California and Oregon Rafting

Four day camping trips on the Rogue River are awesome family trips. The trip begins at one of the put-in locations near the hamlet of Galice.

From there you float through several warm up rapids before the famous Rainey Falls. This is a monsterous six foot waterfall with an easy sneak route along the right side. Most people take the easy route around the falls on the right. Below here it’s a lazy float down to one of the great first night camps. At camp you’ll relax, go for a hike, and/or play games. Hor d’overs and dinner are served in the early evening.

After the first day you’ll get into a rythm of coffee in the early morning, breakfast, and packing your tents and bags. For those new to camping, go with an experienced outfitter and the guides will be there to help introduce you to the joys of sleeping next to the river. As many people become more comfortable in sleeping in the wilderness, they start to sleep under the stars each night.

The second day is full of great class II and III rapids which make a great warm up for the bigger rapids of the third day. In between rapids are relaxing pools that allow you to recover from the excitment of the rapid or swim in the warm water. The second night is spent deep in the forested Rogue River canyon.

The third day is full of anticipation as you will float through the majestic Mule Creek Canyon and manuever through the Class IV Blossom Bar Rapid. Mule Creek Canyon is a place that is almost impossible to describe in words. This is where the Rogue River flows through a narrow gorge with consticted vertical walls on each side. The vertical walls cause the river to have unpredictable and exciting boils which even keeps experienced rafters on their toes. The challenging part of the canyon ends with Coffee Pot, a true test of skill for the kayaks. You will be quickly rewarded for your bravery when you see Stair Creek tumbling into and eddy on the river. It’s not uncommon to feel accomplishment, serenity, and awe all at the same time here.

Just as you float out of Mule Creek Canyon, you will want to pull the rafts over to the right side of the river to scout the Class IV Blossom Bar, a challenging slalom through huge boulders. Scouting allows the boatmen to safely pick their line through the rapid. Below here, we manuever through the aptly named Devil’s Staircase before passing through some of the most majestic canyons on the Rogue.

The last night is a cause for celebration and the telling of legendary river stories. The last day is a day to recuperate from a night of celebration as you float through the beautiful canyon and Class II rapids.

On August 15th the Forest Service closed the Middle Fork of the Salmon River above Camas Creek due to the Red Bluff fire. That means that the only place to launch along the Middle Fork is at the airstrip at the Flying B which leaves the last 35 miles open for rafting. The smoke was bad for a few days after the closure, but seems to have reduced to a tolerable level.

The Middle Fork below the Flying B is amazing and has much more to offer than just rafting down the river. This time of year, the fishing is the best of the summer and a hike up Big Creek leads to some amazing scenery and some even better trout fishing. Anyone interested in great hikes and fishing in a spectacular canyon would enjoy spending up to six days floating down from the Flying B!