# Is that is for the owyhee?



## glenn (May 13, 2009)

Flows, access, snowpack?


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## bucketboater (Jul 9, 2012)

oarboatman said:


> It's not looking good


 It's not looking good cause were getting pounded by snow. Check back next month when it starts to melt.


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## Favre (Nov 17, 2010)

Um, as far as I can tell, the Owyhees are NOT getting pounded by snow.
I'm guessing this will be a short-lived season. There is snow left, but you'll have to catch weather perfectly to have a decent flow for your trip.
Good luck!


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## rivers2run (Jun 7, 2012)

I live in Southern Oregon and the northern part of the state has had some good storms but, except for the coast, they have skirted us.


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## bucketboater (Jul 9, 2012)

Favre said:


> Um, as far as I can tell, the Owyhees are NOT getting pounded by snow.
> I'm guessing this will be a short-lived season. There is snow left, but you'll have to catch weather perfectly to have a decent flow for your trip.
> Good luck!


 Anthony lakes just got two feet and temps have been cold as of late.They have snowpack larger then most resorts in co or id and located a couple hrs from rome. Im thinking it has't peaked because im headed down there in a few weeks.


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## rivers2run (Jun 7, 2012)

There is a bit more to come down but this is the latest on the snowpack information. Scroll down and you will see the basin. I would be ready to jump on it as soon as it gets warm. Medford set record low night temps yesterday. Idaho SNOTEL Snowpack Update Report


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## bucketboater (Jul 9, 2012)

rivers2run said:


> There is a bit more to come down but this is the latest on the snowpack information. Scroll down and you will see the basin. I would be ready to jump on it as soon as it gets warm. Medford set record low night temps yesterday. Idaho SNOTEL Snowpack Update Report


 Ok thats doesnt look that good.Suprising been a solid snow year for everywhere but that region. Im holding out hope for a second week of april run.


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## BryanS. (Jun 22, 2012)

I'm supposed to be going Wednesday. Scrapped a trip before the last spike. Weather is gonna be warm and sunny all week over there. Hopefully that snow starts melting again tomorrow. Kinda how its been working all month. Spikin and droppin. Come on spike!


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## jmcdannel (Apr 22, 2009)

it was perfect over St. Paddy's Day weekend. We had a group of 5 cats and saw 2 other kayakers. I think that may have been the peak, or at least the best sustained peak over 3-days. We were on 3-forks to Rome sections.


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## D-Sieve (Mar 15, 2012)

Geez, that was quick!
I'm up for a ducky self-support, having a hard time rallying my whitewater friends for one of those though.


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## nottalocal (Apr 15, 2009)

*Owyheeeeeeeee!*

Lots of peaks and valleys with statistical high for past 3 years (see graph-http://www.dreamflows.com/graphs/yir.161.php). Snowpack/H2O not looking so great right now. However, I'm still hopeful April could come through for us with some good precipitation and cool temps. When it does come through be ready to roll as soon as those temps start going up!


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## cbrindisi (Aug 30, 2009)

*Owyhee Snotel sites?*

What Snotel sites are best indicaters for the Owyhee basin headwaters. Thanx


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## aire (Mar 7, 2013)

Interesting article the Boise paper on Owyhee River melt this spring
Owyhees snow is dust-up's big loser | Environment | Idahostatesman.com


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## mania (Oct 21, 2003)




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## rivers2run (Jun 7, 2012)

If you want to see where the Snotel stations in the Owyhee basin are here is the map. Malheur & Owyhee Basin Map | Oregon NRCS


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## nottalocal (Apr 15, 2009)

*Snotel info*

Current Owyhee Basin Wide percentage- 55%. Thanks for the Snotel map link Rivers2run.


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## BryanS. (Jun 22, 2012)

Just got off. Seven days at 515 or so cfs. It was still fun but you might wanna take 14' boat or less. No issues in the 13'er.


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## shappattack (Jul 17, 2008)

I just got home yesterday from a Rome to Leslie Owyhee trip. great time, few peeps cause they are scared to do a little bump and grind. Best weather and least wind of any owyhee trip I ever had. Only saw 2 other parties.


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## Avatard (Apr 29, 2011)

BryanS. said:


> Just got off. Seven days at 515 or so cfs. It was still fun but you might wanna take 14' boat or less. No issues in the 13'er.


Talk about a boner killer


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## 6FEETandRISING (Feb 15, 2012)

BryanS. said:


> Just got off. Seven days at 515 or so cfs. It was still fun but you might wanna take 14' boat or less. No issues in the 13'er.



Damn seven days that sounds awesome. Wish i had a smaller boat for runs like this at low flow. Might have to do an IK run.

Anybody got a link for youtube vids of Nuisance rapid? I have been searching but can't find them, i know i have seen them before.


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## BryanS. (Jun 22, 2012)

6FEETandRISING said:


> Damn seven days that sounds awesome. Wish i had a smaller boat for runs like this at low flow. Might have to do an IK run.
> 
> Anybody got a link for youtube vids of Nuisance rapid? I have been searching but can't find them, i know i have seen them before.


At low flows there is a right line around the big boulder. Found it by mistake. We got two fully loaded 16' boats through with no problems.


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## codycleve (Mar 26, 2012)

Don't take this line... that's 700 cfs... not our group..

View attachment 5885


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## codycleve (Mar 26, 2012)

And this pic gives you a pretty good idea of the line you need to take... they didn't get pulled far enough left and it pushed them right up the giant rock the previous poster is refering to... they climbed right up on top and where left stranded..


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## BilloutWest (Jan 25, 2013)

codycleve said:


> Don't take this line... that's 700 cfs... not our group..
> 
> View attachment 5885


Shouldn't they have moved down to the lower two rocks on this side to be ready to grab and jump into the raft should it have popped free?

How long did it take to unpin it?


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## codycleve (Mar 26, 2012)

It took at least an hour after we got there and I think they had been pinned for a while before that... we ended up getting it pulled off to river right... at that point it ended up forming a bridge between the rock and the bank...


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## 6FEETandRISING (Feb 15, 2012)

BryanS. said:


> At low flows there is a right line around the big boulder. Found it by mistake. We got two fully loaded 16' boats through with no problems.


Did you line the boats? Hard to see from the photo how much space is in the right shot of the big rock. But looks like you could nose it right and let your ass swing thru the shot backwards or is there enough room to run it clean?


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## codycleve (Mar 26, 2012)

Most of us where in small 9 and 10 foot cats and ik's and just weaved down the middle... we lined the two rafts we had down the far river left side..


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## rivers2run (Jun 7, 2012)

I was in a similar situation (a different rapid), went vertical on a rock I high-sided then flipped the boat upside down by jumping in and pulling over the tube before it worked it's way down. It unpinned immediately, better a flip than a pin. I got rave reviews for this technique, but I did something extremely stupid to get there in the first place. I could hear the boat wrapping (redside rock on the MFS). If you can get the water out of the boat you sometimes can safe yourself from a pin.


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## BilloutWest (Jan 25, 2013)

rivers2run said:


> I was in a similar situation (a different rapid), went vertical on a rock I high-sided then flipped the boat upside down by jumping in and pulling over the tube before it worked it's way down. It unpinned immediately, better a flip than a pin. I got rave reviews for this technique, but I did something extremely stupid to get there in the first place. I could hear the boat wrapping (redside rock on the MFS). If you can get the water out of the boat you sometimes can safe yourself from a pin.


With the turbulence right there in the photo would you still consider "better a flip than a pin" a good strategy?
(Thinking of people in the water and not the raft)


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## rivers2run (Jun 7, 2012)

A friend of mine flipped a boat at almost that exact location he did just fine. There is plenty of turbulence above redside also.


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## codycleve (Mar 26, 2012)

I took the sneek far right on redside... that was a bit of a rush... it was real tight and just kinda dumps you... but I didn't come anywhere near the wrap rock. .


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## shappattack (Jul 17, 2008)

river is still totally doable with the skills, too much beotching not enough boating, heading out in 2 more days for another week off. Was on the owyhee all last week between 600 and 500 cfs.


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## codycleve (Mar 26, 2012)

I see you got that great camp just below whistling bird... or did you just take a quick hike up... I want to get out so bad... I'm just between boats right now... 17 more days until the new tubes...


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## shappattack (Jul 17, 2008)

codycleve said:


> I see you got that great camp just below whistling bird... or did you just take a quick hike up... I want to get out so bad... I'm just between boats right now... 17 more days until the new tubes...


There was no body out there, I mean spring break dude and NO BODY THERE!, but we sort of figure that to be the case, when the Owyhee gets below 1000 peeps start freaking and bailing to other places which is just fine with us. Bring on global warming to thin out the masses on the lower Owyhee. Friend big T is on a 14 day trip on the lower, we caught up to him below Morcum, nobody coming down except ranger Dan. The only other peeps we saw the whole time was the 3 rafts we met at putin, which are in the whistling bird pic. Based on the camp conditions, it is very apparent few peeps have been down this year. We camped with them there and at Greely. Our group was just 2 peeps, and we were paddling double lynxs. After being there in the 500s I would totally row my SDP fully loaded. Not a lot different than 650 cfs, my previous lowest. If big T can row an 18' at this flow through nuisance, there are a lot of beotches out there crying, moaning and speculating. But of course Big T has super human rowing and levetation skills. side bar - Experiences of others at this flow at nuisance may differ

In all seriousness, nuisance can be a real bummer if you don't get your stokes right at this low flow, so take it very seriously below about 1400 cfs, when a center run becomes less feasible and the standard right then left tight s-turn ferry around the 2 huge boulders becomes the standard route. Many pins have occured there at below 1000 cfs.


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## shappattack (Jul 17, 2008)

bucketboater said:


> Anthony lakes just got two feet and temps have been cold as of late.They have snowpack larger then most resorts in co or id and located a couple hrs from rome. Im thinking it has't peaked because im headed down there in a few weeks.


anthony lakes is over 5 hours away from areas of the upper Owyhee basin that hold significant snowpack. I can tell you with much assurity, unless there is an unusual storm, it has peaked.


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## shappattack (Jul 17, 2008)

shappattack said:


> anthony lakes is over 5 hours away from areas of the upper Owyhee basin that hold significant snowpack. I can tell you with much assurity, unless there is an unusual storm, it has peaked.


for scale, there is about as much distance between Anthony lakes and the upper Owyhee basin as compared to the distance between Mt Baker and Timberline, totally different.


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## wsmckinney (Jun 21, 2010)

Shappattack.... those pics are awesome!!!


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## shappattack (Jul 17, 2008)

*Owyhee 2013*

Who made it out this year on the owyhee, and who is still planning to hit another ELF trip latter on.

We did, we are


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## TriBri1 (Nov 15, 2011)

How many days did you spend out there and how many hours a day where you on the water. Knowing it is doable at 500cfs opens up the possibilities...


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## roundboater (Sep 24, 2010)

We hit it over St. Patricks Day. I knew it would go fast this year. 3000 cfs. Perfect. Shappattack----killer photos. That is a great float


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## codycleve (Mar 26, 2012)

I missed the ticket this year... I have been wanting to do an ELF ik trip... I am getting an ik here soon... what is the lowest anyone has done a backpacker style ik trip..


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## D-Sieve (Mar 15, 2012)

ELF?


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## codycleve (Mar 26, 2012)

Extremely low flow


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## shappattack (Jul 17, 2008)

codycleve said:


> I missed the ticket this year... I have been wanting to do an ELF ik trip... I am getting an ik here soon... what is the lowest anyone has done a backpacker style ik trip..


VFL - I assume you can populate this acronym


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## Favre (Nov 17, 2010)

Three-month dry patch dents Idaho snowpack | KTVB.COM Boise

The above article reports the Owyhee snowpack as the lowest in the state - at 34% !! 

Owyhee is definitely on my list of rivers to run, but as a kayaker, I sure have enjoyed Succor Creek. Sadly, it won't be runnable this year.


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## shappattack (Jul 17, 2008)

Favre said:


> Three-month dry patch dents Idaho snowpack | KTVB.COM Boise
> 
> The above article reports the Owyhee snowpack as the lowest in the state - at 34% !!
> 
> Owyhee is definitely on my list of rivers to run, but as a kayaker, I sure have enjoyed Succor Creek. Sadly, it won't be runnable this year.


I love this global warming shit, man made or not, it keeps peeps away from the owyhee. Defenitely no way a mere mortal could row an 18' aire raft through nuisance at 550 cfs, going left of the normal right s-turn ferry around the huge boulders, with only a slight hangup! Or maybe it was levetation? The general modus operendi suites me fine, below 1000 cfs - the Owyhee is best left to neanderthals and degerates that only drink Old-E and the Crazy Bird, no room for those higher more evolved life forms that don't like the bump and grind and only prefer the higher water gnar.


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## D-Sieve (Mar 15, 2012)

I'm definitely interested in a ducky drag down the Owyhee. How's a May 3rd put-in sound?


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## codycleve (Mar 26, 2012)

I won't have a ducky by that time... maybe early summer...


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