Price: $1095
Length: 24 miles kayaking + 4 mile hike / 5 days
Dates: July 1 – 5 and July 9 – 12, 2012
In 2011, four NWRC guides embarked on an exploratory adventure down the Chetco River in southern Oregon. Their incredible experience inspired this new trip for 2012!
Join us as we traverse the Kalmiopsis Wilderness by foot and inflatable kayak on the remote Chetco River. This is a river canyon very few people have seen due to its remoteness and challenging access. It is nestled between the better known Smith and Illinois Rivers, both renowned for their absolutely clear water and epic whitewater.
We’ll start the expedition by driving to Chetco Pass where you’ll get a view down to the Chetco River Canyon and across the vast Kalmiopsis Wilderness. We’ll load up supplies and hike 4 miles down to the river via mining trails.
Hiking into the Chetco River will give you a true sense of the Kalmiopsis Wilderness
When you reach the river, it will be time to pump up the boats and ready yourself for the “inflatable kayaking 101″ course. You’ll spend the first night camped at put-in, and after a simple breakfast you’ll jump in your IK for “inflatable kayaking 201″.
The upper gorge of the Chetco is beautiful beyond belief. Its tight, intimate canyon is one that should be savored so you’ll want to take your time traveling down these Class IV rapids. We’ll stop to scout all the big rapids and may choose to walk our IKs around a few of them.
The Upper Chetco Gorge
The next few days you’ll make your way down the Chetco River. There are many places to stop, swim the crystal-clear pools and take a few side hikes up the creeks that feed the Chetco.
On day 3, you’ll cross the wilderness boundary, where the river opens up on the approach to Tolman Ranch. A few miles past Tolman Ranch you’ll enter the Lower Chetco Gorge and paddle through a couple of long Class IV+ rapids, definitely testing the skills you learned over the past few days.
Rapids of the Lower Chetco Gorge
