If whitewater rafting is on your travel bucket list, you’ll love this blog post! Last summer (August), we had the chance to go on an overnight rafting trip on the Rogue River in Southwest Oregon. It was a guided group trip with Row Adventures, and it ended up being the highlight of our summer. In this post, we’ll give you a detailed review of our trip, along with photos, a travel vlog, and a rafting travel packing list. Read on for more!

The Route

Trip Length: 2 Nights, 3 Days

Total Mileage: 45 miles

River Rating: Class II-IV

Put-In: Grave Creek

Take-Out: Foster Bar

Recommended Age: Minimum age of 7 years old

Accommodations: Option of lodge stays or camping.

The Situation

If you’ve been following our blog or vlogs for awhile you may have noticed that we aren’t big on guided group trips. We prefer paving our own way and planning every single aspect of our travels. While making a custom itinerary is fun, it can also be very stressful, especially when things don’t go according to plan. So how did we end up on this guided rafting trip? We took my parents’ place at the last minute when they couldn’t go. In that sense, the trip was a little bittersweet knowing that this was their bucket list trip. However, we made every effort to record the trip in videos in photos to recreate it for my parents, which is yet another bonus of travel vlogging. You can check out that travel vlog below:

Where is the Rogue River?

Located in southwestern Oregon, the Rogue River originates near Crater Lake and it flows 215 miles to the Pacific Ocean. The river is a popular spot for steelhead and salmon fishing and whitewater rafting. The lower 84 miles of the river begin west of Grants Pass; this section is designated as the Oregon State Scenic Waterway. The Rogue River National Recreation Trail stretches 40 miles along the area and it is open for car camping, hiking, and individual exploration. However, the area is best experienced by water, and float permits are required. Not to mention the river can be tough to navigate, so it is best to explore as part of a commercially guided trip.

Getting to Southern Oregon

“Isn’t Seattle just a few hours away?” That was the question my mom asked when she inquired about us taking their place on this trip. Yes, the Oregon border is not far from Seattle, but southwest Oregon is closer to California. Since we only had a long weekend at our disposal, we had to fly from Seattle to the Rogue Valley International Airport in Medford, and rent a car. We rented a cheap 4-door sedan and were fine; no hardcore off-road driving is involved on this trip.

From there, we spent the night at the Riverside Inn in Grants Pass. The inn happened to be the largest hotel on the Rogue River with 63 rooms. It had a great location and wonderful staff. Unfortunately, our flight was so delayed (thanks, Delta), that we only got to spend 4 hours at the hotel before our imminent departure. With that said, the hotel was great with a phenomenal hot continental breakfast.

From Grants Pass, we drove about half an hour to Morrison’s Rogue River Lodge, where we picked up our dry bags and life vests. Row Adventures provides each guest with one large dry bag to be accessed in the lodge at night, and a medium-sized dry bag for day use. They also provide snacks and meals throughout the day and sleeping accommodations. All other equipment from water shoes, clothes, water bottles, etc must be brought by each participant.

You have the option of leaving your car there and taking a shuttle back after the rafting trip. Or you can arrange to have your car waiting for you at the end of the rafting trip. We chose the first option and hopped into a van to be shuttled to the boat launch.

What to Wear for Whitewater Rafting

There are quite a few things you definitely want to bring with you to make sure you have the most comfortable time on the water. We have a whole blog post dedicated to everything you should pack for an overnight rafting trip or a single day trip, along with a free packing checklist. Check out that post here.

Rafting Orientation

Prior to the rafting trip, Row Adventures is extremely diligent about emailing you with all of the details you’ll need to be prepared. There’s an orientation at Morrison’s the night before the trip, but we couldn’t attend due to our delayed flight. If you can’t make orientation, just tell Row in advance and they’ll give you all the info you need. The main request is that you arrive at Morrison’s at 7 am the day of the trip to pack up your dry bags.

By the time the shuttle pulled into the river rafting launch site, it was around 8 am. We met the rest of our rafting teammates — about 12 people in total, a good mix of young couples, retired couples, and families with children. The youngest children were just under 12 years old, and they arguably had the most fun of anyone on the trip. There were also 4 guides and 4 rafts. Two rafts are the “action rafts” that seat up to 6 adults. Lots of paddling and splashing is involved, especially if you sit upfront. The other two rafts carry everyone’s large dry bags, plus food supplies since we stop for lunch along the river; one raft has two elevated seats for anyone wanting to take the scenic route — no paddling or splashing required.

After quick introductions, we got a rafting 101 orientation. No experience is needed on this trip, as you only hit up to class 4 rapids. However, there are basic things everyone should know, namely what to do in case the raft flips, or if you fall off. The biggest piece of advice was to keep your life vest on the entire time, and always float so that your feet are closest to the water surface. One of the biggest dangers of river rafting or swimming is getting your feet caught in rocks below the surface.

Rogue River Rafting Rapids Map

After the safety orientation, it’s time to load up into the rafts and get started. It’s a slow start at first to get everyone synched into a paddling rhythm, and to recognize the guide’s commands. From then on, it’s an action-packed trip including some notable rapids such as:

• Rainy Falls Rapid

• China Gulch Rapid

• Tyee Rapid

• Wildcat Rapid - the strainer

• Russian Rapid

• Blossom Bar

We ran every rapid except for Rainy Falls rapid. Due to its bumpy nature, it is best navigated by a single guide, so we get out and hike around the rapid before hopping back into the rafts. But the most notorious rapid on our trip came on the last day: Blossom Bar. A former boulder garden, it took sticks of dynamite and human ingenuity to turn Blossom Bar into a navigable rapid. Even so, it’s a churning, twisting, and challenging Class IV rapid.

Other Activities

Even though most of the day is spent on the water, you aren’t always being tossed around on the rapids. There’s a fair amount of down time on the calmer portions of the river. This allows for paddling in the inflatable kayaks, taking a swim, cliff jumping, and some light hiking. There are also frequent water splash fights to help cool down when the day heats up. All of these activities are optional and are always done at the discretion of the river guides. Around midday, the guides will agree on a lunch spot and all rafts pull over at the same spot. Guests can stretch their legs while the guides prepare lunch. On both days, the lunches were fresh and tasty, especially considering the wilderness that the guides had to whip up something to eat.

On a more personal note, there aren’t any formal toilets on the river route, aside from the lodges each night. Guests are encouraged to discretely use the river or a side bush, so be prepared to get on the wild side when the call of nature arises.

Accommodations Night 1 - Black Bar Lodge

Towards the end of day one, the rafts meander down the Rogue River Canyon, ending the day at Black Bar Lodge. The accommodations are a series of rustic log cabins complete with comfortable beds, hot showers, flushing toilets, and a hot dinner. We were welcomed with a delicious pot roast, and a family of deer that would literally eat apples out of your hands. It’s the perfect end to a full day of river rafting. Aside from dinner, there aren’t any formal activities planned, so you are free to do as you please for the rest of the night. The lodge is run by a power generator, which turns off at about 10pm. That makes for a logical bedtime for most. However, if the skies are clear, stay out for awhile and you’ll see a spectacular display of stars and, if you’re lucky, the Milky Way.

The next day kicks off with a hot, hearty breakfast at Black Bar Lodge. Afterward, you have a bit of time to finish packing up your dry bags before loading back up on the rafts for day 2!

Accommodations Night 2 - Marial Lodge

The second day ends further down the Rogue River at Marial Lodge. This is a distinctly different lodge from Black Bar in that Marial is situated slightly higher in the trees. The rooms are motel-style rather than log cabins, but they still include a bed, hot showers, flushing toilet, and dinner. We lucked out with a plate of fried chicken at Marial Lodge, and it was probably our favorite meal of the entire trip.

Marial Lodge also has close proximity to a hike that meanders through the cabin. It’s a great walk after dinner, and a guide or two will usually lead a group out. Just be sure to bring headlamps and a flashlight as critters can be roaming around after dark. We ran into a baby rattlesnake on our hike, which luckily didn’t harm anyone.

The End of the Trip

The two-night rafting trip ends on the third day, which is actually a half day. After a hot breakfast at Marial Lodge, it’s time to tackle some of the toughest rapids on the trip including the notorious Blossom Bar Rapids. This final stretch of the trip was both my and Martin’s favorite. Not only is it full of fast-paced rapids, but it is incredibly scenic as our rafts drift through a tight canyon. The day ends around 12 noon as we pull into the Foster Bar Boat Ramp.

From here, there are toilets to change into dry clothes, and guests have a choice: either drive away if they arranged to have vehicles waiting at the end. Or take the Row Adventures shuttle back to Morrison’s. We opted for the latter, and it’s a bumpy yet very scenic 2-hour van ride to the start.

In Conclusion

We weren’t sure what to expect from this whitewater rafting adventure, but suffice to say that both Martin and I had a blast. It was wonderful being on an action-packed trip that someone else was spearheading, so all we had to do was kick back and have fun. While we love planning and executing our own adventure travel trips, it is a nice feeling just going with the flow and letting Row Adventures take care of the details. Speaking of, this Coeur d’Alene-based company was wonderful to work with. They did a great job of keeping us informed prior to the trip, and their guides worked together flawlessly — they were professional while also being very friendly and personable. All in all, we highly recommend the Rogue River rafting trip to anyone wanting to experience white water rafting in Southern Oregon. We wouldn’t hesitate to do this trip again, or any other trip organized by Row Adventures.

More Adventures in Southern Oregon

After the Rogue River Rafting trip, you can head straight back to the Medford airport and depart. Or you can tack on some extra time to explore southern Oregon. The nearby town of Ashland is famed for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and there is also the Crater Lake National Park and Umpqua National Forest nearby if you crave more nature.

*This post is sponsored by Suzi’s parents, who fully paid for the trip, but couldn’t attend at the last minute. We did not receive any compensation or perks from Row Adventures; all opinions, photos, and videos are our own.

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