July 9–10, 2026
Momentum River Expeditions Guided Trip on the Klamath River
About the Trip
A two‑day rafting safari through the Upper Klamath canyon. Participants camp riverside, learn river safety, and experience one of the Basin’s most iconic stretches.
The Upper Klamath 2-day Rafting Safari combines steep and technical class 4+ rapids with our ultra-comfortable ‘safari-style’ riverside backcountry camp tucked deep in the canyon and only accessible by raft ('glamping' style). This 2-day expedition blends our classic Hell’s Corner run with the newly revived Kikaceki (Wards) Canyon. See the Upper Klamath in its restored glory and run beautiful basalt canyons that haven't been experienced in 100 years! You'll experience exciting rapids with a low guest-to-guide ratio on the raft, as well as have the opportunity to inflatable kayak the Kikaceki Valley. This expedition is the perfect way to see the Upper Klamath as it comes alive again after the historic dam removal!
Here is more info on the trip:
http://www.momentumriverexpeditions.com/trip/upper-klamath-rafting-safari/
See more photos of Kikaceki Canyon here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/momentum-oregon-rafting/albums/72177720323339659/
Who It’s For
Youth, families, and adults ready for a Class III–IV adventure.
PLEASE NOTE: This is a high adventure trip and guests need to be in good physical condition and adventurous. If you have any questions or concerns about anyone on your reservations ability to do this trip please let us know.
What to Expect
Overnight camping
Meals provided
Safety instruction
Cultural teachings and storytelling
2-Day Upper Klamath Itinerary:
Day 1:
Getting there, ‘Hells Corner’, and camp......
We pick guests up at their hotel in Ashland between 8 and 9 in the morning and head up the edge of where the Cascades meet the Siskiyou’s to the “put-in” at the Spring Island boat launch. 6 miles below the restored site of JC Boyle Dam. We will have a continental breakfast while the guides are getting the boats ready and do a short safety and orientation talk. After that we hop into the boats and begin the trip downriver. The Upper Klamath begins with a fun class-III warm-up stretch which makes it a recommended rafting trip for first-timers or experts in good health. After about 3 miles of warm up the canyon constricts, the river drops out of sight, and we enter the famous “Hells Corner” section of the canyon – beginning with a 150 yard rapid known as ‘Caldera’. At most flows the rapids will be steep and technical and our boats will have only 4 guests and 1 guide so we are light and nimble enough. Somewhere in the canyon we will pull over for a big lunch. In the afternoon we will pull into our comfortable riverside Upper Klamath Bush Camp. The afternoon and evening can be spent hiking, fly-fishing, playing games in the sun, or just hanging out. We will serve appetizers, a big dinner, and dessert.
Day 2:
A restored river, a spectacular and imposing whitewater canyon, and a big finish...
Day 2 is a big day! After a hearty breakfast and plenty of time for a second cup of coffee we will say goodbye to camp and float into California and through a few medium sized rapids before the canyon opens up and the bigger whitewater takes a breather. If water levels permit, there may be a chance to jump in inflatable kayaks. We will stop for another big lunch and eventually float into the restored Kikacéki Valley, ancestral land of the Shasta Nation, and former site of the Copco Reservoir. This mellow and meandering stretch highlights how quickly the river corridor is coming back alive with thriving riverside plant life and eagles and hawks keeping a sharp eye out for fish and critters. We end with Kikacéki Canyon, one of the more dramatic and imposing canyons on the West Coast and the most concentrated section of whitewater of the trip. The Kikacéki canyon entrance once loomed over the end of the valley, but then it was hidden for 100 years – blocked and flooded on one end by two dams and at the other by a reservoir, and then dewatered by a hydro power system. Unless you were randomly hiking over sharp assault lava flows, you would never know it was there. The canyon is back and the vertical columnar basalt walls quickly close in, the whitewater turns back on, and we pass between two dismantled dam sites into a section of river that had almost never been run before late 2024. The rapids are continuous with only one real break in the entire stretch – just long enough to truly admire the beauty of the canyon. And then we end with one of the biggest rapids of the entire trip, the mighty Kikaceki Falls. We finish the trip on the California side of the Siskiyou’s and return to Ashland around 6 in the afternoon.
Please Note: This trip is perfect for experienced and first time paddlers (and for those who find regular camping to be not their cup of
tea). However, the rapids are technical and the trip is active – all guests need to be in good physical condition. If you have any questions or concerns please give us a call or an email.
Registration
Reserve your spot by completing this form, Max Capacity is 16 people: https://forms.gle/8qoY1bc1LTkRAsnV7