Rogue River

Wilderness rafting, fishing and lodge-to-lodge raft trips are just some of the activities America Outdoors outfitters offer on the Rogue Wild and Scenic River.

The Rogue River, surrounded by forested mountains and rugged boulder and rock-lined banks, is located in southwestern Oregon and flows 215 miles from Crater Lake to the Pacific Ocean. The 84 mile, Congressionally designated "National Wild and Scenic" portion of the Rogue begins 7 miles west of Grants Pass and ends 11 miles east of Gold Beach.

Steelhead and salmon fishery, challenging whitewater, and extraordinary wildlife viewing opportunities have made the Rogue a national treasure. Black bear, river otter, black-tail deer, bald eagles, osprey, Chinook salmon, great blue heron, water ouzel, and Canada geese are common wildlife seen along the Rogue River.

• SECTIONS:
• Upper Rogue
• From the Crater Lake National Park boundary downstream to Prospect, the Upper Rogue is paralleled by a major highway and tourist route from the park. Its diverse landscape includes pumice flats, deep gorges and chutes, and unique ecological systems.
• The Upper Rogue is fed by snow melt and springs originating on the peaks of the Cascade Range, including the slopes of Mt. Mazama -- the volcanic caldera that contains Crater Lake. Along the uppermost portion of the Upper Rogue, the river is narrow and shallow but very swift. Numerous moss-draped snags of lodgepole pines and other trees that have fallen across the river slow its pace only a little. The river has, for a two-mile stretch, carved more than 200' down into the Mazama pumice (which was deposited about 8,000 years ago during the explosion that created Crater Lake). This sheer, white-walled canyon, with the whitewater river glinting in the sunlight far below, is a favorite sight for travelers along Highway 230.
•  Downstream, the Upper Rogue passes through the narrow, turbulent Rogue Gorge of black lava --- and soon plunges entirely underground (into a lava tube) for about 250 feet at Natural Bridge. Interpretive trails at both of these places provide good views of the river, with signs that explain the natural history. Fed by tributaries such as Union Creek and Flat Creek, the river subsequently flows through rugged Takelma Gorge, well out of sight of any road. The Upper Rogue features several waterfalls, although the more spectacular falls are located on tributaries National Creek and Muir Creek.
• Lower Rogue

• The Wild Section of the (lower) Rogue River is one of the most popular whitewater runs in the world with class II to IV rapids. Its popularity is heightened by a steady water level due to dams upstream, hot, sunny summer weather, and exciting whitewater rapids through lush forests and steep canyons. The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest manages the Wild Section of the Rogue, 35 miles of whitewater racing through the Wild Rogue Wilderness.