Chetco River

Fishing and whitewater rafting and kayaking on the Wild and Scenic Chetco River are experiences of a lifetime with an America Outdoors outfitter! 

The Omnibus Oregon Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1988 designated 44.5 miles of the Chetco River as wild and scenic, from its headwaters in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness down to the Siskiyou National Forest boundary just above Loeb State Park. The designated segment of the Chetco is located within Curry County in southwest Oregon on the Chetco Ranger District. The Chetco Wild and Scenic River is divided into three segments: a 27.5-mile wild segment from the headwaters down to Mislatnah Creek; a 7.5-mile scenic segment from Mislatnah Creek down to Eagle Creek; and a 9.5-mile recreational segment from Eagle Creek down to the Siskiyou National Forest boundary.

The Chetco heads in steep, deeply dissected, sparsely vegetated, mountainous terrain within the Kalmiopsis Wilderness. Over its 55.5 mile length, the Chetco drops from 3700 feet to sea-level as it empties into the Pacific Ocean between the towns of Brookings and Harbor, about 5 miles north of the California border. In the upper section, the river floor is fairly narrow and boulder-strewn with numerous falls and rapids. As the river leaves the wilderness, its character gradually changes. The country becomes less dissected, the river gradient gradually becomes less steep, the river bottom widens, and the surrounding hills become more densely forested. The river narrows in several areas, crossing through rock outcrops and leaving enormous boulders in the riverbed. The Chetco River Gorge, just below Steel Bridge, contains steep sides and unusual rock formations. Below this, the Chetco continues to broaden, and the gradient becomes less steep, with sand and gravel bars and raised river terraces becoming more common.

There are many opportunities provided by America Outdoors outfitters on the Chetco, including:

• FISHING

• The Chetco River fishery, typical of Pacific coastal systems, is dominated by trout and salmon. There are important populations of anadromous winter steelhead, fall chinook salmon, and sea-run cutthroat trout. Coho and chum salmon are occasionally observed. Resident cutthroat and rainbow trout are abundant in upper stream reaches. Native populations of fall chinook and winter steelhead are supplemented with hatchery fish. The Chetco provides excellent spawning and rearing habitat and has some of the highest salmonid smolt returns of any coastal stream in Oregon. Pacific lamprey, three-spined stickleback, and assorted sculpin are also known to inhabit this system.

• WHITEWATER RAFTING and KAYAKING

• Whitewater floating on the Chetco is limited by a lack of adequate access to the upper areas of the river (especially in the wilderness) during the high flow season. A very limited number of kayakers have floated through the wild segment of the Chetco during high-flow conditions. Rapids are class III and below during the summer months during average flows. During the winter months rapid class is higher depending upon flow conditions. Summer floating during low water conditions has become an increasingly popular river activity on all river segments.

Classification/Mileage: Wild — 25.5 miles; Scenic — 8.0 miles; Recreational — 11.0 miles; Total — 44.5 miles.