There are, in my opinion, two important things about the klickitat: (1) it is usually fairly clear when the freezing level is below 10,000 feet. Above 11,000 feet it can be ugly. (2) there is a hell of a sweeper in the river just below Stimson Flats campground/launch. It has eaten several boats including one that I pulled two people out of and another run by a professional. It is on the outside of the first curve below Stimson. I go to the inside above it and get out of my boat and walk it around. I don't think it is runable due to low water on the inside. The remainder of the river is no worse than class 3 but there are sharp rocks in low water and there can be additional trees. Hope this helps.