John Day River: Clarno to Cottonwood

FLOW

• USGS Gauge:  John Day River at Service Creek, OR
• Flow Range:  1,200 - 6,000 CFS runnable
• Avg Gradient: 11 fpm 

PUT-IN

• Clarno:  Clarno State Recreation Site in Fossil, OR. Put-in is on river right below the bridge.  

TAKE-OUTS

• Thirtymile:  Thirty Mile Boat Launch in Kent, OR. Access on river right with primitive camping available. Clarno to Thirtymile is a 25 mile reach with one class III and one class IV rapid, both can be portaged. 
  
• Cottonwood:   Cottonwood Boat Launch in Wasco, OR.  Take-out is below the bridge on river right. No camping at the access site but camping is available nearby at Cottonwood Canyon State Park across the river.  Clarno to Cottonwood is a 69 mile reach.  Thirtymile to Cottonwood is a mellow 44 mile reach.  

ON THE RIVER

The reach from Clarno to Thirtymile has three named rapids: Upper Clarno, Lower Clarno and Basalt Rapids. Upper Clarno (III) is 4.5 miles from the put-in, and Lower Clarno (IV) is 0.3 miles further downstream. Even at high flows you can eddy out between the two.  Lower Clarno is the most challenging drop on the run. At high flows you can find a clean line between a good-sized hole on the left and the big wave train down the middle. At lower flows you will need to thread your way through the rocks. It's easy to scout from river left. 

Basalt Rapids, a class II, comes at 16.5 miles from the put-in and is marked by an obvious truck-size boulder on river left. There is a straightforward line down the middle or you can sneak to the left between the large boulder and the left bank. 

The 53 miles from Basalt Rapid to Cottonwood Canyon may not have much in the way of exciting whitewater, but what it lacks in whitewater it more than makes up for with stunning scenery as you travel through 3 designated wilderness study areas. 

NOTES

• Learn more on American Whitewater's John Day 3. Clarno to Cottonwood web page. 
• The BLM requires an online permit year round, a river toilet for overnight trips, and a fire pan for having fires outside the annual fire ban season. Visit Recreation.gov for day use permits and overnight permits. For further regulations and information visit the John Day BLM website. 
• Upriver winds have been known to develop in the afternoon. 
• Beware of wood hazards. Eddy out high above blind corners to scout. 
• Watch for protruding rocks and gravel bars in low water. 

• Suitable Activities: Packrafting
• Seasons: April, May, June, July
• Weather: View weather forecast

• Difficulty: Class II River, Class III River, Class IV River
• Length: 70.0 mi

• Land Manager: Oregon-Washington BLM
• Parking Permit Required: BLM Permits & Passes
• Recommended Party Size: 8
• Maximum Party Size: 12
• Maximum Route/Place Capacity: 12