| Roaring River | |
| Map Size: | 300 |
| Pushpin Map: | USA Oregon |
| Pushpin Map Size: | 300 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of the mouth of the Roaring River in Oregon |
| Subdivision Type1: | Country |
| Subdivision Name1: | United States |
| Subdivision Type2: | State |
| Subdivision Name2: | Oregon |
| Subdivision Type4: | County |
| Subdivision Name4: | Clackamas County |
| Length: | 13.7miles[1] |
| Discharge1 Avg: | 170cuft/s[2] |
| Source1: | near Signal Buttes |
| Source1 Location: | Cascade Range, Roaring River Wilderness, Mount Hood National Forest |
| Source1 Coordinates: | 45.1611°N -121.9267°W[3] |
| Source1 Elevation: | 4391feet[4] |
| Mouth: | Clackamas River |
| Mouth Coordinates: | 45.1581°N -122.1172°W |
| Mouth Elevation: | 955feet |
| Basin Size: | 44sqmi |
Roaring River is a 13.7miles tributary of the Clackamas River in Clackamas County, Oregon. Beginning near Signal Buttes on the western flank of the Cascade Range, the river flows generally west through parts of Mount Hood National Forest to meet the larger river 44miles from its mouth on the Willamette River.[5]
The river's watershed generally overlaps the Roaring River Wilderness, a 36500acres federally protected area established in 2009. The area is off-limits to commercial logging and mechanized recreation though still open to fishing, camping, hunting, hiking, and many other activities.[6]
The entire length of Roaring River was named part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System in 1988. Most of this was declared wild, though the last two-tenths of a mile were designated recreational.[1]
Named tributaries in downstream order from source to mouth are Cougar and Splintercat creeks, which enter from the left; Plaza and Squaw creeks, from the right, and Shining Creek, South Fork Roaring River, and Grouse Creek, all from the left.[5] The South Fork is also part of the wild and scenic rivers system.[7]
Whitewater enthusiasts sometimes run the lowermost 3.2miles of the river, taking forest roads and a hiking trail to the put-in point and taking out at the bridge carrying Oregon Route 224 over the river near the Roaring River Campground. This run is rated Class IV (advanced), on the International Scale of River Difficulty. Dangers include ledges, boulders, and shifting wood hazards that require scouting and multiple portages.[8]