Written by Michael Dotson on June 19, 2024

June is National Rivers Month, and there are significant accomplishments to share this month around KS Wild’s effort to advance river conservation in the Klamath-Siskiyou bioregion. While we share a lot about the Klamath-Siskiyou’s unique biodiversity and old-growth forests, this area of southwest Oregon and northwest California is also world-renowned for its wild rivers. In fact, you’ll see entire brands – from chambers of commerce to breweries and pizza joints – using “Wild Rivers” as part of their promotions. 

The “Wild Rivers Coast” is a largely rural stretch of the California-Oregon coastline between the big cities of Portland and San Francisco, and the region features popular towns and destinations like Klamath, Crescent City, Brookings, Gold Beach & Bandon. Rivers and fishing are the lifeblood of many of these communities, and we see bipartisan support for river conservation throughout the area. This part of the West Coast also features the highest concentration of Wild & Scenic Rivers in the continental United States! 

As National Rivers Month comes to an end, we hope to elevate the threats facing our waterways from pollution and development and highlight the opportunities in front of us to advance river conservation across the region. 

The Rogue River watershed

In 1968, the Rogue River was one of eight rivers nationally to receive designation as a Wild & Scenic River. Today, the Rogue is world-renowned for its steelhead & salmon fishing, as well as a top whitewater rafting destination. The Rogue begins as headwater springs flowing from the base of Mt. Mazama – the old volcano that is now where Crater Lake is located. It flows through one dam site at Lost Creek Lake, northwest of Medford, before making a 200+ mile journey to the Pacific Ocean at Gold Beach. 

I have been fortunate in my own lifetime to experience the joy and exhilaration of whitewater boating on many of the great rivers of the West – from the middle Klamath in California to the Salmon in Idaho and Colorado River through the Grand Canyon in Arizona – and one of my favorite multi-day trips still has to be the Wild & Scenic Rogue. In almost every trip I take down the Rogue, I am met with memorable wildlife encounters. If you take your time to experience the Rogue’s side canyons and trails, you’re likely going to come across black bears, bobcats, otters, kingsnakes, and countless birds of prey. One of the more memorable moments for me happened just last year on a trip as I was making my way through Blossom Bar rapid. A massive salmon jumped out of the water right in front of us and made a huge splash. One could describe it as the Rogue River version of a whale watching tour, and it was another incredible experience on that river! 

The Illinois River

The Illinois River is the largest tributary to the Rogue River, but it has an identity all its own. The serpentine soils that the Illinois River basin is known for create conditions for a unique set of plants that grow nowhere else in the world.

According to many sources, the Rough & Ready Creek watershed – a headwater tributary to the Illinois – has more botanical diversity than any other landscape in the state of Oregon! While the rare plants are a draw for many naturalists, the Wild & Scenic Illinois is considered one of the most challenging backcountry whitewater trips in North America. From late fall through spring, adventurous boaters can count dozens of riverside waterfalls as they paddle past Darlingtonia fens and through narrow canyons, experiencing the Kalmiopsis Wilderness along the way.   

North Fork Smith River and other Coastal Waterways 

Just over the ridge from Rough & Ready Creek and the Illinois River drainage is the North Fork Smith River. The Smith River is California’s largest undammed river system, and some of its headwaters begin in the far southwestern corner of Oregon. The Oregon portion of the Smith is remote and hard to access, but there are special places like Lemmingsworth Gulch Natural Research Area in Curry County, where visitors can experience the unique serpentine landscape.

The North Fork Smith is also home to a popular winter-spring whitewater run, which will challenge even some of the most accomplished paddlers. The scenery is unmatched, and one can expect to count over 100 waterfalls along the stretch of river, especially during spring runoff. 

Klamath River 

There may be no river in the world that is getting more attention in the media these days than the Klamath River. Rightfully so. After decades of advocacy from local Tribes, four major dams are being demolished on the upper Klamath River in 2024! By the end of this year, we expect to see hundreds of miles of new spawning habitat open up above the dams that have not been accessible to migrating fish for more than a half-century.

At KS Wild, we encourage you to take action for these rivers in our backyard and to speak up for rivers that are in your ‘backyard.’ If you wish to experience one of the wonderful rivers that our region has to offer, you can also check out our Rogue River rafting trip in September with ROW Adventures or our raft-supported Rogue River Trail hike every year in May. This is an annual benefit for KS Wild’s Rogue Riverkeeper program, and it presents a great opportunity to experience some of the wild landscapes of the Klamath-Siskiyou. 

We hope to keep these issues front and center with land managers and elected officials, and we are excited to see that the 2025 National River Management Society symposium will be held in Ashland, Oregon, on April 8-10 next year.