Rivers
Six rivers. Twenty-seven adventures. Endless options for a wild and scenic summer.
DISNEYLAND
Deschutes
FORGET SPACE MOUNTAIN; the Deschutes River boasts 252 miles of endorphin-inducing adventure (and no mildly disturbing man-size mice). With a litany of paddling, fishing, and hiking options, the river—one of the most rafted in Oregon—is about as close as you can come to an outdoor amusement park without actually paying for admission. Its quality white water and reliably hot desert temperatures mean that the river teems with rafts all summer long, while its legendary spring salmonfly hatch draws fishermen from across the country. And it’s little wonder why: rising just east of the Three Sisters Wilderness, the river rumbles over ponderosa-studded flats toward Sunriver, then weaves through islands and ramparts of hard black rock from six-thousand-year-old lava flows. Only the most skilled boaters attempt to plumb the falls created by these natural dams, but between the cataracts are placid sections lined by luxurious meadows—the result of silt dropped into the slow water above the falls. The real ride, though, comes just below Warm Springs, where for fifty-three miles, the free-flowing river carves its way toward the Columbia River through a rugged, nine-hundred-foot-deep desert canyon full of sagebrush, plentiful beaches, and rollicking white water. Now that’s our idea of a magic kingdom.
HIKE/BIKE An easy introduction to mountain biking in Central Oregon, the Deschutes River Trail traces the river’s west bank for fifteen miles—from downtown Bend, through a lunar landscape of jagged lava flows, and finally to Sunriver. You’ll share the trail with hikers, but the only real traffic jam comes at Benham Falls, where the half-mile-long stair-step cascade will remind you of how the Deschutes (French for “of falls”) got its name. If you don’t have your own ride, Hutch’s Bicycles in Bend rents mountain bikes for the day (hutchsbicycles.com; $30). Way, way downstream, the Lower Deschutes River Trail—an abandoned railroad grade converted into a moderate fat-tire route (see “Railroad Wars”)—follows the river for eighteen miles, from the Deschutes River State Scenic Area (oregonstateparks.org) to the flat water behind the Dalles Dam, where it quietly merges with the Columbia.
PADDLE Sun Country Raft Tours’ Raft and Brew trip (suncountrytours.com; $57) tackles the short but splashy Big Eddy section, where much of the 1980s frat-house comedy Up the Creek was filmed. Once the rush of the Class III white water wears off, you’ll experience a different kind of buzz from a tour of Cascade Lakes Brewing Company’s beer-making facility, which ends with a sampling of six different brews. Sun Country also runs daylong tours ($106) on the very popular Maupin segment downstream of Bend, a thirteen-mile run rife with Class II and III rapids, like the stomach-dropping Surf City and Oak Springs, where the frothy water regularly soaks river riders. Those in the mood for more solitude and a little desert stargazing might opt for Ouzel Outfitters’ three-day trip on the roadless Wild and Scenic section of the Deschutes, upstream between Warm Springs and Sherars Falls (oregonrafting.com; $535).
FISH To beat the crowds during the fall steelhead run, some enterprising fishermen traverse the Lower Deschutes River Trail on bicycles to head off the big fish as they wiggle upstream from the ocean to spawn. If you’re not completely comfortable in your waders yet, try a guided day trip with Deschutes Angler, which specializes in instruction in the two-handed Spey casting technique for steelhead (deschutesangler.com; $560). Or for a more luxurious experience, book the fully catered, three-day-long float trip on the twenty-five-mile section of the river below Sherars Falls ($2,745 for one or two people).
Published: July 2009
Morrison’s Rogue River lodge was an EXCELLENT place to stay on the Rogue (outside Grant’s Pass). The lodge itself has out-of-this-world food and quaint accomodations. I would highly recommend the raft trips Morrison’s offers, great guides and a 3-day trip I would do again in a heartbeat.
Morrison’s Rogue River lodge was an EXCELLENT place to stay on the Rogue (outside Grant’s Pass). The lodge itself has out-of-this-world food and quaint accomodations. I would highly recommend the raft trips Morrison’s offers, great guides and a 3-day trip I would do again in a heartbeat.
Morrison’s Rogue River lodge was an EXCELLENT place to stay on the Rogue (outside Grant’s Pass). The lodge itself has out-of-this-world food and quaint accomodations. I would highly recommend the raft trips Morrison’s offers, great guides and a 3-day trip I would do again in a heartbeat.
Morrison’s Rogue River lodge was an EXCELLENT place to stay on the Rogue (outside Grant’s Pass). The lodge itself has out-of-this-world food and quaint accomodations. I would highly recommend the raft trips Morrison’s offers, great guides and a 3-day trip I would do again in a heartbeat.
Enticing article, but sorely lacking in locations. To an Oregon newbie, the “maps” that accompanied the article were graphic and cute… and useless. Where, for example, is the Tamolitch Pool? Clear Lake? etc. Nice photography, though.
Enticing article, but sorely lacking in locations. To an Oregon newbie, the “maps” that accompanied the article were graphic and cute… and useless. Where, for example, is the Tamolitch Pool? Clear Lake? etc. Nice photography, though.
@Barry – Tamolitch Falls, Koosah & Sahalie Falls and Clear Lake are all in a line along Rt. 126 East of McKenzie Bridge, OR. Check out the second comment from this photo (http://www.flickr.com/photos/srlarsen/3005249676/in/set-72157608669242524/ ) for some basic directions to Tamolitch Falls or save yourself a lot of trouble and just pick up a copy of William Sullivan’s “100 Hikes in the Central Oregon Cascades,” the Bible of Oregon’s backwoods.
@Barry – Tamolitch Falls, Koosah & Sahalie Falls and Clear Lake are all in a line along Rt. 126 East of McKenzie Bridge, OR. Check out the second comment from this photo (http://www.flickr.com/photos/srlarsen/3005249676/in/set-72157608669242524/ ) for some basic directions to Tamolitch Falls or save yourself a lot of trouble and just pick up a copy of William Sullivan’s “100 Hikes in the Central Oregon Cascades,” the Bible of Oregon’s backwoods.
@Barry – Tamolitch Falls, Koosah & Sahalie Falls and Clear Lake are all in a line along Rt. 126 East of McKenzie Bridge, OR. Check out the second comment from this photo (http://www.flickr.com/photos/srlarsen/3005249676/in/set-72157608669242524/ ) for some basic directions to Tamolitch Falls or save yourself a lot of trouble and just pick up a copy of William Sullivan’s “100 Hikes in the Central Oregon Cascades,” the Bible of Oregon’s backwoods.
That photo is not the metolius river.
The photo that illustrates the Metolius River page was in no way taken on the Metolius. Are these articals just pasted up in the backroom using internet material?
“as they wiggle upstream toward the ocean to spawn” is one major biology error. Just to clarify fish swim upstream, meaning up a river, into tributaries and creeks to spawn. Upstream means toward the headwaters of the river.
Just wanted to share that Cog Wild Mountain Bike Tours, based in Bend, Oregon also offers multi-day tours on the North Umpqua Trail. Our tours are 3 days and include more time in the saddle for half the price. Check out details on our website for the North Umpqua Weekend Adventure at: www.cogwild.com.
:)
The best section of the Deschutes is the section around Maupin. It has the best rapids, Boxcar, Wapinitia and Oak Springs. You will get a better trip for a better price if you use on of the local companies. I have always liked using All Star Rafting http://asrk.com
I just moved to Oregon and can’t wait to explore my new home. My husband and I love to go river rafting, those look like some great locations! Do you have any recommendations for an Oregon river rafting company we can get some equipment from? A friend suggested I go to http://www.highdesertriver.com/, so I will have to see what their rates are. Thanks!