We love hearing about your river trip! Thanks for taking time to send us your thoughts.

“Thank you all for making memories with our 3 generations. Sharing my childhood experiences with my children can only bring us closer. We appreciate all the extra care you took with us.”

“It was the best trip ever, just like the ones we used to do on the Rogue ourselves, but with wonderful guides doing the work while we relaxed and enjoyed the scenery”

“I would do this again anytime with your company”

“Vacation? This trip blew that word out of the waters. Everything was absolutely astounding.”

“We couldn’t have asked for a better time. You made this trip extremely special and we hope to return soon!”

“Ian also did a great job coordinating the trip and made us feel welcome right away! All the staff we interacted with had agreat sense of humor too! Thanks for an unforgettable experience ”

“At the last hour of the last day I got to try to man the paddle boat for a bit. I couldn’t believe how much work it was. Then I couldn’t believe our guides were also making camp, cooking and cleaning for us after all that paddling. I think next time I would like to participate more in the breakdown/packup process or cooking or something. Maybe some assigned duties. Not sure. It was an amazing trip. Food was over the top.”

“One of the most enjoyable family trips we’ve ever had. Perfect if your looking for a relaxing yet also intense experience with outstanding guides, scenery, and especially food.”

“Great family trip in a beautiful part of the country. Will definitely do again!”

“Have you ever had a vacation that you wouldn’t change a thing? I did last week! The guides – fantastic/competent/interested/interesting/fun! The food – totally fabulous!! The weather and scenery – perfect. Our group – easy going/completly compatible/lots of laughs! Thanks for an amazing four days on the Rogue River!!”

Whew…in a blur of rafts and whitewater and kayaks and waves, Northwest Rafting Company’s second summer is flying by!!!

Sun drenched days, exhilarating whitewater and starry nights characterize Rogue River trips with Northwest. However, it is our food that really makes them special! With the natural beauty of the Rogue as a backdrop, the bounty of the northwest is easily showcased on our trips. Locally roasted coffee, local produce and organic products combine to make dining on a Northwest trip a special experience. Guide J.R.’s river-rolled sushi is rapidly becoming a favorite.

In the meantime, the Sundance Kayak School instructors are doing their best to build appetites to match that food! We have completed two intermediate schools. The intermediates range anywhere from newer kayakers on their first multi-day trip to paddlers returning to the sport after years of being away. The playful class 3 pool-drop rapids of the Rogue are perfect for starting to surf, practicing your roll or just getting a ‘good morning’ wake up splash!!

The Class I and II rapids coupled with the summer warmed water of the Rogue is perfect for learning the basic kayaking moves. Our three day private courses culminated with a run downstream that included a Class 2+ rapid!!

There is plenty of time left in the summer – with lots more trips planned. As our gardens mature, we will have more and more fresh local produce on the trips.

Kayakers are starting to show up for a second time around the Rogue – nothing like practice to make a sport more fun! The ducklings are getting their adult plumage and the bear cubs are losing their baby fur. Nope, there isn’t a better place to spend the long hot days of August than on the Rogue!!

This last week we joined an exploratory trip down Idaho’s South Fork of the Salmon River. This is a little known tributary to the Salmon River near the more famous Middle Fork of the Salmon River in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness. The South Fork is rarely run since it has difficult Class IV and V rapids that can only be run in a narrow range of flows for a few weeks each year.

We started our trip on the Secesh River, which is an upper tributary of the South Fork of the Salmon. We rafted 6 miles of continuous Class III and IV rapids with wonderful Alpine Scenery before meeting the South Fork.

At the confluence with the South Fork we joined a few other boaters and loaded up our overnight gear before an evening float to our first night camp. It was amazingly beautiful floating down the deep, rocky canyon in the early evening.

The next day brought many, many Class IV rapids in quick succession as well as the Class V rapids Devil Creek and Elk Creek. It was an exciting whitewater day that ended at a beautiful camp site just past Elk Creek.

Our third day had many, many more rapids punctuated with a few stops along the way. Our first stop was to check out a steam boiler and incinerator that were built and reportedly never used.

We also made a stop to check out some pictographs including one that someone in the group referred to as the “Circle of Life” which seemed very fitting.

The crux of the trip was Fall Creek Rapid, which was a long Class V rapid that started by dodging some HUGE holes and making our way over several difficult drops before the final plunge down the final big drop among giant boulders.

For our final night we camped just above the confluence with the Main Salmon and we celebrated our successful runs through Fall Creek and the countless other rapids. We woke up on our fourth day and enjoyed the final 20 miles of the Main Salmon River between Mackay Bar and Vinegar Creek.

For more photos, please check out our Flickr Set titled South Fork of the Salmon.

Date: July 29 – 31, 2010
Price: $695/person

If you love savoring great beer in a beautiful setting we have a trip this summer that will quench your thirst!

Journey down Oregon’s Rogue River for 3 days on a rafting trip with craft beers provided by Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. You’ll experience the thrill of the Rogue’s famous whitewater, as you bask in the summer sun and spend evenings at scenic campsites along the river. Many rafters return each year for a trip down the Rogue and rave about the plentiful wildlife, gorgeous natural environment and warm water for swimming. The lush scenery of Southern Oregon is the perfect setting to kick back at the end of a great day on the river and savor delicious microbrews.

Your trip will be led by the experienced Northwest Rafting Co. crew that will guide you through the Rogue’s sampling of Class II – III rapids (one IV as well that you can walk around) as well as handle the camp set-up, prepare delicious meals and offer great company to you, your friends and your family. You can choose to kick back in the oar boat each day or challenge yourself by paddling and inflatable kayak. Representatives from Sierra Nevada will accompany the trip and each evening at your scenic riverside campsite, they’ll lead discussions about their beer making processes and offer tastings of their latest libations.

We’re thrilled to report that our Whitewater Rowing School on the Rogue River was a great success. To head up the school, we recruited Colleen McNally-Murphy, a second generation guide, who did her first river trip at age 6. Colleen put these rookie rowers through the ringer, on the highest water level that the Rogue has seen for 3 years. Temps were cool and rain was plentiful, which gave students a great introduction to early-season trips. They made new friends, saw lots of wildlife and everyone’s rowing improved significantly. Hopefully, these apprentices will be practicing what they learned all summer and beginning long, illustrious careers as professional river guides.

We were so amped by the enthusiasm of these fledgling rowers, that we’ve gone ahead and scheduled next season’s Rowing School!  Clear your schedule for June 1-6, 2011 and spend those days learning to row on the Rogue. We’ll spend a warm-up day on the Rogue’s recreation section and then head into the beautiful Wild & Scenic section for a 5-day splash course through the Rogue’s best rapids. Our professional guides will share their knowledge of whitewater rowing, camp cooking and working in the wilderness. We hope to see you there!

Our most popular summer trip is Southern Oregon’s Rogue River, a 4 day trip through a forested canyon that cuts through the Siskiyou Mountains. This is the perfect trip for families and first time rafters. Our trips are four days and feature our fun-loving river guides who are all licensed by the state of Oregon and first aid certified. We specialize in locally grown and organic foods that are both healthy and delicious.

Most trips are $865/adults and $765/youth which includes the all food, camping gear, and transportation to and from our meeting place in Galice. Please call us at (541) 450-9855 to make a reservation!

Our guides took part in the 27th annual Upper Clackamas Whitewater Festival this past weekend. We had a great time and placed in the following events:

• 1st Place in the Inflatable Kayak Slalom
• 1st Place in the Oar Boat Slalom
• 1st Place in the Cataraft Slalom
• 3rd Place in the Paddle Boat Down River Race
• 4th Place overall in the USRA National Cup series of paddle boat races

This was a great ending to a week of preseason guide training and we’re now getting ready for our first trips of the summer on the Rogue River.

The Crooked River is famous among Oregon rafters and kayakers because it arguably has the best whitewater in the state and is nestled in a dramatic desert canyon. Due to upstream dams and agricultural diversions, it only has enough water to raft or kayak down it once every few years. This last weekend was one of those special opportunities, so we made sure we were there.

It takes a solid team of boaters to run the Crooked due to it’s solid whitewater and difficult logistics. Val Shaull, a legend in the rafting community, put together a solid team to make the descent. We started by carrying our boats and equipment 1/4 mile from the road down to the river. The river started off with 2 miles of continuous Class IV before it eased up while we floated serenely through Smith Rocks State Park. After Smith Rocks, we paddled many solid Class IV+ rapids including #1, #2, No Name and China Dam. There were countless wonderful rapids the whole way which diverted out attention from the spectacular scenery all around.

We took out just below China dam (which is now a huge rapid that we had to run) and carried our rafts and gear 3/4 up out of the canyon. It took the team 3 hours and everyone made multiple trips with heavy loads.

We’ve been training all winter to compete in the 27th annual Upper Clackamas White Water Festival. This is a great event near Portland, Oregon with raft, kayak, cataraft, and driftboat races. If you’re in the area, please come cheer us on!

Choose the Rogue River for your next rafting trip and discover why many people find themselves returning here year after year. It is simply one of the best rivers in the West for a multi-day trip. Here’s why:

• The lush, green canyon the Rogue winds through is symbolic of the Pacific Northwest, but it rarely rains during the summer and temperatures are in the 80s-90s during the day, making it great for camping.
• The water is warm enough for swimming, the rapids are exciting, and the wildlife is plentiful.
• Great hiking opportunities and beautiful scenery make it a favorite for nature lovers.
• The 4-day length of the trip is perfect for families seeking an outdoor vacation that is adventurous, with plenty of time to relax in camp each evening.
• The location in Southern Oregon makes it accessible to visitors from Seattle, Portland and San Francisco, but the federal protection of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act have kept it free of development, offering a true wilderness experience that isn’t hard to get to.

If you are looking for a river that will deliver everything that makes a rafting trip great, choose the Rogue and you will not be disappointed!

Click here to reserve your trip for this summer >>

P.S. Don’t just take our word on the Rogue being such a great choice. Check out the Rogue River’s Facebook page and read what 7,000+ fans have to say about this river!