The Owyhee River flows through a land of striking beauty. Located in remote high desert country, this little-visited wilderness river may well provide the Northwest's most unique, pristine whitewater rafting trip. Recognizing the Owyhee's spectacular desert scenery and pristine wilderness qualities, in 1985 Congress designated the Owyhee a Federal Wild and Scenic River.
The Owyhee has been called Oregon's Grand Canyon, and with good reason. Multicolored spires, dramatic canyons and sculpted grottos await your discovery here: scenery, in fact, that is easily a match for the better-known canyons of the American southwest.
The scenery is superb. But the Owyhee has more to offer as well.
Imagine yourself soaking in natural hot springs while watching a desert sunset fade on dramatic canyon walls. Then imagine yourself hiking through a fairyland of colorful, eroded rock pinnacles and canyons then refilling your canteen with pure water at a lovely desert oasis. Imagine yourself running the Owyhee's lively rapids, including Whistling Bird, Squeeze, and Montgomery, then between rapids scanning the shore and sky for bighorn sheep, antelope, and the over 100 species of birds that make their home here, or stopping to view petroglyphs and puzzling at their meaning. Imagine all this and you'll begin to get a sense of why the Owyhee is the river O.R.E.'s guides feel most privileged to share with you.
The Owyhee can only be rafted in the Spring, when upstream snowmelt brings life to the canyon and creates challenging rapids. This is the most remote, secluded and pristine trip O.R.E. runs. Many guests come back again and again, and sooner or later they all want to run this one. This is a very special river: rare and wild, isolated and pure.
Join O.R.E. for a true wilderness adventure you will always remember.
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Trip Itinerary
First Morning: Meet at 7:30am Mountain Time (6:30am Pacific Time) at the Basque Station Motel in Jordan Valley, Oregon. The motel, one of only two in town, is on the main road and easy to find. Jordan Valley is 43 miles east of Burns Junction, approximately 425 miles southeast of Portland, Oregon, and 68 miles southwest of Boise, Idaho. (Please have your breakfast before meeting time, and arrive in your river clothes.) The Lead Guide will meet you in the motel parking lot. Look for a vehicle sporting the O.R.E. logo. After a brief orientation you will pack your things into our river bags, and park your vehicles next to the motel. You will then go by van to the launch site at Rome.
Once you arrive at the launch site, you’ll meet the rest of the guide crew, and they’ll conduct a short safety and orientation briefing, which will include instruction on paddle and rowing techniques as needed. You’re normally on your way downstream by mid-morning.
On the River: Each day is a bit different. A typical day on the river begins with freshly brewed coffee around 7:00am, and breakfast by 8:00am. After breakfast, pack your bags and load the boats. Then, after a brief orientation to the day’s adventures, head downstream.
You'll be on the river an average of four to five hours per day. Along the way you stop for a riverside picnic lunch. You may also stop to swim, to explore historic sites, to scout rapids, or to hike up scenic side canyons. Usually, arrival in camp is by mid to late afternoon, and while the guides prepare hors d’oeuvres and dinner, you’ll have time to hike, swim, fish, read, or nap.
Last Day: Over the course of five days, you'll journey 55 miles on the river. You run the last five to ten river miles on the last morning, then after lunch float ten miles across Lake Owyhee to the take-out at Leslie Gulch. (For the lake the boats are tied together, an outboard motor is attached to the gear boat, and then you can relax and watch the superlative scenery go by.)
Typically arrival at Leslie Gulch takes place between 4:00pm and 5:00pm. Once you’ve unpacked your gear and de-rigged the boats, board a van for the two-hour ride back to Jordan Valley. You will arrive back in Jordan Valley between 7:00pm and 8:00pm.
Notes
Trip Highlights The first day on the river begins with calm water and mild rapids, which are ideal for a warm up, especially for those behind the oars or paddling an inflatable kayak. After five miles in the open countryside, you enter the first of a series of scenic gorges. Highlights of the first day on the water include Upset rapid and Bull's-eye rapid. The following morning, stop at Weeping Wall Springs, a lovely desert oasis, to refill the water jugs with refreshing spring water. You'll run Artillery rapid, stop at a hot springs, and camp at or near Lambert Rocks.
Lambert Rocks (aka Chalk Basin) is a strikingly beautiful fairyland of colorful, eroded rock pinnacles and canyons. On the second afternoon or third morning you'll go through this scenic area, and, time and weather permitting, a hike to the top of a dome overlooking the river for a breathtaking panoramic view of the Owyhee's pristine wilderness will be offered.
The scenery just keeps getting better as you head downstream. Over the next two days you'll float through gorgeous Green Dragon Canyon where 1,000 foot walls dwarf your boat. You'll encounter the most challenging rapids: Whistling Bird, Squeeze, and Montgomery. Take a soak in the river's best hot springs. Stop to view petroglyphs in a lovely, wide-open valley, whose name of "Hole in the Ground" is far, far more scenic than the name suggests.
The last day on the water features more beautiful and varied scenery. The whitewater is mild, and this is a good time for those who've yet to experience rowing or paddling to give it a try.
Reservation Policy
Advance reservations are required. A $100 per person deposit reserves your spot.
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