Bikerafting the Lower Deschutes
A bike-in, raft-out adventure in the Oregon Desert
There's a particular kind of magic that happens when you strap a packraft to your bike and head into the desert. The gear is weird, the concept raises eyebrows at the trailhead, and yet somehow it is a really freeing experience. You are totally self sufficient and have everything you need.
Last weekend Brooke, Lou, Fischer and I headed out on a two day bikerafting loop on the lower Deschutes River. The three of them drove over from Salt Lake City, Utah and I headed over from Mt. Hood, Oregon. Since I live about 2 hours away I got to the campground Friday afternoon and staked out a spot for us so they could just roll in and crash out.
Day One: Bikepack to Camp
The next morning we woke up at around 8am, made some coffee and chatted about plans for the trip and then got to sorting and packing gear. Since we were mixing three sports (biking, paddling and camping) it was a lot of gear to go through. We also all come from different backgrounds and shared some gear. Fisher owns a cool little bikepacking bag company called Fish Ski Designs, so he brought the bikes and bike packing gear for us. Brooke works for Roller Cam which makes cam straps that can be used for a ton of things but specifically strapping gear to bikes and boats. And I brought all the paddling gear which included packrafts, paddles, dry bags, some drysuits and pfds. Lou brought a ton of camping gear like extra tents, pads and cooking gear for us to split up.
I'm used to backpack packrafting where I put stuff in big drybags and then into a backpack. But with the bike, you have to split it all up differently and throw it where you can. For my frame pack I filled it with snacks, some battery packs, head lamp, first aid kit and glasses. In one pannier I put my sleep kit with my sleeping bag, pad, pillow and extra clothes. In the other pannier, I put my tent, food, cup, stove and water filter. On the front of my bike on the rack, I strapped down my packraft and paddle. Lastly on the back rack, I stored my drysuit, pfd, coaming ring, sprayskirt and my drone in a roll top dry bag.
For this trip I tried to go as light as possible. I rode my bike in my paddling shoes so I didn't have to bring an extra pair of booties. I brought a spring sleeping bag instead of a winter one because I could sleep in my fleece pants and puffy jacket. But since my bike had a cool little 6 pack holder on the frame, I did end up bringing a few more beers than I normally would have for an ultralight trip.
After we were rigged to go, we moved the cars to the overflow lot and then hit the trail at around 1pm. The trail starts off right out of the lot with sweeping views of the river and bright green grass filling in the canyon. The trail is an eight-foot-wide railroad grade turned rail trail, meaning it's a great mellow trail with no steep hills.
One of the best parts of the trail is that since it's right along the river, you can scout all of the rapids on your way up and take notes if needed. Usually on bike packrafting trips I stay to class 2 and under, but since I had run it before, I knew the rapids were on the easier side of class 3 and had some lines we could sneak around. And portaging is always an option but a little more involved with the bikes on the boats.
While riding up, there are mile markers on the side of the trail making it easy to see where you are at. But it's great to reference it to the Deschutes River Map so you can identify rapids and other optional campsites.
At 3 miles up, you'll get to the first campsite - Last Ditch camp. Skip this one because it's rafters' last chance to camp before the take out.
Around mile 6.6, a trail drops toward the river to the ruins of the Free Bridge. Wasco County built this crossing in 1887 to offer free passage across the Deschutes at a time when private toll bridges controlled river crossings. In 1914, the bridge was reportedly dynamited by interests opposed to the free crossing. Only a footing on the east bank and one mid-river fallen pier remain. This is also a great marker for the Free Bridge Rapid, a mellow class 2 .
Past the bridge ruins, the trail heads up past Washout Rapids, where a bend in the river forces the water into a series of wide, rolling swirls. From the elevated trail, you can pick your line easily.
At mile 8 you'll get to Bedsprings camp marked with a pit toilet. It marks another good rest point and a possible camp site if you want a shorter trip.
At mile 10.1, a spur trail drops down to Fall Canyon camp, our home for the night. The camp sits right at the river's edge, with flat ground for tents, a pit toilet, and the sound of the Deschutes sliding past through the evening air. Rafters often share this stretch of river corridor during the warmer months, so it might be taken if you arrive late in the day.
Most rivers are protected and you have to follow leave no trace ethics; one of those is packing out human waste. Luckily, there are a few campsites with pit toilets so you don't have to pack out your waste if you stay at one of those sites. It's a good idea to carry a wag bag in case you can't score a site with a toilet or in case you have an emergency poop sneak up on you while you are riding up or paddling down.
Once at camp, we unpacked our gear and still had some energy to burn off so we rode up another mile or so to another huge cliff band. We were rewarded with a huge herd of Big Horn sheep grazing on the cliffs.
We headed back to camp and set up our tents just before the sun put on a beautiful show on the cliffs for sunset. At camp we hung out around a camp fire, drank some beers, told stories of other trips and chatted about the paddle ahead of us tomorrow.
Day Two: Paddle down to the Confluence
Since we only had 10 miles to paddle and we stayed up chatting late the night before we all slept in til around 9 and then got up to make coffee and breakfast.
It was most everyone's time strapping a bike to a packraft, so we did a few different rig set ups and everyone found a version they liked best. Lou and Fisher took one of their pedals off that was rubbing on the side of the boat, and I used my feed bag as a little pedal pad and wrapped it around the peddle.
After figuring out how to strap all the bikes to boats with our Roller Cams we loaded up the rest of our camping gear inside the tizip and then carried the boats to the shore. We did one last trash sweep and then headed off down stream.
The first few miles are chill; the float from Fall Canyon toward the Columbia are largely mellow by Lower Deschutes standards. There are long, clear glides through the canyon with the basalt walls towering on either side, with a few little waves and easy rapids to get us warmed up for the bigger stuff coming up.
The first major rapid Washout Rapids (III) which was visible from the trail yesterday comes up quickly. Followed by Free Bridge (II), Gordon Ridge (III) a long rapid with a few moves to weave around. Then Colorado Rapids (III) a clean tongue with a big hole on the left, Knock -Knock (II), followed by Rattlesnake (III). All of these rapids are pretty straightforward and were easy to read and run. Especially since we peaked at them on the way up. But don't hesitate to scout anything if you are concerned, especially with the bike on the bow.
The final rapid Moody (III) is also another straightforward read and run rapid, but its a weird one. Not the rapid itself, but the view as you approach it. We came around a curve and all of a sudden there is a highway crossing over the Deschutes. This whole trip has been very scenic and wild, and then you finish up in almost an urban setting which was a little mini culture shock after being out for 2 days.
After the rapids, we eddied out on river right and walked through the campsite and up to our cars. On a busy weekend you might have to stop at the Heritage Landing take out on river left, and then walk across the bridge and over to your car so you don't trample through someones camp site. I feel like most people would be understanding and interested to chat real quick about what the heck you just did with a bike strapped to a boat since it's very unique and wouldn't mind you passing through.
Since the campground was open, we pulled the trucks up and started deflating boats and un packing. Since we all shared gear it was a little bit of a process to make sure everyone got their stuff back.
If this trip sounds intimidating, it really shouldn't. Yes, the gear list is a little unconventional and yes, you might get some strange looks on the trail riding with a packraft strapped to your bike, but that's half the fun. The Lower Deschutes bikeraft loop is genuinely one of the most accessible adventure formats out there. The trail is flat and well-marked, the rapids are read-and-run, the permits are easy to grab online, and the whole thing wraps up in a single weekend. You don't need to be an elite athlete or a seasoned expedition paddler. You just need basic class 3 river skills, a willingness to experiment with your gear setup, and enough curiosity to try something a little outside the ordinary. So grab a few friends, book your boater pass, and go see what the Deschutes looks like from both the trail and the water.
Logistics for the Adventure
Start/End: Deschutes River State Recreation Area, off OR-206 near Biggs Junction. Take I-84 Exit 97, head east, and follow the signs. Camping and overnight parking is available at the state park for a small fee and you can pay at the self-serve kiosk.
Trail: The Trail is on river right (if looking down stream) We rode about 10 miles up but you could ride anywhere from 5 to 40+ miles up stream.
Permits: A Lower Deschutes River Boater Pass is required year-round for anyone using a watercraft on the river. It's an easy pay to play permit that you can order day of. Grab yours in advance at Recreation.gov. Also parking costs $10 per night in the State Park lot while you are out on the river.
Season: Spring and fall are the sweet spots. Spring brings great temps for biking and beautiful bright green canyon walls. Fall means fewer crowds, golden light, and just enough chill in the morning air to make camp coffee feel essential. Summer is doable, but canyon temps can push well past 100°F. Paddling and camping are fun because they require less gear (drysuit/layers/etc), but for the bike ride start early before its too hot or just before sunset and bust out a few miles by headlamp. The Deschutes is dam controlled so flows are pretty consistent around 4,000 CFS year round. We ran it at around 6,000 CFS which is a little higher than normal but was great.
Water: Despite riding alongside the Deschutes all day, potable water along the trail is scarce. The river has agricultural runoff from upstream operations and isn't recommended for filtering without a high-quality system. We brought water to drink but did filter and then boil water for our freeze dried meals.
Bike: A hardtail mountain bike or gravel bike is ideal. Fisher brought us some Primos Gravel Bikes to ride. The trail is double-track packed gravel but there are some rocky sections and little creek crossings. Carry an extra tube, patch kit, pump and tools to fix most issues on the trail.
Bikepacking Bags: We used a varity of bikepacking bags by Fish Ski. Including frame bags, panner bags, feed bags, and bevvy carries.
River Conditions: Check flows ahead of time, around 4-5K CFS is a normal flow. Be sure you have solid class 3 skills as well as some practice paddling with a bike on the bow. https://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River/view/river-detail/3084/main
Campfires: Permitted October 16 – May 31 in elevated metal fire pans only. No ground fire rings. Pack out all ash.
Wildlife: Hopefully you'll spot some Big Horn sheep like we did. Rattlesnakes are present throughout the canyon. Watch where you step, especially off-trail Also ticks can be hiding in the tall grass. While on the water you'll see tons of waterfowl and usually several Great Blue Herons.
Leave No Trace: Human waste must be packed out on the river. Bring a Wag bag and use it if you can't get a site with a toilet. Also be sure to pack out all your trash as well as any other you might find at a campsite or along the trail, we have to be good stewards of these amazing places we get to enjoy. Pack it in, pack it out.
Packrafts: We used Nirvana Spraydecks and Nirvana Self Bailers. Both are ultralight and pack up small making them a perfect choice for this trip. I used a spraydeck which was nice since it was cold out, but Lou and Brooke preferred the ease of the self bailer.
Need more info? Check out the Bikerafting guide book and our Durango Bikepacking Bags or send us an email! We are stoked to help share any tips and tricks to make your next trip even more amazing.