The latest Long Read on the Outside Podcast takes listeners down the Lower Owyhee, a scenic river in eastern Oregon that was too shallow for traditional whitewater rafts.
Published August 17, 2026 12:11PM
Across the West, whitewater guides have had to grapple with a similar problem throughout 2026: bone-dry rivers. Last fall, writer Owen Clarke took an innovative tour down the Owyhee River in eastern Oregon during its lowest flow of the season. The secret to the trip were inflatable packrafts, which sit just a few inches into the water. These rafts allowed Clarke and his group to navigate rocky and tight sections of the river—stretches that were simply too shallow for a normal whitewater raft. In this week’s Long Read on the Outside Podcast, we dive into Clarke’s adventure.
