Benham Falls Whitewater Kayaking Trip on the Deschutes River

The Benham falls section is only about a half mile, but it can easily become the longest half mile of a paddlers career. This short section of river can be easily scouted, and should be scouted, from the trail on river left. Once thoroughly scouted the action starts immediately, the only warm up for this run is the flat water above the first ledge. There is a series of four ledge drops, each creating its own sticky hole.

After these four ledge drops you arrive to the top of Benham. At winter time flows Benham can be scouted at river level by catching a large eddy on river left. During the summer when the river is high once you enter the canyon there is no getting out and you are commited to running the entire drop. The actual Benham falls consists of four consecutive ledge drops with no pools inbetween. Depending on the level, Benham can be run right or left, scouting this rapid is necessary. Below Benham there is a fun mile of class III+ that should only be run by experienced boaters because of the large abbundance of wood. The take out is on river left shortly after the flat water begins.

For a full day of paddling Benham falls can be linked with Dillon falls and Lava Island falls, completing the Triple Crown of Central Oregon is a must for any class V boater visiting the area.