John Day River Rafting
| Upper Canyon - Service Creek to Clarno |
Central Oregon
4 days
April 1 - June 30
Class II |
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The John Day is the longest free-flowing river in Oregon, and
the second longest in the continental U.S..
The John Day, which runs 280 miles from its headwaters in the Blue Mountains to its confluence with the Columbia,
is our longest rafting trip. Its a good trip to choose if you are looking for a
scenic float and mild whitewater.
In 1988 Congress designated 148 miles of the main John Day (including the sections we
float) as well as 101 miles of the north and south forks as National Wild and Scenic Rivers. The
John Day watershed supports one of the largest remaining populations of wild Chinook salmon and steelhead in the Columbia
Basin, and is known for its excellent bass fishing. A wide variety of bird life may be found here, as well.
We offer trips on both the Upper and the Lower John Day. Either section is ideal for a scenic float, and they may be combined to create an
nine day journey!
The upper segment
of the John Day is the calmer of the two,
and the few rapids encountered are quite mild. This leaves us with ample time to relax, sunbathe,
fish, and take in
the passing scenery.
Local History
The Tenino Indians lived along the stream's lower stretches. Over 150 sites on both
stream-banks have yielded artifacts and other
signs of habitation.
In 1861 gold was found up nearby Canyon Creek as well as along Griffin Creek, just southwest of Baker. The thousands
of miners and prospectors who arrived at Griffin Creek held a formal meeting and
named their settlement Auburn. Overnight, Auburn grew to briefly become the
largest town in the state, before disappearing again in 1903.
Clarno (our takeout point) was never a large town. It was named for Andrew
Clarno, who settled there in 1866 and ran one of the first post offices in
the county. His son, Charles, ran a ferry close to where the Clarno Bridge was
built in 1897. The younger Clarno, an enterprising man with a love of
steamboats,
constructed a miniature riverboat, the J.D. Queen. The Queen was 40 feet
long, 10 feet wide, and 10 feet tall. She navigated as a ferry and pleasure
craft on a ten mile stretch of water near the town of Clarno.
O.R.E.
operates these tours under a special use permit issued by the U.S.
Bureau of Land Management. O.R.E. is an equal opportunity service provider.
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