drop paddling hard
to punch the hole and shot through without a problem. Just as my boat
resurfaced I noticed a swimmer in the river right eddy just below the
drop and managed to pull over to help them out. I grabbed the
swimmers paddle and he was able to climb up and out of the water on
his own. It only took a few minutes to help ferry the swimmer across the
river and soon we were on our way once again. It should be noted that
past trip reports have mentioned that wood has been a problem in this
narrow drop so it might make sense to give a quick scout to ensure the
route is clear.
After this fun stretch the North Fork of the Rogue flattens out for about
a mile and runs over a somewhat shallow sand bottom. The scenery is
great through this stretch, but the low afternoon winter sun was shining
directly into our eyes and refracting off of the eerie mist that was rising
off of the frigid spring water. The effects was nearly blinding and we
fund ourselves paddling on the shady side of the river whenever
possible. A few class II rapids punctuated this section, but the
whitewater did not really pick up again until we reached a series of
basalt ledges with interesting narrow channels eroded into them.
The first three or four ledges all had clean chutes and the lines were
pretty obvious and simple. Wood could be an issue in any of these
narrow chutes, but everything was clean on this day. Eventually the
river gathered to the right and dropped down through an obviously
steeper rapid and into what looked like a very narrow mini canyon. I
pulled out on some shallow islands above the chute to scout for wood
and saw that the rapid was clean. Basically a three or four foot drop into
a flushy hole sat at the head of a very narrow slot less well under a boat
length wide. A few years ago one of our buddy came through here, got
his paddle wedged in the slot, and bashed his face on the chocked
paddle.
We wanted to avoid eating our paddles, and it was easy to do this by
boofing off of the right side and keep the paddle vertical. Most
everyone came through the slot with no problems, but we had one
swimmer when an unlucky boater flipped and was pressed against the
rock wall in such a way that made rolling difficult.
Flatwater followed this fun slot and continued for a short distance to the
last rapid at Woodruff Bridge. Here river left plunges down a violent
crack in the basalt with nasty undercuts and decapitation rocks on
either side. To make matters worse, a sticky looking hole waited at the
bottom of the drop set in a narrow slot that would make escape very
difficult. River right offered a shallow slide with a scrapy lead in. A final
ledge dropped into a deep pool below the take out bridge. More water
would certainly have made this last rapid more fun, along with most of
the other drops on the river, but the level that we had was adequate
and made for a nice day of exploring a new river.
We took our time at the take out and ended up finishing up the shuttle and starting the long
drive home just before four in the afternoon. All in all our day on the North Fork of the Rogue
was a fun escape from the foggy valleys. The river had a couple of great rapids, nice scenery,
and very interesting geology. I also got to explore a new part of Oregon and that is always a
lot of fun. Although I probably wouldn’t make another day trip the North Fork, I would happily
combine it with another run in the area. Being in the Cascades to the west of Crater Lake did
get me excited to explore some of the other rivers and creeks in this area.
One of the most interesting things about the day was seeing the extent to which volcanism had
influenced the geology. When Mt Mazama erupted 7,000 years ago and formed Crater Lake,
the explosion was vastly more powerful than that seen on Mt St Helens in 1980. Nearly 3,000
feet of the summit was blown off of the mountain. The pyroclastic ash and mud flows that
rocketed down the mountain laid deposits up to 1,200 feet thick in places and the North Fork
of the Rogue cuts through some of these ash flows, particularly where it flows through Takilma
Gorge. The basalt flows that the river cuts through and tubes that it flows within were created
well before Mazama’s explosive eruption. These lava flows were laid down up to 50,000 years
ago when the large volcano was being built by calmer eruptions of magma.
Much of this volcanic past lies underground, hidden by dense forests and soil. However, the
North Fork of the Rogue River had eroded away much of the covering layers and revealed
many indications of the area’s volcanic nature. In fact , many of the narrow cracks and
canyons that the North Fork flows through have been created by collapsed lava tubes in
addition to erosion. It makes sense that the river would follow the same path as ancient lava
flows since both water and molten rock would flow downhill following the path of least
resistance.
drive home just before four in the afternoon. All in all our day on the North Fork of the Rogue
was a fun escape from the foggy valleys. The river had a couple of great rapids, nice scenery,
and very interesting geology. I also got to explore a new part of Oregon and that is always a
lot of fun. Although I probably wouldn’t make another day trip the North Fork, I would happily
combine it with another run in the area. Being in the Cascades to the west of Crater Lake did
get me excited to explore some of the other rivers and creeks in this area.
One of the most interesting things about the day was seeing the extent to which volcanism had
influenced the geology. When Mt Mazama erupted 7,000 years ago and formed Crater Lake,
the explosion was vastly more powerful than that seen on Mt St Helens in 1980. Nearly 3,000
feet of the summit was blown off of the mountain. The pyroclastic ash and mud flows that
rocketed down the mountain laid deposits up to 1,200 feet thick in places and the North Fork
of the Rogue cuts through some of these ash flows, particularly where it flows through Takilma
Gorge. The basalt flows that the river cuts through and tubes that it flows within were created
well before Mazama’s explosive eruption. These lava flows were laid down up to 50,000 years
ago when the large volcano was being built by calmer eruptions of magma.
Much of this volcanic past lies underground, hidden by dense forests and soil. However, the
North Fork of the Rogue River had eroded away much of the covering layers and revealed
many indications of the area’s volcanic nature. In fact , many of the narrow cracks and
canyons that the North Fork flows through have been created by collapsed lava tubes in
addition to erosion. It makes sense that the river would follow the same path as ancient lava
flows since both water and molten rock would flow downhill following the path of least
resistance.
Jason scouts the class V rapid just above the normal put in and looks into the collapsed lava
tube that swallows a significant portion of the river's flow.
tube that swallows a significant portion of the river's flow.
Here the whole class V put in drop is visible. The large log in the river made running the rapid
extremely complicated with only a thin line possible.
extremely complicated with only a thin line possible.
We seal launched into the river below the big drop and made our way downstream quickly.
The entire North Fork disappears into lava tubes at the Natural Bridge
before reemerging almost 300 feet downstream.
before reemerging almost 300 feet downstream.
Ken relaxes in an eddy below the fun rapid that led into the most sustain section of whitewater
on the North Fork of the Rogue.
on the North Fork of the Rogue.
Karma is by far the best rapid on the run. A final sliding ledge waits out
of sight where the river bends to the left.
of sight where the river bends to the left.
A tangle of large logs lay across the top of Karma, but a narrow line was open to the left of the
large boulder in the center of the river. Jason heads for the only open slot.
large boulder in the center of the river. Jason heads for the only open slot.
After coming under the log jam boaters had to move right and paddle for a nice boof rock to
avoid the somewhat trashy left side of the drop.
avoid the somewhat trashy left side of the drop.
Jason finishes the toughest section of Karma after coming off of the great boof which is
partially hidden behind the bushes in this picture.
partially hidden behind the bushes in this picture.
Sunlight and old growth trees frame the final sliding drop of Karma.
The best route into the final drop of Karma is pictures here. Entering
from the right forces paddlers through a tricky seam.
from the right forces paddlers through a tricky seam.
Therapy Falls would be a great looking twenty foot drop were it not for
the terrible hydraulic and cave behind the curtain.
the terrible hydraulic and cave behind the curtain.
The gorge below Therapy Falls is quite scenic and we took some time to enjoy the area
before completing the portage and moving downstream.
before completing the portage and moving downstream.
Here is a view of the first stretch of Takilma Gorge as seen from our scouting hike before
putting on the river later in the day.
putting on the river later in the day.
The lead in to Takilma Gorge was a long and fun looking rapid. On
this trip was left the gorge for another day.
this trip was left the gorge for another day.
Yet another view of the canyon below Therapy Falls.