Oregon And Northern California Rafting Blog
            Momentum River Expeditions: World-Class River Trips

We are in the middle of an amazing summer of rafting here in Oregon and Northern California. However we are already looking towards our winter trips in Chile. We put the finishing touches on the new itinerary (it just involves arriving in camp from Argentina instead of Chile) and have a few date changes. You can see the new dates on our Futaleufu Rafting page. We hope to see you there!

Summer is here, river levels are dropping and the Upper Klamath is still flowing at “2-Guns”. It is a blast and there really is no other class 4 summer rafting like it on the West Coast. Come out to southern Oregon and join us!

With all the snow we have again extended our Cal Salmon season! We have a new weekend date on June 23 - 24th. Join us for one of the most amazing river trips in the country!
Here is what guest had to say after last weekend’s trip:

I just wanted to thank you and everyone on your team - Glen, Eric, Neil
- and anyone else I’ve forgotten, for such an awesome weekend. I can’t
remember the last time I had that much fun. You have quite an operation
going there - such a class act, and I felt like royalty all weekend!
……. I can’t wait until the next time! I was at ease right away
upon meeting you and the entire crew. Last Chance and Freight Train were
absolutely incredible and I’m having a hard time focusing on work today
because I can’t stop thinking about the trip!
Thank you so much.

“2-Guns” means they are releasing water from both turbines. Double the normal flow and it should be occurring through June. It is incredible, the canyon itself is a 7 mile, non-stop, luge run through huge standing waves and holes. I can’t think of a stretch of whitewater that packs in more whitewater or fun then the Upper K at this level. I just took my family down (for 2 of them it was there first time rafting) and I don’t think they stopped yelling and whooping the whole time.

The Cal Salmon should be running through June this year. Don’t miss the rare chance to run one of the west coasts most spectacular rivers in the sun and warm weather of late spring. We still have room, but our weekends are filling up. Read more on our California Salmon rafting page.

Four guides, 3 clients, and a crew from Oregon Public Broadcasting’s “Oregon Field Guide” made the journey into the far eastern corner of the state for a rare run on the Middle Owyhee. We call it an expedition style trip and it more then lived up to that description! It began with a 36 mile (3.5 hour?) slog over a slick muddy road after which every guide and client were covered in mud from pushing. We finally got on the river around three and, as usual, were blown away by the canyon. We also were treated to high water, a wrap, and the usual 3 hour portage of Widowmaker rapid.
This is one of those truly magical and wild places. You quickly descend into canyons of dark volcanic rock rising straight out of the water; it is right out of a fantasy novel.
The trip will be shown on Oregon Field Guide sometime in September. We will update everyone when the exact date is released. You can also check out the OPB website.

We just got off our first Cal Salmon trip of the year. We were joined by SOU students who were working on there outdoor skills program and were we in for a surprise! End of April California Salmon trips are generally cool (to cold) with medium to lower water. Instead we got 80 degree days with the water peeking out at 8000 cfs! At that level the main Salmon was fun to look at but not really an option to raft on. So we headed up stream to the rarely run South Fork. Normally this is a class 3-4 run with only a few real rapids, but with so much water running through the canyon it was a blast. Both our safety cataraft and our training boat had pretty substantial surfs!

New For 2006 - Counteract your trip emissions with Green Tags – We are very excited about this. This program offers us the ability to offset the climate-altering greenhouse gas emissions generated from the trip transportation, by purchasing Green Tags (also called renewable energy credits) from the non-profit Bonneville Environmental Foundation. Green Tag revenues directly support an increase of wind and solar energy onto the power grid. It is only $2 per person and you will be given the “green tags” option when we send you your trip confirmation pack. It will be on our website soon and you can read

The Southern Oregon, Northern California Snow Pack - It is looking quite nice!
Here is some quick estimates (it changes daily):
- Upper Klamath - 185%
- Rogue - 182%
- Owyhee - 151%
- California Salmon - 200% +

The Momentum Newsletter is out and it is the biggest ever! There is so much going on with the amazing Southern Oregon / Northern California snowpack, our spring rafting trips, and our new international trips (Costa Rica and India!!) . You can read it here. We also have new photo galleries up for our spring Owyhee River trip and our Winter trip to the Futaleufu.
I hope everyone is enjoying this wonderful weather and is ready for an amazing spring!

Have you ever heard of the Owyhee? It is known by some as the Grand Canyon of Oregon but if you haven’t heard of it you’re not alone! The Owyhee is located in Eastern Oregon and is one of the more remote rivers in the continental US. It also has a very finicky low elevation drainage, meaning that in some years there is not even an Owyhee season.
Well, this year is starting out to be one of the best Owyhee rafting seasons in years. The snowpack is over 150% and the water is high! We offer two trips on the Owyhee, the middle and the lower. Both feature spectacular deep sandstone and basalt canyons, hot springs, and the kind of remote wilderness experience that is becoming more and more rare. The Lower Owyhee is class 3 and is filled with petroglyphs and beautiful sandy camps. The Middle is Class 4-5 and is one of the most rarely run stretches of river in North America. We have trips scheduled in May and Early June. Read more about the Owyhee River and join us for a rare chance to visit this amazing place!

We have our 2007 rafting dates for our trips to Chili’s Futaleufu river:
Trip 1: February 8th – 16th
Arrive in Bariloche, Argentina on Feb 8thDepart Bariloche, Argentina on Feb 16th
Trip 2: February 18th – 26th
Arrive in Bariloche, Argentina on Feb 18thDepart Bariloche, Argentina on Feb 26th

The itinerary has also changed a little. We are now accessing the Futa valley from the Argentine side. Meaning you will get to fly into Buenos Aires, one of the coolest cities in the world. For more info check out our Rafting in Chile page.

The snow continues! I-5 has been closed, the Salmon / Scott basins have received upwards of 36″ of new snow! This is going to be an amazing rafting season in the Southern Oregon / Northern California area. We will probably adding some mid and late June Cal Salmon dates and we will be adding some later Owyhee dates.

We are almost ready to unveil our Costa Rica itinerary! Chad and Julie are there now checking out a few more things. But, I can tell you what the trip will include: refuting on a rarely run and remote Jungle river called the Sevegre, time in the amazing Drake Bay area- sea kayaking, hiking, snorkeling, and of course some beach time, Rafting on the world famous Pacuare river, and nights in remote and beautiful Jungle lodges.
We wanted to plan a trip that would take you to places that; either would be difficult for you to find, or that would be difficult to get to, that take you away from the normal travel routes, and that are our some our favorite areas in this amazing country.
Dates and prices coming soon!

Hello Everyone,
I’m back from Patagonia’s futaleufu. I have to say I was a little depressed about returning, but all this new snow is getting me excited for again for this springs rafting trips. The two futaleufu trips were amazing; great weather, very high water, and wonderful groups of people. It always amazes me watching groups of very different people come away from the valley as fast and sometimes lifelong friends. As always it is a magical place.
2007 Futaleufu Rafting Dates: We are working on dates for 2007. Once again we will have two trips in February.

Just a quick note on our spring trips: I am in Chile at the moment, but Chad and Julie are in Southern Oregon busy helping people with their vacation plans and booking rafting trips for spring and summer. We have a 10% pre-season discount going and some of our more popular dates and trips are already close to full (in fact Memorial day on the California Salmon River is full!). So, if you have an idea of a trip you are interested in, even if you are not comitted to it yet, give them a call. They can help with any questions and hold spots while you decide.
Some trips off the top of my head that we are expecially excited about:

The Owyhee River: Both the Lower and Middle. The middle offers some of the best and most remote rafting in all of oregon (and the west coast). And the Lower offers a wonderful spring family trip. Also, this years Oregon snowpack looks like it will be the best in years.

The California Salmon on the third weekend in May: Any weekend on the Salmon is amazing, but for those looking for the biggest water this is usually your best bet. And, while the snowpack for northern California is above average, the snowpack for the Salmon River drainage looks HUGE.

So, check out our Rafting Schedule page and give us a call or an email.

Hello all. I am sitting here in Puerto Varas, Chile enjoying the sun, my Costa Rican tan, and getting ready to head to the Futaleufu valley for two trips. I was just in Costa Rica for ten days figuring out the details of our new Costa Rica vacation.
Costa Rica is a trip that has been difficult for me to put together . It is a place with so many options, many of them easy to do on your own. However, like any place with a ton of options, there are some not so good ones. What we wanted to do with this vacation was to show you places that are difficult to visit by yourself, that would be difficult to find with out a lot of trial and error, and when put together give you a great taste of the what Costa Rica has to offer and create a truly amazing vacation. We also wanted to avoid, as much as possible, zipping you aroud to too many different places in one relativly short trip. We want to spend enought time in each place to truly enjoy it.

Well, I think we are very close to having the itinereary set and I´m really excited! The trip includes:
Some truly amazing Eco lodges run by a host of interesting, knowledgeable, and friendly people.
Landscapes ranging from deep jungle rivers, to deserted tropical beaches, to remote islands.
And finally activities including rafting (inluding a very remote river that is run in 4 person “mini-me´s”), sea kayaking, snorkeling, horse back riding, a canopy tour, swimming, and of course plenty of time to sit in a hammock with your favorite drink and contemplate the beautiful settings.

We will finish up the details when I get back in March and we should have it up on the web by the end of the month.

P.S. - There is no spell check on this computer so I apoligize for the many spelling errors!

Things are looking very good for the 2006 rafting season! Here is how the snow pack looks for each of our rivers:
The California Salmon and Scott: It is hard to get an exact percentage for these two drainages but, judging by the drainages around them, we are guessing the that the snow pack is around 160% of normal! This means great May water and, barring an extended heat wave or drought, the Cal Salmon season should last well past the second week in June.
The Owyhee River: The snowpack is at 118% of normal. This is wonderful, especially considering how the last two years have been. The Owyhee should run and we are excited for our middle and lower trips.
The Klamath River: The Klamath River has a massive drainage and the snow pack is a HUGE 154% of average above the Upper K. With the snow and all this rain it should mean some sweet “2 Gun” days (two generators, more water) this summer on the Upper Klamath.
The Rogue River: The snowpack is at 125% of normal on the Rogue. The Rogue is always at a fun water level, but a little more never hurts!

More Website updates: On a side note we have made a few more web improvements. We have a new Momentum Rafting News page. The page also includes rafting news from other sources in Oregon and California. We have also added a Medford Oregon Rafting page.

The winter Newsletter is out. It has lots of info on our spring trips and our new river trips for 06.
We have had a crazy winter so far with the rain, snow, and flooding. But it should make for an amazing spring rafting season. Our Cal Salmon season is already starting to book up and we are really excited about our middle Owyhee trip. You can read the whole newsletter here.

Since it is MLK Day here are some wonderful quotes from the man himself:

“Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Hate destroys a man’s sense of values and his objectivity. It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false and the false with the true.”

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. “

“Ten thousand fools proclaim themselves into obscurity, while one wise man forgets himself into immortality. “

We just finished updating our website for 06. The Intro page has lots of new pictures. If you hit refresh on your browser it will cycle through them. We have a few new pages; a Medford Oregon Rafting Page, and a Specialty Rafting page. There also new photos and small updates throughout the site. Hope everyone is having a great winter !

Our 2006 river trip schedule for Oregon and Northern California is up at our Rafting Schedule page. More details soon.

“What would the world be, once bereft of wet and wildness? Let them be left, O let them be left, wildness and wet; Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet.”

Hal Boyle

Thanks to all who joined us for an amazing rafting season in Southern Oregon and Northern California! The high spring water, the “big” turbine on the Upper Klamath, and, most importantly, you’re good company made it an unforgettable year.
We are now stating to gear up for Chile in february. Summer in Patagonia on one of the greatest rivers in the world is hard to beat! If you are interested give us a call and check our Rio Futaleufu page. Hopefully we will see a few of you there.
From all off us at Momentum- Have a wonderful fall!!!

Hello everyone. Our Fall newsletter is up with info on fall rafting here in Oregon and Northern California, Our winter trips to Chile, and new trips for 2006. You can also check out images from this summer here.
Thanks for a great summer and remember there is still BIG fun water on the Upper Klamath River well into October!