Owyhee River
If you're looking for a fun-filled river trip that will allow you to take wonderful, flattering pictures to post on your Facebook page, do not go to the Owyhee. This is a serious river trip that is hard to get to, which means you have to really want to eat the full-meal deal you're about to consume: 37 miles of unpredictable weather (90 one day, hailstorm the next), Class V, windstorms that blow sand in everything, and knee-buckling portaging. But if you want a multi-day challenge of your river-running and overall outdoors skills in an under appreciated desert region of the West, you'll get what you want.
The Owyhee is beautiful. It is marketed as the "Grand Canyon of Oregon," a label that comes with some justification. Gigantic sandstone cliffs overhead. Riverside hot springs. Not another soul in sight. It's worth it. It's just not easygoing. Non-experts should consider hiring a guide: www.rowadventures.com, www.kokopelliriverguides.com.
The headwaters of the Owyhee begin in northern Nevada and flow northward into southeastern Oregon. Launch in Three Forks and take out the unincorporated town of Rome.
Best Boat: Raft or raft-supported whitewater kayaking
Scout's Eye: Portage Widowmaker, a 20-foot Class VI waterfall, on river right.
Toilet Time: Log on to www.blm.gov and search for Owyhee River.

John Day River
Designated a Wild and Scenic River in 1988, the John Day is a prime example of the geological diversity of Oregon. In a state that boasts ocean coastlines, glaciated peaks, and old-growth forests, add stunning desert rivers to the list of natural wonders.
The John Day is divided into two sections: Service Creek to Clarno (47 miles long) and Clarno to Cottonwood (69 miles). Service Creek to Clarno takes paddlers on a ride through ranchland. The rapids are basic Class II, but the eastern-Oregon high desert is not Main Street. You’re isolated, so avoid overconfidence. Below Clarno, you leave ranchland behind and enter a 1,200-foot canyon with rock walls consisting of the ex-supermodel of extrusive volcanic rock: aging, brittle, yet beautiful basalt. The lower section is even more remote, lending further credence to its wild and scenic status. When the river portion of your journey is over, make a side trip to the John Day Fossil Beds Monument.
Best Boat: Canoe
Scout’s Eye: Clarno Rapid is usually Class III but can turn into a IV at higher water
Toilet Time: Soggy Sneakers: A Paddler’s Guide to Oregon Rivers

Upper Clackamas
As of early March, the Oregon snowpack was roughly normal, which means massive dumps of Northwest powder (not so euphemistically known to snowboarders as Cascade Concrete) are currently turning into a peak flow of pool-drop, Class III rapids on this popular Portland-area run.
Put in at Sandstone Bridge and ride the waves for 13.5 miles to the Memaloose Weight Station. Find the best whitewater on the middle section from Fish Creek to Bob’s Hole. This two-ledged rapid is widely considered the river’s best for playboating. Just bring along your people skills; it’s just an hour from the prodigious hub of Portland. Make the most of your trip here by going the weekend of May 16-17, when the 26th Annual Upper Clackamas Whitewater Festival (www.upperclackamasfestival.org) takes place. Enter one of the many competitions, including the rodeo, slalom, and boater X, or take one of the clinics offered.
Best Boat: Playboat, river-runner
Scout’s Eye: The river narrows at a small basalt gorge. Watch out for the Hole in the Wall Rapid, where paddlers have been recirced in the current up against the wall on river left. So, stay right.
Toilet Time: Paddling Oregon, by Rob Keller. Also, find good beta at www.playboatingnorthwest.com and www.pdxkayaker.org.

Waldo Lake
That central Oregon contains a lake this beautiful is just one more reason to love this part of the state. But add the mountain scenery into the mix, and you’ll know why it draws paddlers from all over the Northwest. At 5,400 feet high, crystal-clear Waldo Lake offers captivating views of the nearby 10,000-foot volcanoes (currently inactive, fortunately) of the Cascades.
Waldo Lake is 420 feet deep in some places, making it the second-deepest in Oregon. The deepest is Crater Lake in the southern part of the state. The 6,700-acre lake is known for its pureness, yet motorboats have been allowed in the past. A transition period to phase out gas motors begin in 2007. Despite a legal challenge from a private citizen, the Forest Service is moving ahead with plans to ban gas motors this June.
Remember to take some bug dope with you. Mosquitoes love the lake almost as much as your blood.
Best Boat: Canoe, sea/rec kayak
Scout’s Eye: Watch for wind, schizo weather. Despite the scorching summer days, it gets chilly at night, and the water temperature remains around 60.
Toilet Time: www.trails.com, www.oregonwild.com, One Hundred Hikes in the Central Cascades, by William L. Sullivan.