North Santiam River - Packsaddle County Park to Mill City

Access is just after Class III Mill City Falls on river right - behind a large rock outcropping.

A mile after the Gates bridge lies spencer's hole.  This Class III rapid is generally run down the right side with momentum to punch the (sometimes substantial) hole at the bottom.  Many "tubers" and micro-rafters flip here and some experienced boaters in small craft have cause to practice their roll and/or swim here.  The runout is a fast moving pool, that generally allows more than enough time to pick up swimmers and their yard sales.

At higher water (1500+) the rapid can be run on the left side, avoiding the hole.  This line is a bit more technical but easily managed in a kayak.  Rafts should stick to the right side.

Scouting is possible on river right just above the rapid - be careful not to get "past the point of no return".  Scouting is also possible on the shuttle as their exists a small dirt path from W Central St down to the river.  Google maps is your friend here.

Named such because people often confused this rapid with its big brother (Specer's Hole) downstream.  This rapid is a Class II+ at most flows, but occasionally deserves class III attention as it has several large rocks that in recent years have become a little bit harder to avoid, particularly for swimmers.

Initial run is on river right, with a move to the left to avoid two large (mostly) submerged boulders.  At some flows these boulders are submerged and just form a small hole.  After the boulders there is a diagonal ledge on the left, "T" up to it and enjoy the splash.  Not a difficult rapid, but swimmers are going to have a bad time.  200 yards downstream is Class III Spencer's Hole.

Lead in can be scouted from river left at the bend in the river preceding it with a campground.

Class (II+)III Carnivore is a small narrow ledge located in the left channel as the river splits around a small island that requires a left to right move.  At most flows it is a chute, at higher water it is more of a true ledge.  At all known flows it flushes, but it is not a good place for a swim as the swift shallow current leads into a small strainer 100 feet downstream (Summer 2013).  The strainer is exceedingly easy for a boat to miss, but a swimmer needs to keep their eyes up in order to spot and move away.

Right channel can be run at higher flows, this channel generally becomes very boney below 1100 cfs.

There is no realistic way to scout Carnivore.

Mill City Falls is a 3' riverwide ledge across the river just before the take out for the popular Packsaddle run.  It is generally run left or right of center to avoid "Waterspout Rock"  which, as the name implies, tends to spout water and is often used as a marker.  There are rocks in the river right channel that can cause issues for inflatable kayaks and smaller craft.

Mill City Falls can be scouted from the take out during the shuttle on the pedestrian bridge.