The Wild and Scenic Upper Klamath River is our signature Ashland Day Trip. Cutting a steep wilderness canyon through the Cascades of Southern Oregon, this stretch is one of the finest and most exciting class-IV whitewater rafting trips in the west. This is the river Momentum got its start on it continues to be a guide and guest favorite. It really is hard to beat a day on the 'Upper K'.
While other rivers are experiencing low, rocky summer flows, the Upper Klamath still has more than enough water to make it feel like spring again. Over 30 major class III to IV+ rapids, from long turbulent drops to short charges through huge standing waves, pepper this beautiful volcanic high-desert canyon. The area is rich in Old West history with old cabins, mines, and long-deserted Indian settlements dotting the run. It's also a major stop on the Pacific flyway, making sightings of bald eagles, osprey, and blue herons regular occurrences.
The run has three different sections beginning with a fun class-III warm-up. This first stretch makes the Upper Klamath a recommended rafting trip for first-timers in good health, as they have plenty of time to learn the finer points of river running.
After historic Frain Ranch the canyon constricts, the river drops out of sight, and things completely take off. Get ready for one of the most action-packed sections of river anywhere (and for a drenching!). Starting with a long class-IV+ rapid called Caldera, the river rarely slows for the next seven miles and is packed with exciting and fun class IV and IV+ drops. Buried in the middle of this stretch is the half-mile long Hell's Corner rapid. In the last section, the canyon opens up to mostly splashy class-II rapids and offers plenty of opportunity to check out the rich bird life.
We offer two rafting trips on the Upper Klamath: The 1-Day Trip - Our most popular quick trip from Ashland Oregon, and 2-Day base camp trips.
Our Most popular trip from Ashland featuring hotel pick-up and drop-off and you get back in time for the plays.
1-Day Trips: $165
Discounts
- 10% Off For Families Of 4 Or More, And For Groups Of 10+ People.
- 15% Off For Groups Of 13 Or More
All Dates except wednesdays available May - September.
- July and August dates fill very quickly so plan ahead if possible.
Two-day trips on the Upper Klamath have a very unique character. The trip features an Old West pioneer flavor with its combination of camping, travel over a narrow dirt road that winds through tight pine forests and meadows, remote wilderness, and all the ruins of a time in the not-so-distant past.
On day one of our trip, we run the first and second stretches of the river and then make a short trip to camp at historic Frain Ranch. Camp is a place to relax, socialize, or hang out by the river and enjoy the canyon. The ranch is set right above Caldera rapid, so we start day two off with a bang by running the second stretch (the exciting part) again and then continuing further downstream through the third and final stretch of river.
This trip is all about the whitewater! When most rivers have have low, rocky, summer flows the Upper Klamath still has big water rapids and on the 2-day we run over 50 rapids.
2 Day Trips: $439
Discounts
- 10% off for groups of 10+ people.
Simon, Now that we are back in the UK, I wanted to say thank you for making our one-day trip down the Upper Klamath a highlight of our stay in the USA. My wife, our 14-year-old son and I, all enjoyed it immensely. First...
Hi Mike, Rafting the Upper Klamath was a great experience and thank you Mike for guiding us through it safely. I would like to call Momentum River Expeditions again when I return to Oregon in the near future. Take car...
Thanks for your email Mike. We both had a great day. Thanks so much. We\'ll be sure to recommend Momentum in the future. Best wishes Thomas
We are proud to operate under Special Use Permits granted to us by the Oregon Marine Board, the Bureau of Land Management - Klamath Falls Resource Area, Medford Oregon Resource Area, and the Vale District - and The U.S. Forest Service - Ashland Oregon Ranger District, Happy Camp Ranger District, and Idaho's Salmon-Challis National Forest. We are an equal opportunity recreation service provider. All trips operate on a non-discriminatory basis.
