Trip Report: 2019 Upper Clackamas Whitewater Festival
When: 05/18/2019
Location: Upper Clackamas River (Carters Bridge)
Conditions: Perfect spring sunny weather, good flows!
Duration: 2-3 days
Difficulty: Fun for everyone!
Kid Friendly: Yes
Dog Friendly: Yes
Usefull links: upperclackamasfestival.org
The Full Report:
I look forward to the Upper Clackamas Whitewater Festival every year. This is an awesome event with many sponsors including Next Adventure. Most people make a weekend of it and camp in one of the many awesome campgrounds along the Clackamas. The event consists of a multitude of different races through the rapids on the Clackamas. A good portion of the race is spectator friendly and able to be watched from Carters Bridge, so If you are not competing it is still a lot of fun. Many different vendors also come out to show off different water sports products. There will be rafts, kayaks, paddle boards, tubes, and drift boats all entering the races throughout the weekend.
Another exciting aspect to the race is the slalom gates that get hung across the river which the racers have to go through, or their time gets docked. The gates are hung in such a way to challenge the races to go for the more difficult lines on the river. This can often lead to some carnage which is always fun to watch.
Saturday night of the event Next Adventure does the community a huge service by feeding the entire event with a free meal! And the food is always great. After dinner, there is live music and beverage vendors. There is lots of fun to be had. Sunday afternoon the race winners are announced, and prizes are handed out. All in all, this is an awesome event for someone who loves whitewater or for people who love to be outside and have a good time.
The Full Report:
I look forward to the Upper Clackamas Whitewater Festival every year. This is an awesome event with many sponsors including Next Adventure. Most people make a weekend of it and camp in one of the many awesome campgrounds along the Clackamas. The event consists of a multitude of different races through the rapids on the Clackamas. A good portion of the race is spectator friendly and able to be watched from Carters Bridge, so If you are not competing it is still a lot of fun. Many different vendors also come out to show off different water sports products. There will be rafts, kayaks, paddle boards, tubes, and drift boats all entering the races throughout the weekend.
Another exciting aspect to the race is the slalom gates that get hung across the river which the racers have to go through, or their time gets docked. The gates are hung in such a way to challenge the races to go for the more difficult lines on the river. This can often lead to some carnage which is always fun to watch.
Saturday night of the event Next Adventure does the community a huge service by feeding the entire event with a free meal! And the food is always great. After dinner, there is live music and beverage vendors. There is lots of fun to be had. Sunday afternoon the race winners are announced, and prizes are handed out. All in all, this is an awesome event for someone who loves whitewater or for people who love to be outside and have a good time.