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.
Don't fall
Eric Foster-Moore is all smiles after passing the crux of the Undertaker portage.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
*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
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