Deschutes River

[Kinebra]

Does anyone have a good recomendation for a multiple day trip on the Deschutes? Drift Boat with two kids...need to get these kids out of the house and start camping!!! [img]images/icons/mad.gif[/img]


Not looking for anything this weekend just something for the future.

Thanks!

[Pete]

It's hard to beat the Warm Springs to Trout Creek drift ... very remote, good camping and not much technical water. Another good stretch is Lone Pine or Beaver Tail to Mack's Canyon ... more white water, less camping, no out houses. Either one requires river permits and probably a shuttle. Amato publishes a guide to Deschutes ... I think you can get it at most libraries.

Max Canyon to the mouth if you are after steelhead and ther should be a few. Pretty good rapids at Boxcar and Colorado and of course less snakes.
Stew

[Drachir]

It all depends on your skill level w/ the oars. There are several great overnight drifts, but skill w/ the oars is what this river is all about. The Warm Springs to Trout Creek is one of my favorites, easy water to row lots of good trout water, and some great camping spots, but be sure to buy an Warm Springs Indians Fishing Pass, if you get caught on their land w/o, you are in big trouble. There is also a good overnight drift below Wreck Rapids, which is below Sherars Falls, and on the way down to Macks Canyon. It is after the big hill and below the narrow & dangerous Wreck Rapids. You can take out at Beavertail, for an easy drift, or go on all the way to Macks Canyon, but be warned, there is on pretty nasty little spot about 3 miles before you get to Macks Canyon that can test a novice on the oars. There is some good trout water in that stretch, and later on into September, it can be good for Steelhead as well. These are two of my favorite short overnight trips. Good Luck and have fun with the kids.
By the way both drifts you can get shuttles for, for the WS to Trout Creek, check w/ Oscars in Madras, and the Lower drift, check w/ The Oasis in Maupin, I've used both, and the service has been great!

[NEUTRON]

I did buck hollow to to the mouth last summer
in august with my family and had a blast, we went with a couple who raft it every year and
knew the places that required extra caution. I had no idea what I was getting into, the first day with all our camping gear and 2 precious kids and a fat dog on the bow; we were plowing curlers. My kids could sense my fear for their safety, not good. The kids switched over to the raft, dog went to the back of the boat and now we're having a gas!
Stew left out a couple, Rattlesnake and the new one snice the flood Wash Out are class 4's I think. At the takeout, several strangers approached me on the great ride we got through Wash Out with my little 14' "tupperware" boat. It didn't even shatter. and it's 11 years old too. Kinebra, a guide
book would be a good idea and this is a great stretch for the type of trip your talking about. The river permit will cost you about 40$ and you can pick them up at Fishermans or GI Joes I think, shuttle will cost about 75$.
My kids still talk aboutit, they really had fun. We saw lots of wild life as well. Drachir has it right, how good are you with the oars. The road to Macks isn't the best,
I'd prefer to float sections where I could avoid driving that stretch.