The John Day was attractive to us because of the relative solitude and beauty of the area, and the whitewater aspects. Good fishing for bass also. However, the river levels drop quickly, and we began the trip the day after most of our scouts were out of school. Even then, we were scraping bottom by the end of the trip. Another couple of days could have been a problem. I will get more specific info, including internet site for water level history, from the parent who planned the trip.
As far as the Willamette, we never cosidered it. It is a medium size river, but slow moving, and run