Rogue River Rafting Trip Itinerary

Logistics

The day your trip starts you need to arrive at the Rogue River Center at 210 Merlin Rd, Merlin Oregon at 8 AM. If you are driving head west off of Interstate 5 at exit 61. At the Rogue River Center you will transfer your clothing for the trip into our dry bag for the entirety of the float. Your vehicle will be parked inside the locked gate at our facility until you return. At the conclusion of the trip a van will pick you up at the takeout and return you to the Rogue River Center. If you plan on driving to the coast after your trip it will be more convenient for you if your vehicle is shuttled from our facility to the rafting takeout at Foster Bar. There is a small fee associated with this so call for details. For additional travel information please refer to the travel information page for flight and hotel details.

Boats

As on most of our trips we offer a variety of river craft to choose from. Orange Torpedo Trips is best known for inflatable kayaking with 80% of our customers choosing this as the way to go down the river, but on this trip we offer 3 types of river craft on this trip.

Torpedo

Learn to paddle your own inflatable kayak (Torpedo). We have guides in “Torpedo’s” teaching you how to paddle and leading you through the rapids in a 4 to 1 ratio. If you happen to fall out the guides have you out of the river in seconds. 40+ years of doing it on the Rogue River and tens of thousands of satisfied returning customers prove that it is fun and safe.

Paddle Raft

A more traditional type of rafting, paddle rafts are a great way to go if you still want to do some work, but think the torpedo is just a little to much. Work with a team of your friends paddling the big boat through the rapids as the guide sits in the back to help navigate.

Oared Raft

Hop on an oared raft and ride in luxury. This is the relaxed way to travel. If taking in the scenery and letting the guide do the work is how you vacation then hop on board. This is how kids 4-11 years old will usually travel, safe and exciting.

Trip Itinerary: 3-day trip

Day 1: Arrive at 8 AM at the Rogue River Center (210 Merlin Road, Merlin, OR) to meet your head guide and receive your trip orientation. (Arrive early to purchase any last-minute items.). While at the Rogue River Center your head guide will spend about 45 minutes discussing safety, river history, and paddling techniques. You will be supplied with all the equipment you need, including a life jacket, helmet (optional for anyone over 12), wet suit, splash-top, a dry bag for your personal items, and a community dry bag to store items you wish to access during the day—like a camera. When everyone is geared up and river ready, vans will be loaded and driven the 20 minutes to the put-in, At Alameda boat ramp you will meet the rest of your guides and head down the river. The trip starts off with a few warm up rapids before entering the Wild and Scenic section at Grave Creek. This is where the adventure really begins as the roads and civilization fade into the background. You’ll navigate famous Rogue River rapids such as Grave Creek Falls, Tyee, and Wild Cat on this first day. Sometime in the late afternoon the group will float into the first nights stop, Black Bar Lodge. Expect beautiful scenery, abundant wildlife, and delicious food as you relax into the evening. If you stay up late enough you might even see the famous Glow Stick Show.

Day 2: The second day is filled with plenty of rapids, history, and learning how to surf your torpedo. You will navigate Horseshoe Bend before arriving at the famous Mary’s Pothole. The group will stop here and you can re-run the rapid until you have had your fill. This is an opportunity to shoot photos and video of your family and friends trying to run this exciting wave. After lunch we will make a quick stop at Zane Grey’s historical cabin. A short float from the cabin and you are at Slagles’s Hole, where you can try your hand at surfing. This friendly hole is an ideal spot to learn how to ride the waves and perfect your great surfing moves like the paddle spin! When you are all surfed out, end the day at Marial Lodge. With its great food, hiking, scenery and atmosphere, you may never want to leave this historic Rogue River hideaway.

Day 3: The last day on the water starts off with a bang! Just around the corner from the lodge is the spectacular Mule Creek Canyon—a white water gorge that is truly unique. After Coffee Pot, comes the world famous Blossom Bar. Here we take a short portage around the upper part of the rapid before putting back in and running the fun lower section of this famous boulder garden. A challenging rapid for the rafts, you will find your Torpedo floats right through with little difficulty. After more rapids and a riverside lunch, the group arrives at the takeout, Foster Bar, early in the afternoon. Change out of your river clothes while the guides de-rig the rafts. After loading the vans it’s a 2-hour drive back to the Rogue River Center.

4 Day Trip Option: This is a great combination of the 1 day Rogue River near Galice and the 3 day Wild and Scenic Rogue River trip—perfect for the first-time Torpedo family. It gives first timers the a warm up day before joining with the standard 3 day trip. Meet your guides at the Rogue River Center (210 Merlin Road, Merlin, OR) at 8:30 AM. the day your 4-day trip starts.

This first day is the perfect opportunity to build your confidence in the inflatable kayak or raft before heading down into the Wild and Scenic Wilderness on the 3-day trip. This great addition to the 3 day option adds a beautiful 14-mile float that includes a picnic lunch and ends with dinner at the famous Morrison’s Lodge—can’t beat that for a day on the river!

At Morrison’s Lodge, a guide will give you dry bags for the 3-day trip and instruct you on how to use them. Be sure to pack your bags and be ready to go the next morning. After a hearty breakfast the Orange Torpedo Trips crew will pick you at 9 AM. From here you will be heading straight to the put-in to start the 3-day itinerary.