Portland General Electric has graciously allowed development of a slalom training site at the PGE Bull Run Power Project near Sandy, Oregon.
Local racers built a trail up above side of the gorge and several stairways down to the river.

Currently there are 13 gates hanging on permanent wires just below the power plant. The course can be accessed by putting in just above the power plant (down a steep trail right at the parking lot) and paddling down, exiting on river left, and climbing up to the gates, and lowering them to the river.

It is necessary to raise the gates after practice is finished.

The river opposite the power plant is Class I and II with some class III sections. Below the existing gates there is a steeper class III drop and then it flattens out into a pool. There are stairs up and out of the gorge here. Below this pool there is another 200 meters of class II and III with wires up but no gates at present, another short course will be erected here this winter, finishing with a wooden staircase to the main trail.

The course is open to everyone but please, always, always, always pull the gates when you finish.

Water is present from the start of the rainy season usually until the end of June or middle of July depending on rainfall. Flows tend to be relatively constant fed by 800-1000 c.f.s. during peak rainfall from the power plant and 200-500 c.f.s. from the Bull Run river, water left over from that taken by the city of Portland for drinking water.Water levels are generally good when the Sandy River has a gauge reading of over 8.8 feet. When the Sandy is very high, 10.5 ft this becomes 1500 c.f.s. and pushy, over 2000 c.f.s. (gauge readings in excess of 11.0 ft) it is difficult to catch eddies. For gauge readings: phone 503-261-9247, press 1, then 2.PGE is installing lights on the Bull Run Power plant this fall, so that we expect to be able to paddle gates 8-10 under these lights below the park, after dark during winter months.

Directions:
Take Hwy. #26 up Mt Hood from Portland.
(To get to #26, leave Portland on Interstate #84 until you reach Troutdale, then exit and travel South to Hwy. 26.)
Follow #26 about 12 miles, reaching the town of Sandy, drive through Sandy on the one way street going east about 1 mile. At the end of town, where the two lane, one way street joins the two lanes coming into Sandy from the west, and with a gas station on your left and a video rental store across the intersection on the right side - take a left onto Ten Eyck Rd.

Take Ten Eyck down the hill, stay on Ten Eyck at several sharp curves, follow the yellow line, taking the main road each time. Cross the Sandy River about 3 miles after leaving the town of Sandy, continuing on Ten Eyck Rd for about another 3-4 miles. Stay on Ten Eyck past the left turn off for the Bull Run School (i.e. do not turn left). Then you will see Roslyn Lake, a small lake on your left. When you come to a Y just after seeing the lake, take a right, the sign here says right to the Bull Run. Go down the steep hill to the river. Just before the bridge over the river go left into the PGE Power Project parking lot. The put-in for the gates is just below the parking lot and the takeout 400 meters below at a set of wooden stairs. --

For more information, contact David Johnson at johnsoda@ohsu.edu or 503-977-3998.