Fond Memories of a Family Experience

With the chaotic schedule typical of families these days, “family experiences” are often rare and illusive. Families are often scattered during the summer months with each person pursuing a different set of activities.  In later life, those precious times when the whole family was together for a voyage or adventure are often the fondest memories of all. A river trip is a unique and effective means of creating fond family memories and the Rogue River offers the very best setting for memories that last a lifetime.

What makes the Rogue a perfect venue for a family trip is the wide diversity of activities it has to offer.  With lots of fun whitewater the river is active - but not too scary!  Oar rafts, paddle rafts and inflatable kayaks on all of our trips offer multiple levels of activity. Grandma & Grandpa, little Suzie and even “crazy Uncle Joe” will all find the appropriate level of challenge and excitement.  The rich history, plentiful wildlife and bio-diversity of the canyon offer opportunities for education and wonder for all ages.  Most of all, it’s the time spent together where a campfire replaces the television, a paddle replaces the gear shift, a bocce ball replaces the video game and the cell phone lies quiet without a signal, that create memories that all can share.

Key to the experience is the quality of your guides and the organization of the trip.  A trip should be structured not only to create quality time together but also to provide age appropriate activities.  While kids are not likely to enjoy perusing a book from our library on the natural history of the area with a glass of fine wine (or lemonade) we often find that adults are eager to take a ride on the “otter slide” or join a session of “rock surfing” with the kids.  Either way, our skilled, friendly and accommodating guides are there to take care of all the details, prepare fantastic meals and provide a wide range of experiences and activities for all to share and enjoy. Create fond memories for your family and join us on the Rogue River.

Anatomy of a River

Famous for fishing, rafting and scenery the Rogue River was one of the very first rivers protected by the Wild & Scenic Rivers act of 1968. Unlike many rivers, the Rogue is unique in its course and character. Like most rivers, the Rogue is born in the mountains - in this case at Boundary Springs in the Oregon Cascades north of Crater Lake. Like many rivers, the Rogue runs clear, fast and cold through alpine and Douglas fir forests during the beginning of its 250 mile journey to the Pacific Ocean. At one point near Union Creek it actually disappears completely into an old lava tube, returning to the surface several hundred yards later.

At the end of this first stage the waters of the Rogue are gathered in Lost Creek Reservoir near Shady Cove. Below Lost Creek Dam, the river takes on a generally mellow character, meandering through the towns of Shady Cove, Gold Hill, Medford and Grants Pass in the Rogue Valley. Typically, a river that has reached this “slow and sluggish” mature phase is very close to the end of its journey. The Rogue, however, has a few more tricks up its sleeve.

Turning west, the Rogue is reborn as a wild and rollicking river as it carves a deep canyon through the rugged Siskiyou Mountains. The Rogue has saved its best whitewater, wildlife and scenery for this virtually roadless lower canyon (between Grave Creek and Foster Bar) and this is the place we would like to take you to this summer. Below Foster Bar, the river again slows and widens, reaching its “second maturity” before spilling into the Pacific Ocean at Gold Beach. See the best the Wild & Scenic Rogue has to offer and join us on a trip this summer.

History is Alive!

Few rivers rival the Rogue for its rich and fascinating history.  Native Americans inhabited the canyon for thousands of years prior to the intrusion of trappers, miners and homesteaders in the 19th century. The depressions left by pit-houses can still be seen at Brushy Bar and the re-creations of Indian artifacts can be viewed at Rogue River Ranch (The first and original homestead in the canyon). As was all too common, it was the discovery of gold in the 1850’s which sparked the Rogue Indian War of 1855 and 1856. One of the best examples of indiscriminate warfare against Native Americans in the Northwest, the conflict succeeded in removing most of the Indians. 

From the 1850’s through the 1880’s the Rogue was a beehive of mining activity.  The remnants of this industry can still be seen at Whiskey Creek and at other places along the river.  Following the “gold rush” the canyon fell quiet, inhabited only by hermit miners and loners who became the source of some of the most fascinating historical intrigues.  Dutch Henry at Horseshoe Bend was suspected in many “disappearances” but never convicted; and in a perfect example of “frontier justice”, Howard Burke was acquitted of “taking care of trespassers”.  Other colorful characters such as Bedrock Nell (one of the few woman miners in the canyon), Jimmy Coe (escaped convict) and Hathaway Jones (the mule-train driver and “teller of tall tales”) provide entertaining yarns during the course of the trip. No tale, however, is more fascinating then the famous feud between Bob Fox and Jack Mahoney - you’ll have to join us on a trip to find out who prevailed! 

The river running history of the canyon is dominated by Glen Wooldridge, who first ran the river in a wooden boat in 1919 and remained a giant on the river for the next 60 years. As the father of fishing, guiding and jet boating on the Rogue, Wooldridge’s legend is still very much alive today.  The rich history of the Rogue combined with excellent scenery, plentiful wildlife and lots of fun whitewater make The Rogue one of the best river trips in the country.  

 

 ⇒Go To Our Rogue River Promo Video at YouTube
⇒Go To our Rogue River Photo Gallery

Past News Letters
⇒April 2007