October 03, 2026

2026 on the River: Hells Canyon, Smoke, and a Lot of Good Days

Our 2026 rafting season is wrapped up. Whether you joined us for an afternoon on the Rogue or six days on the Main Salmon, thank you for floating with us this year.

How the Year Started

We opened the season in May on the North Umpqua with a grandfather and his two grandsons. Afterward, he wrote to us about guides Joe and Blake and said Joe was "joyful like a child in a toy store." That set the tone for the rest of the summer.

That same month, our guides spent a weekend getting Wilderness First Aid certified. It's not the fun part of the job, but when you're 40 miles from the nearest road, it matters.

In early June, Riggins kicked off the Salmon River season with Big Water Blowout: half-day trips on big spring water, a Dutch oven cookoff, and live music from Grateful: and Current Flow that night.



Hells Canyon

The biggest news of our year came in late June. We became one of only nine commercial outfitters permitted to run guided trips on the Snake River through Hells Canyon, the deepest river gorge in North America.

Our first trip went out in early July. Wild Sheep and Waterspout rapids were big, the bass and sturgeon fishing never let up, and fresh-caught bass tacos were the crowd favorite. We also started running a one-day Class IV trip that ends with a jet boat ride back upstream with our partners at Killgore Adventures.

For 2027 we're adding 5-day and 3-day rafting trips, the 1-day Class IV trip, a raft-supported hiking trip, and a smallmouth bass and sturgeon fishing trip in Hells Canyon.



A Few More Highlights

  • Main Salmon guests started their trips with a charter flight over the Frank Church Wilderness with Gem Air.
  • In early August, The Brothers Reed joined a 3-day Rogue lodge trip and played music at the lodges each night.
  • One of our writers spent three days on the Wild and Scenic Rogue with Billy, Grayson, Joe, and Mike. You can read about it in Meet the Family.

A Dry, Smoky Summer

A low snowpack across the West made for a dry year. By May, the Army Corps of Engineers said Lost Creek and Applegate reservoirs were already below 2021 levels, the last poor water year in the Rogue Basin.

The Rogue held up fine. Its summer flows come from releases out of Lost Creek Reservoir, so it stayed runnable all season. The Owyhee, which depends on snowmelt alone, had a very short spring window.

It was also Oregon's biggest fire year on record, with more than 2.5 million acres burned by late August. Most of that was in central and eastern Oregon, including the Big Grass Fire southeast of Jordan Valley, now the largest wildfire in state history. Closer to Grants Pass, the East Evans Creek Fire started July 10 and burned about 15,580 acres. The Fielder Mountain Fire started along I-5 near Rogue River on August 13 and led to evacuations in Jackson and Josephine counties. On the Rogue River Trail, earlier fire damage has closed the lower section starting at Clay Hill.

Thanks to everyone who dealt with smoke, heat, and last-minute changes with us this year.

Fishing With Briggs This Fall

Our rafting trips are done for the year, but the Rogue is still open for fishing. Briggs Rogue River Trips runs out of the same Merlin shop and has guided anglers on the Rogue since 1930. Fall is their busy season, and you might see a familiar face. Billy, who rowed a lot of you through Blossom Bar this summer, also guides fishing trips on the Rogue.

Wild and Scenic Rogue Fishing, 4 Days

Four days in a drift boat through the Wild and Scenic canyon, fishing for salmon and steelhead between Class III rapids. If the fish cooperate, lunch is fresh steelhead cooked on the river. A 3-day version is also available by phone.

Launch dates left in 2026:

  • Open: October 9, 12, 19, 24, 27, and 29
  • Call to check: October 4, 7, 14, 17, and 22

Single-Day Fishing

Briggs also runs full-day guided trips, about 8 hours, on the Rogue nearly year-round. Dates are open from mid-October through December. Gear, lunch, and coffee are included. Just bring an Oregon fishing license with a salmon and steelhead tag.

Book a Trip

For fishing, call Briggs at 1-541-238-5890 or visit briggsroguerivertrips.com.

For 2027 rafting, kayaking, and hiking trips, including our new Hells Canyon dates, call 1-800-635-2925 or visit orangetorpedo.com.

See you next season.



Sources

Top Posts From the Blog

Categories