Into the Outside: Celestial Falls

~250 cfs

Location of White River Falls state park (near Tygh Valley, OR)

45.243147099692266, -121.09675731985882

Stream: Celestial Falls, located on the White River in central Oregon, is one of the cleanest waterfalls in the pacific northwest. I would describe it's height as a "soft" 50'er. It is typically run as a park and huck, but has also been accessed from 4 miles upstream at the Hwy 216 bridge.

To get into the pool above Celestial requires a seal launch, and isn't really a gimme (mind the river-left wall). In some ways, it is more tricky than running the drop. If the banks are icy, this is even more difficult. Most people avoid paddling the drop in icy conditions. I mention this because boaters accustomed to the paddling conditions west of the Cascades are sometimes surprised by the conditions east of the Cascades during the winter paddling season.

The exit to the pool Celestial lands in is a small ledge that can be sticky at some flows, especially river-left. Most people take out here on the left, and follow the trail back up to the parking area. Those who paddle further down will find that in 1/5 mile there is another shorter, less clean waterfall that is less frequently run. Then below that falls, it's 2 miles of class II-III down to the Deschutes, where there are other take out options.

Also worth noting, the higher the water level, the cleaner the main drop is, but the trickier the seal launch is and the more consequential the ledge downstream of the falls is. If you are worried about the seal launch, low water levels are better.

This video provides a good tool for scoping out the area before going there in person. .

Access: Accessing the falls through the park is not allowed, so kayakers usually paddle the drop in the off-season when there is no host. Alternately, it is legal to paddle from upstream, portage the top drop below the high water mark (in the riverbed), then paddle Celestial falls. However, that is easier said than done, and last time I was there the park host did not concede that point, though the sheriff did.

Here is how the rule is stated on the park website.

So it's probably best just to paddle the drop during the off-season when the host is not around. Historically the host has been present from April 1- Oct 31 Be wary that neighbors have been known to take issue with kayaking too, so keeping a low profile is good practice.

Scouting is easy, just follow the trail in the park. There is no rule against having a boat on your roof, so a pre-run scout is just fine, but might put you on the hosts radar if they are there.

Flows: A new real-time gage has made getting the flows right easier (historically it was just an estimate). I'll add data to this page as I can, below is what I have so far. It shows the date, the water level, and a picture/video if available. Best I can gather is 500 cfs is ideal for the falls, with the range of quality flows extending a couple hundred cfs in either direction (in other words 300-700 cfs is the ideal range). People have run it outside that range, both very low, and at flood stage. Lower flows make for a friendlier landing pool, and higher flows make for a cleaner lip and a pool that pushes quicker into the ledge downstream. The seal launch is easier the lower the levels, at ideal levels for the falls the water pushes into the left wall in the landing of the seal launch fairly hard. It is nice to have someone push you in the right direction.

Gauge

White River Below Tygh Valley: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=14101500

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Jan 14, 2023