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How to Paddle the Rogue River in Oregon

Glenn MacGrady

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This article talks in terms of rafters and kayakers, but that's just because of recency bias. I'm posting this for anyone who wants to understand the river, the camping and the permitting situation in some detail. I ran the Rogue tandem in my Mad River Explorer in 1981 or 1982 and didn't need a permit. Perhaps we paddled above or below the more difficult Wild and Scenic section that requires permits for part of the year. It was a gorgeous class 2 run with one class 3 rapid.

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"I have rafted the Rogue River in Oregon 16 times and seen a bear on at least half of those trips. Sometimes twice on the same trip. Wildlife encounters are a significant part of the allure. Salmon are often jumping. There are cuddling pairs of otters, great blue herons, bald eagles, and newts. And keep an eye out for the elusive madrone monkey."

"The mystique of the Rogue goes beyond wildlife encounters. There is world-class fishing, amazing side hikes, a history of murder and mayhem, and of course, outstanding whitewater. All of the above is what lures [paddlers] and anglers to try their luck for a permit on the Rogue, and experience this pinnacle river trip."

"Meanwhile, lazy private boaters, like me, only want to [run] the Rogue outside of permit season so they don’t have to go through the hassle of applying for a permit."

 
Oregon has great rivers and the Rogue is one of the best. Finding wildlife, and salmon and steelhead are pretty easy.
I will be running an unnamed river in a drift boat this May or June. The snowpack is favorable this year so we may have flows around 8-10,000 cfs instead of the usual 4-5,000. Seeing wildlife is one of the main attractions.
 
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