The Williamson River Gorge:

on the southwestern corner of Crater Lake National Park.

The Williamson River Gorge is relatively unknown even to the locals. You'll find no information about it
in the tour guides. The locals in the know divide the river into the upper, middle and lower gorges, and the river
offers considerable contrast between each.

The lower gorge is pictured here. Walking along this segment is a beautiful leisurely stroll, as can be easily seen.
The only concern one might have is the holes dug by animals along the river banks. Just watch where you step. It's easy.

Brad and I attempted the middle gorge on several occasions. We never made it all the way to the upper gorge. We did
make it to a beautiful waterfall one time. Another time we found the source of an underground spring flowing into the Williamson.
It was hot. We drank out fill, took off our clothes and played in the water, sunning on a boulder in the middle of the river. One year
Brad attempted the gorge alone. He thought he could use the water as a passageway upstream. He also took Boo Boo with. Boo
Boo was his dog and old. Brad always took Boo Boo, and he'd carry him when he couldn't walk. Well, the water didn't help him;
there are too many rocky impediments, and he ended up carrying Boo Boo most of the way. He didn't make it back to the lower
gorge until it was dark, the only light being from stars. Obviously, he could hardly see. Wearing nothing but a pair of shorts, he
wandered into a field of nettles chest high. All the while carrying Boo Boo. He didn't make it home until 11:00 pm. But he did
make it home. He has this to say about the Middle Gorge, "Rocky pools, boulders and abrupt waterfalls,
which flow only in the spring, make the middle gorge all but impassable.

The upper gorge offers a rugged trail down the wall of a canyon. Foster Church from the Oregonian was here in May of
2004. He hiked the upper gorge and had this to say about it, "A trail leads into a canyon ... from there it crashes down the
mountains, kicking around boulders the size of bungalows and creating magnificent falls and gorges."

The boulders were the feature that made the biggest impression on me the first time I did the hike in 1993. I was a
baby to this way of life then. I've since climbed over much bigger boulders in the south Gorge of the Smith River,
and that time my life depended on it. :) No matter, experiencing nature in this way is always profound.
Far too deep to share with words.

Protect our National Forests and Wilderness Areas. Leave NO Trace!
Be sure to contact the local ranger station about conditions in the forest: fires,
roads and whatever, before setting out on your vacation.

Forward ~ Spring Creek, tributary to the Williamson
and the lower gorge.

Back ~ Pelican Butte in the sunset, viewed from
Wood River Wetlands.

NPS: Crater Lake National Park.

USFS: Winema National Forest.

Brad and I invite you to explore nature untrammeled: hiking with and without trails, wildlife refuges, wetlands, river gorges, mountains, wilderness areas and more in Nearby
Scenic Places: Directions, Map and Scenery.

Travel Oregon and northern California while staying at Gathering Light ... a retreat
located in southern Oregon near Crater Lake National Park.

Links to the retreat only open a new window.

Travel to Gathering Light ... a retreat on the Willamette Pass:
Directions, Map and Scenery: hiking trails, mountains and lakes.

Travel to Gathering Light ... a retreat along the wild and scenic
Umpqua River: Travel Directions, Map and Scenery: hiking trails, waterfalls, the wild and scenic Umpqua, Crater Lake and more.

Directions to and Day Trips of around 100 miles from the retreat.

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