This is a very short but high-quality run featuring great scenery and four significant rapids. Watch for wood! The run is part of the Smith River Gorge Triple Crown along with the Middle Fork Gorge and South Fork Gorge.
The Siskiyou Gorge is tighter, steeper, and arguably more difficult than the better-known and more popular Oregon Hole Gorge downstream on the Middle Fork or the South Fork Gorge. Being higher up in the watershed and upstream of another of the river's forks--the North Fork--the Siskiyou Gorge has boatable flows when the other gorge runs are on the high side.
In his seminal 1974 guidebook,
West Coast River Touring, author Dick Schwind describes the Siskiyou Gorge as 'a vertical, rock-walled, boater's nightmare.' Times have changed: the gorge is just as rock-walled today, but many advanced and expert boaters find this run to be quite the dream.
There are four significant rapids on the run, named Number One through Number Four. Number One can be scouted from the river right, but the other three are scoutable from the river left. Do not scout from the highway above: the road is super narrow, wedged between cliff and a guardrail, and traffic moves fast. The rapids are combos of ledge drops, boulder gardens, and rock piles. Expect some juicy holes, especially at higher flows.
Despite the road hanging overhead, the gorge is super scenic with several waterfalls cascading into the river.
The 2023 Smith River Complex fire burned at high intensity through the gorge and it now has the patina of fire scorch and an abundance of dead trees on its steep walls. Trees have already begun moving from the burned slopes into the river, making for a dynamic situation that should be recognized for the hazards it presents. Do not assume that the drops are free of wood hazards or that they are the same as last time: get out and scout.
Because the run is quite short, boaters often do laps and/or continue downstream into the easier Patrick Creek Run downstream. It's also possible to extend the run by starting upstream on the Middle Fork's
Knopki Gorge Run or even higher up.
*Put-in*
The unsigned and undeveloped put-in is located at a pull-out along Highway 199 that is 1.2 road miles upriver of the Patrick Creek Lodge and Patrick Creek Campground. The road is wedged between the cliff and the river in this zone, and the pull-out is one of the few places where there's a wide area that accomodates parking. A short trail goes from the pull-out to the river banks below where a small cobble bar serves as the launch point straight into the whitewater action with Number One Rapid. Go another 1/4 up the road to the next pull-out provides a short warm-up before you reach Number One.
*Take-out*
Take out on river right at the downstream side of the confluence with Patrick Creek. A trail connects from here to the Patrick Creek Campground, which is closed for most of the boating season. Therefore, park outside the campground gate, being sure not to block it. This is directly across Highway 199 from the Patrick Creek Lodge. Obviously, it is possible to continue boating past this take-out and use one of the many other river access points on the Middle Fork to get out. If the Patrick Creek Campground is open, you can take out there just downstream of the day use area that is fenced off from the river banks.
Additional Info
The best guidebook for this run in Dan Menten's 2016 classic, *The New School Guide to Northern California Whitewater*, p. 18.
Rocco Russo's drone and GoPro footage at medium flow (February 2025)