The Rogue River rafting paradise is captured in this article by Tina Lassen.
“Welcome to the wild and scenic Rogue!” booms river guide Zac Kauffman, bending into his oars and giving them a hearty pull. “There’s no turning back now!” Behind him, the bridge and boat ramp at Grave Creek slide off into the distance. Ahead, off the raft’s bulbous orange bow, southwest Oregon’s Rogue River tumbles through a scatter of boulders and disappears over a rocky ledge.
For three days, this flotilla of four eight-passenger rafts will be traveling with the whims of the river as it slips into a wild canyon with little access to roads, telephones or other outside intrusions. The Rogue sets the pace, sometimes roiling white water, other times placid pools. It also sets the course, weaving westward through deep seams of rock and dense fir forests, some of Oregon’s most pristine and least accessible wilderness.
Nope, no turning back. With broad grins, the rafters plow their paddles into the churning waters.
THE REMARKABLE ROGUE ( Rogue River Rafting with history)
The Rogue is legendary among Western rivers, renowned for its scenic canyons and superb fishing. For decades, it was accessible only to skilled oarsmen in nimble wooden drift boats, who would navigate the white water in pursuit of salmon and steelhead. The Western novelist Zane Grey once had a cabin along its banks; over the years, a string of celebrities from Babe Ruth to Bing Crosby came here to cast a line.
In 1946, Morrison’s Rogue River Lodge
opened near Grants Pass, Oregon, one of a handful of riverside lodges offering fishing guide services and hot meals. When rafting emerged as a sport in the 1970s, many enthusiasts headed straight for the Rogue, designated one of the nation’s first “Wild and Scenic” rivers. That official status prohibits shoreline development and most motorized boats, and limits the number of people on the water each day.
On a recent excursion, a group of paddlers gathers after breakfast on the broad riverfront lawn of Morrison’s Rogue River Lodge. They’ve signed up with the outfitter Rogue River Raft Trips, and they’re here to meet the guides and ready the rafts. On their three-day trip, they’ll travel about 45 miles downriver, including the Rogue’s marquee 34-mile Wild and Scenic stretch. It’ll be a roomy ride, with
five or six guests and a guide for each 16-foot synthetic-rubber raft, and a gear boat to haul food and clothes. Adding to the cush factor, they’ll skip camping and overnight in historic lodges along the way.
Soon the flotilla slips into the current. The smooth slick of river pulls the rafts around a bend, riffling over a gravel bar and kicking up a few white-tipped waves. A half-hour into the trip, the rafters spot a black bear busily foraging for berries near the water’s edge, and two osprey wheeling overhead in the cloudless sky.
The Rogue earns its “wild” status right after lunch, crashing and frothing over shelves of bedrock. Though the rafters’ hearts might be racing, they paddle through the rapids with ease. At Rainie Falls, the guides deftly line up the rafts with the current, which sucks the boats over the chute and into calm waters below.
Come make your own Rogue River Rafting Adventure this summer.
Call or click today 800-826-1963
View the full Article at "Endless Vacation" or visit Tina Lassen's web site
“Welcome to the wild and scenic Rogue!” booms river guide Zac Kauffman, bending into his oars and giving them a hearty pull. “There’s no turning back now!” Behind him, the bridge and boat ramp at Grave Creek slide off into the distance. Ahead, off the raft’s bulbous orange bow, southwest Oregon’s Rogue River tumbles through a scatter of boulders and disappears over a rocky ledge.
For three days, this flotilla of four eight-passenger rafts will be traveling with the whims of the river as it slips into a wild canyon with little access to roads, telephones or other outside intrusions. The Rogue sets the pace, sometimes roiling white water, other times placid pools. It also sets the course, weaving westward through deep seams of rock and dense fir forests, some of Oregon’s most pristine and least accessible wilderness.
Nope, no turning back. With broad grins, the rafters plow their paddles into the churning waters.
THE REMARKABLE ROGUE ( Rogue River Rafting with history)
The Rogue is legendary among Western rivers, renowned for its scenic canyons and superb fishing. For decades, it was accessible only to skilled oarsmen in nimble wooden drift boats, who would navigate the white water in pursuit of salmon and steelhead. The Western novelist Zane Grey once had a cabin along its banks; over the years, a string of celebrities from Babe Ruth to Bing Crosby came here to cast a line.
In 1946, Morrison’s Rogue River Lodge
opened near Grants Pass, Oregon, one of a handful of riverside lodges offering fishing guide services and hot meals. When rafting emerged as a sport in the 1970s, many enthusiasts headed straight for the Rogue, designated one of the nation’s first “Wild and Scenic” rivers. That official status prohibits shoreline development and most motorized boats, and limits the number of people on the water each day.On a recent excursion, a group of paddlers gathers after breakfast on the broad riverfront lawn of Morrison’s Rogue River Lodge. They’ve signed up with the outfitter Rogue River Raft Trips, and they’re here to meet the guides and ready the rafts. On their three-day trip, they’ll travel about 45 miles downriver, including the Rogue’s marquee 34-mile Wild and Scenic stretch. It’ll be a roomy ride, with
five or six guests and a guide for each 16-foot synthetic-rubber raft, and a gear boat to haul food and clothes. Adding to the cush factor, they’ll skip camping and overnight in historic lodges along the way.Soon the flotilla slips into the current. The smooth slick of river pulls the rafts around a bend, riffling over a gravel bar and kicking up a few white-tipped waves. A half-hour into the trip, the rafters spot a black bear busily foraging for berries near the water’s edge, and two osprey wheeling overhead in the cloudless sky.
The Rogue earns its “wild” status right after lunch, crashing and frothing over shelves of bedrock. Though the rafters’ hearts might be racing, they paddle through the rapids with ease. At Rainie Falls, the guides deftly line up the rafts with the current, which sucks the boats over the chute and into calm waters below.
Come make your own Rogue River Rafting Adventure this summer.
Call or click today 800-826-1963
View the full Article at "Endless Vacation" or visit Tina Lassen's web site
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