Father's Day 2012

My dad has been interested in checking out Opal Gorge in his IK recently.  Initially it was off his radar for the same reasons many boaters choose not to run this section.  From what I have gathered many people are turned off by the commitment factor of the Unscoutable, Unportageable rapid guarding the entrance as well as the fabled portage at the Undertaker.

I had run the creek a week or so before, so knew the Un-Un was good to go and it was a sunny day so the Undertaker portage would not be an issue.  We decided to see how IK's would fair in the gorge!  The day being Father's Days, I decided to also take an IK for this father-son trip.  It has been a long time since I have run anything significant in this type of boat so I through the crack in Thor's to get back to the top of the last segment of that rapid.  I came through smooth to a cheer from the many swimmers and sun bathers lining the shore.

We headed down through the mile or so of class I and II leading to the gorge and I was quickly reminded of traits the IK possesses that are superior to hardshells, topping that list is comfort!  I relaxed in a reclined position curious as to the effectiveness of the Bomber Hydrogen neoprene pants that I was relying on to keep my now exposed legs warm.  I gave my dad verbal beta for the boulder garden, but the resulting tailstand caused swim #1.  After a more thorough description of the Un-Un we both had smooth lines.  One more class three and we were in the heart of the gorge just above the Undertaker.  Oddly enough, the portage eddy gets much trickier at these low flows and the stress level is increased.  We made quick work of the river left portage (less sketchy than right in my opinion) and were pleased by how the IK's handled the seal launches back into the river.  The low water exposed the true nature of this rapid, where all the water goes under either the finger of rock on the left or the boulder on the right.  The boulder garden (Unicorn) was the only spot the river felt low, but there was still enough to float on down. Next was the Sierra slot, which I think is harder at these lower flows.  I was surprised to come through with only a small squirt, at this point there was a breakdown in communication and I sent my dad right into the rooster tail that always results in a flip.  We checked out the line at fish ladder which was looking only slightly marginal today and we took the usual line along the left bank, putting back in at the beautiful pool below.  From here to Salmon I tried some fishing but was unsuccessful.

It was at this point that I realized I had been totally comfortable the whole trip with only a drytop and neoprene pants from Bomber.

In the pool near Evans creek a group of onlookers jokingly asked if they could watch us run the falls.  When they realized we were serious about running it their eyes lit up and they rushed downstream to watch us meet what was sure to be our demise.  We scouted from the left for awhile and decided to run the falls via seal launch on the left.  My dad went first and was pushed to the right where the power at the base of the falls got the best of his attempt at a dry run.  I followed with a near identical line.  Unsatisfied with this result I solicited the help of the onlookers and went back, hitting the kicker on the left for an upright and refreshing line!  My dad finished the day with a scooter shuttle and we rejoiced in our IK descent of Opal Gorge.

My second lap over the falls this day.

       -Jacob

side note:  Someone got shoved under the river left finger in fishladder falls a few weeks ago.  They resurfaced in an underwater cave, pushed themselves down and flushed out.  Take what you will from that information.

Henline Creek

BETA
0.3 miles

Stream: Upon arriving at the bridge over the creek, cross over it and use the parking spot on the right.  They give tickets here if people are parked in the road and many areas are signed "no parking".   While this area requires a parking pass in the summer and they vigilantly patrol that time of year, the enforcement is pretty lax during the boating season.
Next, take a look upstream and downstream from the bridge to gauge flows and scout the line through this section as you don't get another good opportunity once on the creek.  If this section looks fun, flows are good.

   Photo: Emile Elliott

If you are unfamiliar with the creek, I recommend you scout from the areas marked by yellow circles in the following graphic before putting on.  If you do that you will see all the rapids of note before putting on.  It is also possible to hike down the trail to scout the take out above Triple Falls.

After scouting, hike your boat up the moss covered rock slab in the following photo until the terrain flattens out, walk parallel to Henline Creek for a hundred yards or so until the terrain sends you down to creek level, this is the put in. 

Photo taken from bridge over Henline Creek.

The first series of drops ends in a clean, narrow ten footer and can be scouted on the right before getting in your boat.

Nick Chambers

   Photo: Emile Elliott

The next set of drops around the corner are the rapids visible from the bridge.  You can take a look at the beginning of this series from river level on the left, but the best look was at the beginning of the day from the bridge.  Hopefully you looked both up, and downstream.

 Photo: Christine Moon

Some people do laps on the top section by taking out on river right immediately below the series of drops ending just downstream of the bridge.  There is a use-path that goes steeply up to the road there.

After a short straight away below the bridge, the river bends left and enters the series of rapids visible from the trail scout, the lead in can be re-scouted from river-level.  If in doubt below the bridge, go middle.

  Photo: Emile Elliott

Below this series of drops the creek gives boaters a few seconds of bouldery class III before one last 5-10' horizon line that can be scouted from river level for the cleanest transition, usually run right.  Below this last ledge is a small bouldery island, the take out is on the right just above this island.  Not far downstream is Triple Falls, a large unrunnable falls landing in Opal Gorge.

The trail is right next to the creek here, so either hike it back up to the road, or if you left a car at Salmon falls use the trail to portage Triple Falls into Opal Gorge.

Henline Creek is short, so while the first lap might consume a couple hours including all the pre-scouting, second and third laps can be done in just a few minutes.  Emile paddles Henline Creek in the video below.

Henline Creek from Difficult E on Vimeo.

**If you continue into Opal Gorge**

Scout Sierra Slot from the trail on the right before putting back on, it becomes a clean river-wide ledge.
I haven't seen the rest at high flows, but here is what I have heard:

Fishladder becomes a big pillowy flume ride down the right side at 3,000 cfs.  I have heard from others that at 5,000 cfs a line even opens up to the left where the portage route usually is.  The rest of the run is big waves except for a drop shortly above Fishladder which Dan mentioned was big (He didn't describe it but if Dan mentions a rapid is big it definitely grabs my attention).

  
Flows:  A visual check is needed to determine if Henline is running.  You can see 25% of the run from the bridge when you get there, so if that section looks like fun, flows are good.  It's a small creek and needs lots of rain. 

To determine whether it's worth a visual check, people look at the Little North Santiam @ Mehama gauge.
My experience has been that even if flows drop below this threshold during the day, I like to see at least 3k the morning or night before I try for Henline, though sometimes it comes in at 2.5k.  I am not sure what maximum flows are, but 5k usually still equates to a medium flow.

Access:  Take I5 to Salem and head East on Highway 22 towards Detroit Reservoir.  In about 22 miles turn left at a flashing yellow light onto N Fork Rd just past the town of Mehama. 14 miles after turning off Hwy 22 you pass Salmon Falls, which can be used as a take out for those adding on the second half of the Opal Gorge run. 

To get to the bridge over Henline Creek, continue upstream on N Fork Rd, after a few miles the road turns to gravel.  Less than a mile after the road becomes gravel you will cross the bridge over Henline Creek. There is a parking spot just past the bridge on the right.

Hike up the moss covered rock slab in the following photo until the terrain flattens out, walk parallel to Henline Creek for a hundred yards or so until the terrain sends you down to creek level, this is the put in. (photo taken from the bridge over Henline Creek).

Downstream of the last drop below the bridge there is an actual trail on river-right next to the creek that can be used to return to the cars, or to portage Henline Falls and continue through the bottom of the Opal Gorge run down to Salmon Falls.

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Notes
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This is a neat run that is the next half step up from Sweet Creek.  A first time trip here for someone stepping up to the run often results in some wide eyes and just one lap.  Once you get a second lap in, you realize it's pretty manageable and knowing the lines and what's coming up makes it less of a stimulation overload.


2019 update:  The creek is as clean as it's ever been, no wood blockages.

2018 Update:  The wood above the bridge has shifted, and you can get by to the right of it.

2016 Update:  There is some wood just above the bridge, it's in a bummer of a spot. I personally won't bother running the creek until it has moved.

2011 Update: Jan 15 we had 3,000 cfs in the LNF@Mehama dropping to 2500 by midday, it rained all day and by midnight it had spiked to 8,000 and hit 20,000 cfs the next day.  Flows were medium in Henline while we were there.  There was wood visible upstream of the bridge.  I decided not to run the creek in my kayak, I felt this one wood portage made the work:reward ratio beyond my interest for the day.  Jeff and Dan were able to blast over the log in their raft. They were able to run everything, the ten footer near the top was a little weird though so Jeff R1'ed it.  The rafters portaged Triple Falls and continued through the lower half of the Opal Gorge run.  They reported Fishladder was more runnable at these flows than when water is lower and the rest of the run was big waves except for a drop shortly above Fishladder which Dan mentioned was big (He didn't describe it but if Dan mentions a rapid is big it definitely grabs my attention).  Dan R1'ed the center line at Salmon Falls, really burly.  He had a good line.

2010 Update: Jan 2 I ran Henline creek with Chris Arnold and Ryan Cole. LNF@Mehama was ~3300 dropping to ~2900. This was a good level, more water would have been fine.  Bringing a small handsaw to this run is never a bad idea.  We scouted everything before putting on.

Other resources with photos:

Nate Pfiefer
James Bagley/EJ Etherington

Little North Santiam: Opal Gorge

Photo: Matt King


BETA

Stream: Most people do this run as an extension of the Classic Opal stretch, but locals do it as a stand-alone run all the time if they are looking for a shorter trip.  Either way you start this section at Three Pools.  It is easy to walk up to the top of Thor's along a short trail to get some action in right away.

The stream exits the Pool at the base of Thor's and goes around an island.  At low flows both sides are rocky, right is the standard route.  The next mile is class II and gives you a chance to get warmed up.  The entrance to the gorge is obvious as the walls rise up and a rapid presents itself.  This is the longest, yet least challenging rapid of the section.  You can run the entrance wherever, though I like to stay along the right bank.  The lines converge near the bottom and a boulder in the center of the river creates a ledge.  At low and high flows it is best to boof off the left edge of this boulder (covered at high flows) and at medium flows it is fun to boof off the right shoulder of it.

This lands you in the calm pool above the Mystery AKA the Un/Un (unscoutable/unportageable).  The standard line is 6 inches off the left wall at the lip, pointed towards 1 o clock and letting your nose drop.  If you have the correct angle a shelf will shoot you out cleanly into the aerated pool below.  Angled too far left or right and you will likely receive a glancing blow from either wall before being shot out into the pool below.  
The right channel gets run too, but not as often.  There is even a middle boof at high flows as well.

                                               A right side run of Mystery AKA the Un/Un at very low flows.

                                                              Photo: Lucas Rietmann

There is a small ledge below here that develops a respectable hole at high flows before another calm pool.  The next horizon line is the Undertaker, as far as I know this drop has been run once at 5,000 cfs (by Willy Dinsdale) and portaged by every other boater who has ever run this stretch of river.  The left side portage is quicker, but there are about 5' of this exposed portage that are slippery and this keeps a lot of people who would otherwise enjoy the run from paddling Opal Gorge.  I don't want to tell people it's no big thing, and it's true that if you fell it would likely be the end of you, but lots of people have made the portage without issue and most of them are more than willing to repeat the trip.   The decision is always yours, and if you really get freaked out you can always attain back upstream to get to the river-right portage at med-low flows and below.  At 6.5' on the Elkhorn gage and above, the Undertaker should be portaged on the right. 


                                                                             Don't fall

                                                                       Photo: Matt King

                     Eric Foster-Moore is all smiles after passing the crux of the Undertaker portage.

                                                                  Photo: Matt King

There is another boulder just below the Undertaker (Tombstone Rock) that can be run on either side so long as you are driving strongly back to center.

The next rapid is Unicorn, a long Boulder Garden that is entered on the center/right and then run down the main/center channel the rest of the way.

A moving pool separates the runout of Unicorn from Henline Rapid which can be scouted from the right at normal flows and left or right at low flows.  Lines exist far right and far left, avoiding the center of the rapid (where most of the current funnels) at the top and bottom.  There is an undercut bottom-left that makes me squeamish here at low flows, but it is covered at normal flows.


                                                Brian Butcher runs left at Henline Rapid.

                                                           Photo: Lucas Rietmann

The next horizon is the Sierra Slot, which used to have a boof on the right but things seemed to have changed a bit and that line seems to flip people onto their head.  The new standard line is the same as the old, running the right channel driving hard left with a right stroke into a fold that can rinse out the sinuses but lands in a forgiving pool.

Below here you are free of the gorge, a half mile of class II leads to the last portage at Elkhorn Falls.  If you look at this rapid and decide it looks like something you may want to run (main line or sneak), first walk out onto the finger of rock creating a pinch in the outflow and see for yourself how much of the river actually flows under there.  The portage is ultra easy on the left.

                                Michael Freeman making the first move of Elkhorn Falls at flows under the            .                                                    recommended flow range (still a class V rapid).

                                                             Photo: Lucas Rietmann

A half mile downstream is the Elkhorn bridge with a staff gauge underneath on river right.  I generally like taking out at the Elkhorn bridge these days as it avoids another mile of class I and flatwater down to Salmon Falls, the other take out option.  

That said, Salmon Falls is a good drop, and if you have never paddled it before I would encourage you to paddle down to it and make up your own mind about whether it's worth the flat water or not.

Salmon Falls can be scouted thoroughly along a retaining wall on river-left, you won't be able to see much from river-right.   For me, if levels are below 1,000 cfs I choose to portage the lead in to Salmon Falls and seal launch at the lip.  Over 1,500 cfs the center to left line Rick Cooley demonstrates below is most appealing.  At 1,000-1,500 cfs I usually take out at the Elkhorn bridge.  

                                                                     Photo: Matt King

Then there are those who try the far left lead-in to Salmon Falls, some of these people even manage to go over the main drop upright. 

                                                             Photo: Lucas Rietmann

  
Flows:  400-2,000 cfs on the Little North Fork Santiam Gauge is the range I am comfortable with; ideal first time flows on the Elkhorn Gauge are 5-6'.  At 6.5' and above the Elkhorn gage, the right side portage at Undertaker should be used.

If you are a well-traveled class V boater, I have heard 3,000 cfs and stable or dropping is a magical level to do Classic Opal through Opal Gorge.  Though I can't recommend that flow to anyone who doesn't already know the gorge.  At this level Mystery is run center, and the Undertaker needs to be portaged on the right.

Locals have done the run up to 5,000 cfs, some of them have regretted that decision while others have had a great time. 


Access:  Take I5 to Salem and head East on Highway 22 towards Detroit Reservoir.  In about 22 miles turn left at a flashing yellow light onto N Fork Rd. 14 miles after turning off Hwy 22 you pass Salmon Falls, which is the lower take out.  To use the upper take out continue upstream 1 mile and park your vehicle at the intersection of Elkhorn Rd (which leads promptly to the take out bridge) and N Fork Rd.  At the end of the day you can walk to your car and drive it down to the bridge to load gear, but locals don't like boaters leaving vehicles at the bridge all day. 

From either take out continue upstream on N Fork Rd to get to the put in, after a few miles the road turns to gravel.  Just under 2 miles after this happens you will make a sharp right onto a road marked by a kiosk and some boulders that leads downhill.  Just under a mile after making this turn, pull right into the paved Three Pools day use area (not signed in 2015).  Stairs at the far end of the parking lot lead down to the put in.

Notes:   Iv'e been asked a couple times how to scout Mystery before putting on, since it can't be done once on the water.  This is how Iv'e done it.    
 -    After crossing the bridge over Henline Creek, the road will go uphill slightly for a couple hundred yards or so, when it switches to going downhill look for a place to pull out on the right near the crest of the hill.   Walk perpendicular away from the road straight towards the Little North Santiam, you will reach some cliffs overlooking the gorge.  If you poke around for awhile, you will be able to see whether the left side of Mystery is clear.    44.840054, -122.332117

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Original Write-up
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Well, Matt and crew seemed to have a lot of fun on Opal Gorge a couple weeks ago, so Nate and I decided we would head back for each of our second runs down this PNW classic. I had to be back to class that evening, so we met at the Swiss Village restaurant at 10am. I was a little apprehensive about the drizzle (the conventional wisdom in 2010 was not to do the gorge if it was raining). Nate had done the left side portage before and was confident it would be manageable. Plus, if it was really that bad, we figured we would just do the right side portage.

We put in and putted around the put-in pool for a couple minutes, then were on our way. The class II went by quick, then we were at the first boulder garden.  This boulder garden is a good skill check, if you feel comfortable on this drop the rest of the run will be within your ability but maybe a half class harder.

This put us in the pool above the Un-Un. I didn't feel like hanging out here thinking too long, so caught the final eddy for a peak, didn't see much, then dropped over the left side where a quick reconnect propelled me into the pool below (don't boof).  Nate joined shortly after with a similar line.

After the next small drop we eddied out on the left above the Undertaker. When I had portaged on the right side, the drop looked runnable (as in Tyler Bradt or Eric Boomer runnable). This time I got a better look and I no longer think that.

*This drop has been run, at around 5,000 cfs by Willy Dinsdale a flow high enough for the sieve to get partially covered*

When we got to the portage, Nate and I walked the route first without boats to suss things out.  Instead of the friction climbing, mountain goat, totally gripped tightrope walk I was expecting, we found a manageable, if exposed, portage route. We did pass the boats to each other at one spot to be safe. The issue is definitely the fact that IF you were to slip and fall, you would have very close to zero chances of living.

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At the time this video was shot (a time before GoPro!) you can tell we were taking the portage awfully seriously.  After finding it a manageable affair even in the rain on this trip, the stigma of the portage was broken for me.  While I still take the portage seriously, I am no longer apprehensive about it and have returned over 25 times to paddle through what has become one of my favorite gorges.

Level was about 650 in the video, which is a friendly level.

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Opal Gorge from Jacob Cruser on Vimeo.

Here is another video half a decade later that shows the left side portage route at Undertaker, with the gauge reading 500 cfs or so.

After the run we scouted access to Evans Creek, a nearby waterfall studded creek that I have concluded after a return trip to canyoneer is not something I need to kayak other than maybe the last 1/4 mile for novelties sake some day.  Then it was back to class, Opal Gorge is a place to see if you are a boater in Oregon.

-Jacob