1. June Creek Br. to Collawash River

The June Creek section of the Clackamas contains nearly continuous, intermediate rapids, beautiful scenery, clear water and a pleasant riverside hot springs.This is a great run for boaters looking to make the transition from rivers to creeks. From June Creek Bridge the action picks up quickly with two or three stand out drops. There is usually wood on the right at the first sharp right turn which can complicate things at lower water. One of the steeper and more technical drops, 'Wall Shot Rapid', is about 3.1 miles into the run and is scoutable from the road. It is has sharp bend to the left along a wall with a couple boulder entrances along the river right at normal flows. Shortly after Wall Shot be on the lookout for another steep drop through a mid-stream hole where the river narrows. A second short gorge is further downstream. Both are worth scouting from the road on the drive upstream. The most difficult rapid, Monolith (IV), lies about a half mile below the hot springs and is also scoutable from the road. Be sure to scout both the lead-in and run-out for wood as it tends to collect here. Once through Monolith the rapids diminish in difficulty and spread out. When you see the beautiful, tall cliff wall rising up on your right you are right above the last big rapid, Boulder Garden(IV), a roughly quarter mile long series of holes, boulders, and waves depending on the flow with multiple line options. The take-out is shortly after this, just above the Collawash confluence and the NF-63 bridge on river left or take-out just below the rapid after Boulder Garden on the right. For a highwater description of the run (10,000cfs @ 3 Lynx) see the June Creek Section at Oregonkayaking.net.