What it’s like to raft a reawakened river in southern Oregon

Peak Northwest · Apr 23, 2026 · 27m

Mandy Yeahpau has done a lot of whitewater rafting in Oregon, but she never thought she’d get the chance to run the Klamath River.

That changed in 2024, when the river’s dams were removed and the waterway ran free for the first time in generations, allowing not only the salmon to return but also boaters, many of whom jumped at the opportunity to explore the reawakened river.

On this week’s episode of the Peak Northwest podcast, Yeahpau recounts her rafting trip on the Klamath River, which she said was both a great adventure and a deeply moving experience.

Here are some highlights from this…