Owyhee River below Rome Oregon

The lower Owyhee is one of the most beautiful places I have visited that is not designated as a National Park or Monument. The Jarbidge and Bruneau rivers, also not designated, are perhaps more spectacular, but less varied in scenery. Another big advantage of the lower Owyhee is ease of boating. The rapids are not difficult, particularly at moderately high flows. Campsites with sandy beaches and easy kitchen access abound, and several good hotsprings are situated along the river.

During years with average or above-average snowpack, the Owyhee runs for at least several weeks when temperatures rise, perhaps on several occasions if late-season storms occur. Unfortunately it is difficult to plan a trip more than a few weeks in advance because weather in the high desert is extremely variable year to year. Photos below were taken with flows around 3000 cfs.

Isolation and rattlesnakes are the principal hazards. When you hike, keep an eye on the ground ahead. It is possible to walk out of the canyon in many places, but help (humans in any form) might be a long distance away. Temperatures vary unpredictably during the boating season, so be prepared with summer and winter clothing.

mile 0

Put in at the small BLM campground about .2 mile upstream (south) of highway 95. A dirt road leads down to the river, so you can unload rafts directly from trailer. Sign in at the BLM kiosk. No good put-in exists downstream, despite what old guidebooks say.

2.8

Truss bridge where private road crosses to an old stagecoach stop and ranch land. The gauging station is shortly upstream.

Truss bridge with leaky pipes	Cliffs close in on river right

6

Crooked Creek enters on the left, after the canyon deepens. Highway 95 crosses this creek in a big valley many miles east of Rome.

Hailstorm on Crooked Creek	Sweetwater Canyon offers few campsites

11

Three straightforward class II-III rapids about a mile apart: Long Sweetwater, [so-called] Upset, and Bulls Eye.

Inviting beach at Hike-out(?) camp	River corridor from canyon rim

17

Weeping Wall springs, a good place to fill water bottles.

(Un)Named rapid, hard to say which	Weeping Wall cold springs

21

Two rapids within half a mile, Read-it-and-Weep, then Artillery. The first is tricky at low flows, but is not prominent otherwise.

21.5

A hotspring is marked on maps. Near river level it is muddy and unusable, but perhaps we did not find the best pool. The so-called Rustler's Cabin is up the hill just downstream. A picture in John Garren's 1973 guidebook Oregon River Tours shows the cabin still with a roof, which has since collapsed.

Ruins of Rustler's Cabin	River view from near the cabin

24

Campsites on both sides of the river. The left campsite is bigger. Shortly upstream is a very nice hotspring.

Soaking cold feet in the hotspring	Surfing Ryegrass Crossing near hotspring

24.5

Pruitt's Castle, a beautiful rhyolite fortress, on river left. Several good campsites in the next two miles offer hiking opportunities.

Pruitt's Castle from near camp	Natural arch in the evening light

26

Lambert Rocks, a striking dome formation, on river left.

Good campsite just past Lambert Dome	Lambert Dome is visible for a long time

27.8

Bogus Creek enters on the right, creating Bogus Falls with recent rain.

28.2

Bull Creek enters on the left, creating Dog Leg rapid, harder at low flows.

30.3

Whistling Bird rapid, class III, where a huge rock broken from the right-side cliff creates a tight squeeze at low flows against the left-side boulder bar. At higher flows it is easy to cheat left.

Whistling Bird, rock chunk on right	Overhanging rhyolite formation

31.5

The cliffs close in as the river enters Green Dragon Canyon. The most concentrated whitewater on the lower Owyhee lies ahead.

Rock Trap rapid, harder at low flows	Cliffs just prior to a big left bend

32.6

Squeeze rapid, class III, bigger at higher flows.
As the river bends left, a pyramid formation becomes visible.

32.8

Montgomery rapid, class III+
The river piles into a cliff on the left, first hitting a guard rock. Moving right requires power at higher flows due to the strong current, and finesse at lower flows due to the rock-dodging required. There is a good low-water picture of this rapid on the cover of the Oregon guidebook Soggy Sneakers third edition, 1994.

Montgomery rapid from downstream	Beautiful pyramid formation

34

Several good but shady campsites before the end of Green Dragon canyon.

37

After the canyon open up, Jackson Creek enters on the left. Very good campsite.

38.3

Nuisance rapid, a boulder maze at lower flows, not significant at higher flows. The 2010-era BLM map Owyhee & Bruneau River Systems Boating Guide has a picture of Nuisance rapid on page 4.
Rinehart Falls, fed by perennial springs, soon becomes visible on the left.

38.8

Morcum Dam rapid, an old diversion dam for Hole in the Ground ranch, very rocky at lower flows, not significant at higher flows.

Looking back into the canyon	Rinehart Falls on left bank

40

Ranch house on the right. Hole in the Ground is vast and amazing to see, although it does not make good photos.

Hole in the Ground (Morcum) ranch	Devil's Tower with a fine campsite

42.8

Devil's Tower campsite, about a mile upstream of the hotspring.

43.7

Hotspring on the left bank. The BLM guide says not to moor boats here. Three good to excellent campsites are downstream, the first only .3 mile from the hotspring.

Hotspring pool near river	First campsite below the hotspring

44

A cabin (foundation) is marked at Greeley Bar, but we did not see it.

Others full so we got the third camp	Morning light on the peaks to the east

46

More good scenery as the river cuts thru Owyhee Breaks.

Swallows intimidate eddied-out boaters	Pothole Arch high above on river left

48.2

Birch Creek historic ranch on the right.

Birch Creek ranch from downstream	Waterwheel and cliffs near take-out

49

Birch Creek BLM take-out on the right bank. A campground is adjacent.

54.3

Another waterwheel below a large island, at historic Island Ranch.

55

Motors allowed below this point, high water mark of the reservoir. Pinnacle Rock on the left.

63.5

Hotsprings complex on the right. Some people say these are the best hotsprings along the lower Owyhee. Picture here.

67

Leslie Gulch boat ramp and take-out.

Shuttle Directions

To reach the Rome put-in, drive west from Jordan Valley or east from Burns Junction on highway 95. Just east of the Owyhee river bridge, a dirt road leads south to the BLM river access. Shuttle drivers can be hired out of Jordan Valley area, for example Owyhee Adventure Shuttle Service, Judy 458-224-9165 or Robin 208-506-1519.

To reach the Birch Creek take-out from there, drive east and north on highway 95. About 7 miles past Jordan Valley, at a sign for Jordan Craters, turn west (left) onto Cow Creek Road. Continue 11 miles to a fork in the road, bear right, drive 12 miles to another fork, bear right again, continue to the canyon rim, then steeply downhill for 5 miles. On return, getting up this road can be difficult with a heavily loaded trailer.

To reach the Leslie Gulch take-out on Owyhee reservoir from there, drive east on highway 95 to Jordan Valley, then north 18 miles to Succor Creek Road. Turn left (west) and drive 8 miles to the town of Rockville. Turn left just past an old schoolhouse, drive .25 mile, turn right just past a small bridge, continue 1.5 mile, then turn left at a sign for Leslie Gulch. Continue 15 more miles to the reservoir.

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