Page 114 - Clackamas County Watertourism Strategic Plan. Final.v3

STRATEGIC PLAN FOR WATER-BASED TOURISM IN CLACKAMAS COUNTY, OREGON THE OPPORTUNITIES
6-11

Physical
Upper Clackamas River Corridor
Improvements

The Upper Section the Clackamas River is the most remote section of the river and provides highly technical whitewater and excellent fishing
opportunities. This section of river gives visitors a wilderness experience. River tourists visiting this section expect to get away from development,
experience wildlife in their natural environment, and find solitude. The Upper Clackamas has excellent trout fishing, riverside trails, and camping. It
also has some of the best whitewater in all of Oregon. The small private whitewater boating community already knows this to be true as evidenced
by their mass migration to the Upper Clackamas Whitewater Festival every May. Commercial whitewater on the other hand is seeing much less
visitation than comparable rivers. The Corridor is managed primarily by PGE and the US National Forest Service. Physical improvements for this
section of river are intended to continue offering a wilderness experience and solitude while making it available to more visitors.
Recommendation 18: Expand Camping Opportunities
The existing two campground providers offer excellent camping experiences that meet visitor expectations, however, the demand far outweighs the
supply. Additional campsites at existing campgrounds and additional campgrounds are needed in the corridor. Potential new locations for additional
sites between Timothy Lake and Memaloose at RM 33 should be studied and built. A new reservation system may also help open sites. Observations
and interviews with campground hosts revealed that many sites are reserved but not used. There is little financial loss from reserving and not
showing up. A new reservation policy can eliminate this financial incentive for wasting campsites.

Recommendation 19: Parking and Facility Improvements at Put-Ins
PGE and the Forest Service have made substantial progress over the last few years toward improving the physical access to the river. Additional
improvements with parking, pedestrian and boat access, bathrooms, trash removal, signage and interpretation are needed throughout various
locations in the corridor.