Illinois River (Oregon) - Rafting and Kayaking

Rafting and Kayaking

The Illinois River is "a wilderness river that tests both the skill and strength of boaters". For the 31-mile (50 km) run along the Wild and Scenic part of the river between upper Oak Flat near Kerby and lower Oak Flat, boaters are far from trails and roads. Depending on the water flow, this stretch of the river has eight class 4 to 4+ rapids. Green Wall, a class 5, "is considerably more difficult and longer than the others" and below it lie 3 miles (4.8 km) of difficult rapids. The river is generally run by raft or kayak during the rainy season, October through April. At flows below 800 cubic feet per second (23 m3/s), boating is difficult because of exposed rocks, and flows above 3,000 cubic feet per second (85 m3/s) "turn the river into boiling holes and rapids." A heavy rain can turn an ordinary trip into a high-water nightmare.