FAQs

Yes. On the Rogue Row Your Own we now cook all three meals every day and handle the cleanup (new this season). On the Idaho Row Your Own trips we serve a light breakfast on Day 1 and then breakfast, lunch and dinner every day after.

Yes. Every guide holds a Wilderness First Aid certification, and there is at least one Wilderness First Responder on every trip.

Yes, as long as your dog is comfortable on a raft. Some of our guides bring their dogs and some do not, depending on who is on the trip.

You are welcome to, and fly fishing is welcome the whole way or not at all. If you would rather travel light, your guide has rigged gear ready for you.

Yes. Keep in mind it is a rafting trip with fishing, not a fishing trip with rafting. Bring your own gear, since we do not bring fishing gear on the rafting trips, and get an Oregon fishing license before you go. If fishing is the whole point, look at the Hells Canyon 4-Day Bass & Sturgeon Fishing Trip, which includes all spin tackle.

On Rogue lodge trips, if there is time, yes. Bring your pole and get your Oregon fishing license first. Fair warning, between getting to the lodge, showering and dinner there is not a huge amount of off time.

In Idaho, bring a rod, your own tackle and an Idaho license, which you can buy in Riggins or online. On the 2-Day, fishing is from the oar raft only. The Hells Canyon fishing trip includes all spin tackle.

Our fishing season runs August 15 to April 15. We get a lot of calls for summer fishing, but the run is not there until August, so we do not run day fishing trips in the summer. If you are here in summer, try one of our rafting trips instead.

Mule Creek Canyon is the guides' call. They have watched you paddle 21 named rapids on Day 1 and they know who is going to fall out where, so the strong paddlers go back in the kayaks and everyone else rides the paddle raft through. At Blossom Bar the kayaks always walk around the picket fence (it is a quick scramble) and get back in right below it to paddle the rest of the rapid. The paddle raft runs the whole thing.

Yes, with some limits. If you start in an inflatable kayak and decide quickly it is not for you, we will get you out of the kayak. If you start in a raft and want to kayak, we cannot always promise it. We pack gear and bring guides based on what everyone tells us they want to do, so there is not always room to add kayakers mid-trip. People are often happy to swap during the trip, but if you signed up to kayak, we want to make sure you can paddle the whole way.

No. Eight is the youngest on Nugget Falls, in any raft.

Absolutely. Novice anglers and non-anglers are welcome, and the canyon trip is a great fit for a mixed group.

Yes, please do. We pack beer or wine, 3 drinks per person per night, and you are welcome to bring more, whether that is cocktail fixings, wine, beer or soda. Your guide keeps an ice chest in the boat for the day, and the extras ride down on the raft so the cooler gets restocked every day and there is something waiting at the lodge.

The Lower Salmon 4-Day runs Riggins to Riggins. We can start or end in Lewiston, Idaho for an added cost, and on private trips the start and end points are adjustable.

Yes. In Idaho the water is warm (the later in the season, the better) and every camp has a swimming hole, plus jump rocks at French Creek on the 2-Day. On the Rogue there are swimming holes at the Rogue River Ranch and Paradise Lodge. On the North Umpqua you will swim whether you meant to or not.

Not always. The Owyhee has one of the shortest seasons of any commercially run river in Oregon, and some years it does not run at all because there is not enough water. About 4 to 6 weeks before the trip we start to get a good sense of the season. If we have to cancel for low water, give us a call and we will walk you through your options.

On lodge trips, no. Bedding and shower towels are supplied, and you get a hot shower and a real bed every night.

On our guided camp trips, bring your own sleeping bag, or rent a sleep kit from us with a sleeping bag and a pack pillow. We bring the tent and the pad, and on the Rogue the cot too. A small pack towel is a good idea.

On a Row Your Own you bring your own sleep kit and chairs. We bring the kitchen and the toilet.

No. At Black Bar the beach climb is a bit of a walk, so the guides run a fire line, pass the bags up to the little Suzuki and drive them to the lodge. Most people grab their one personal bag on the way up. At Paradise there is a gear tram that takes everything to the top, then a short walk up the trail.

No. There is a guide right there who will come get you no matter what, and you can hop into a raft any time. We would love for you to try the torpedo, but it is never required.

Not on a guided trip. Idaho trips are fully all-inclusive, with no tent setup, no camp teardown, guides have the tents up with pads inside before you walk into camp. On the Rogue camp trips the gear boater has camp set up ahead of you. On a Row Your Own the tent is yours.

Your life jacket stays on any time you are on the water, and the only exception is sunscreen time. Helmets are required in the kayaks and for the little ones, and optional in the oar rafts.

Your life jacket stays on any time you are on the water, and the only exception is sunscreen time. Helmets are required on Nugget Falls and for every guest on the North Umpqua.

No. The morning is all about learning to paddle your inflatable kayak. After lunch we switch to a paddle raft and run the bigger rapids together.

Yes. A firepan is required on every Main Salmon, Lower Salmon and Hells Canyon trip, whether or not you plan to have a fire. Ours rents for $25 a day with a storage bag and grill grates.

Yes. Bring a current Oregon fishing license with a salmon and steelhead tag, and buy it before your trip.

On our guided camp trips, just your sleeping bag, or rent a sleep kit from us. We bring the tent, the pad and everything else, and the tents are up before you get to camp.

On a Row Your Own, yes. On the Rogue, bring your boat (or rent one from Whitewater Cowboys), tent, sleeping bag, pad and chairs, and we bring the kitchen, the toilet and the permit. In Idaho, bring your boat setup, tent, pad, cot and chair, and we bring the kitchen and toilet, plus the permit on the Main Salmon. The Lower Salmon does not need one.

Most guided trips start with a safety talk and coaching on the water. You do not need to have rafted before on Class I–III. Class IV is still guided, but time on a river helps. If you start in an inflatable kayak and it is not for you, guides will move you into a raft. Moving from a raft into a kayak mid-trip is not always possible, because the boats and guide count are packed for what people reserved.

Yes and no. If you are rowing a boat, yes. You need at least Class III whitewater experience, and this is not a rowing school. If you are riding with someone who is rowing, no experience needed.

Yes for multi-day trips. Orange Torpedo and Briggs treat deposits as non-refundable and ask you to buy a Travel Guard policy when you book. The office can send a quote.

Always. Every raft is delivered fully rigged and inflated, never deflated for you to rig yourself, so you can load up and go.

No. Around Day 7 you pull up at our shop in Riggins, and we pick you up in our van to restock in town. Some groups take a hotel night in Riggins before heading back out.

No. When we reach Riggins, we swap the gear boats and most of the crew, and your trip leader stays with you. You stay on the river the whole way.

As time allows. Earlier season trips have more room for history stops and short hikes. Later in the season there is usually less time for them.

Yes, all spin tackle and sturgeon gear. We do not provide fly fishing gear, so bring your own if you want to fly fish. You are also welcome to bring your own spin gear if there is something you are comfortable with.

The answer is yes. Tell us at the pre-trip meeting or when you book. The lodges are very accommodating, our camp menus adjust for allergies and gluten-free, and on the North Umpqua we pack plant-based options and gluten-free chips and cookies.

The toilet system rents for $35 a day plus a $60 cleaning fee. Clean it out at a SCAT machine before you bring it back and we refund the $60. Use the Riggins HCNRA office for Main Salmon and Hells Canyon trips, or Asotin, WA for Lower Salmon and Lower Hells Canyon trips.

Book online, one vehicle at a time, and choose your launch date. If you do not get an email confirmation, it is not booked. Whitewater Cowboys moves the vehicle. Your own insurance applies, and they are not responsible for vandalism or theft while it is parked.

Before your trip, arrange a shuttle to move your car from the Indian Creek boat ramp to the Ti Bar boat ramp. Have them pick it up on launch day and deliver it on takeout day, so it is waiting for you at Ti Bar.

Wild and Scenic Rogue lodge trips are sold as double occupancy. A single room can be requested for an extra fee but is not guaranteed. If you find someone to take your spot, Briggs can refund you in full.

Book the boat first, then add the logistics. If you do not add a gear drop, you pick the raft or kayak up at the shop and bring it back. If you add a gear drop and pickup, Whitewater Cowboys stages the boats at the put-in and collects them at the take-out. That does not move people. Add either a vehicle shuttle or a seat on the shuttle bus back to your car.

Pickup and drop-off at our Riggins shop are free for both rafts and inflatable kayaks. If you want your boats delivered to a ramp, pick both your starting and ending ramps at checkout. Each fee covers 1 to 3 rafts on one reservation, and 4 or more rafts take two fees.

• Corn Creek, $849
• Carey Creek or Vinegar Creek, $119
• Spring Bar, $99
• Lucile, $59
• Hammer Creek, $119
• Pine Bar, $199
• Hells Canyon Dam, $399
• Heller Bar, $399
• Pittsburg Landing, $175
• Riggins shop, free

Camping trips use a river toilet at camp. You sleep in a tent. A sleep kit can be arranged if you ask when you book. Lodge trips sleep in riverside lodges. Food and camp gear go downriver with the group.

Riggins is 45 minutes from McCall, 2 hours from Lewiston and 3.5 hours from Boise. Most guests drive in for the day. All our Idaho meeting times are Mountain Time, so watch your phone, it can switch time zones on the drive.

It can be difficult at first, but the guides are there to help you, and they will make sure you are in the right position to succeed. Paddle hard. Paddling hard is going to be your best friend.

Raft rentals run 2 to 8 days. We do not do 1-day raft rentals. Inflatable kayaks rent by the day, usually picked up at 9:00 AM and back to the Riggins shop by 6:00 PM Mountain Time.

About 3 to 4 hours, depending on water flow. Morning trips meet at 8:30 AM MT and afternoon trips meet at 12:30 PM MT, at our shop at 1512 North Main Street in Riggins.

Figure on about six hours. We are usually on the water from around 10 AM to 4 PM with an hour out for lunch, plus side hikes and swimming stops along the way.

A lot. We are catching 70 to 100 smallmouth bass per boat per day, more smallmouth than you will catch anywhere else, and you have a real shot at a white sturgeon.

One or two regardless of group size, a gear boater and a lead boat. You follow our lines through the rapids, we stop and prep you for each one, and the gear boater is out ahead securing camp with dinner underway when you arrive.

We usually have one guide for every three guests, but it depends on the size of the group and the boats everyone picks.

We usually bring one guide for every three to four guests, depending on the mix of boats on the trip.

Less than you think. It is a fun-filled day packed with adventure on the water, and by the time we pull in, swim and get appetizers out, you have maybe an hour before dinner and dark. Bring a book or a small card game if you like, but you will not sit at camp for hours.

Orange Torpedo day trips: 30% if you book more than 30 days out, balance due 30 days before launch. Multi-day Orange Torpedo trips: 50% deposit, balance due 60 days before launch. Briggs multi-day fishing: 30% deposit, balance due 30 days before launch. Whitewater Cowboys rentals: 30% deposit, balance due the day the rental starts. Shuttles are paid in full when you book.

It depends on the river and the boat. Many of our family trips start at age 5, and our youngest guests ride in an oared raft with a guide. Class IV day trips, such as Rogue Nugget Falls, start at age 8. Each trip page shows its minimum age, and some trips have a higher minimum early in the season when flows are high. Youth pricing is 17 and under. Give us a call if you have questions before you book a date.

We will have at least a beer or a glass of wine for you every night, and oftentimes more. If you would like to bring your own, feel free.

On the Rogue lodge trips there is a beer on arrival at Black Bar, and Paradise Lodge has a paid bar. On the Rogue camp trips there is a drink with dinner. The Golden Hour float is the only day trip we serve alcohol on, with local Oregon beer and wine on the beach.

It can be cold, and it can also be hot. Even on a hot trip the water is cold, so if you plan to paddle an inflatable kayak we strongly recommend renting a dry suit. We supply wetsuits and they work fine on most trips, but a dry suit is far more comfortable. Immersion Research, Oregon River Gear and Pacific River Supply all rent them.

On Row Your Own trips, no. Rogue guests arrange their shuttle through Whitewater Cowboys; Idaho guests handle their own.

On guided Idaho trips we handle all the shuttle logistics. On the Rogue multi-day trips we shuttle you from the shop to the put-in, and you have the option of having your car shuttled to the Foster Bar takeout so you can leave straight from the river. Ask us.

Yes. You do not need any experience, because trained guides run every rapid. Be ready for a long day, though. It is one of the longest day trips we run, and you are not back at the ramp until around 6:00 PM Mountain Time. It is worth it to say you did it.

No. Do another trip first so you at least have an idea. The North Umpqua is probably the most difficult day trip we offer. It is cold, fast, shallow, rocky and technical, and you are almost guaranteed to fall out.

June and July trips can run as a 5-day, generally for private charters. Ask us when you book.

Yes. We need at least six guests for an Owyhee trip to run.

Yes. All the standard Hells Canyon stops are there, hikes, history sites and swimming. History stops are optional and up to the group, and your guides will let you know what is coming up each day.

Yes. This trip hits every big rapid on the Riggins stretch of the Salmon River, known as the whitewater capital of Idaho, with rapids like Time Zone and Trapps. Summer months bring warm water and big rapids, and kids as young as 5 can come along.

Bring a portable battery for it. Black Bar turns the generator off at 10 PM and it is not back on until 7 AM. A marine battery works great, a car battery works too. We put it in a dry bag and keep it dry.

On the Lower Salmon, no cash needed. On the Main Salmon, bring a little for ice cream and a beer at Buckskin Bill's.

Tips are appreciated but never required. At the end of the trip, give any tip to the head guide, who splits it evenly with the crew. Standard restaurant percentages are what we usually see, but please do not feel obligated.

Bugs are the number one question on the Rogue 2-Day, so pack mosquito repellent and long pants for camp. On the hiking trip bring moleskin and Tecnu and check for ticks. Camp trips carry poison oak soap.

Orange Torpedo is known for inflatable kayaks. You can also choose a paddle raft or an oared raft. Some day trips, including Nugget Falls, are paddle rafts only. Briggs fishing trips use traditional drift boats.

If you have your own gear, you are probably an experienced rower. On the pre-trip form you list the rivers you have run. If you have done the Deschutes, the John Day or the Lower Salmon and want to take the next step up to the Rogue, you qualify. We would not recommend the Rogue as your first time on the oars.

Hand them to your guide and they ride in a dry bag, or leave them at the shop if you met there. On the Golden Hour float the shop is locked by 8:30, so keep your keys or give them to your guide. On the North Umpqua they stay with the guide or in the van.

If you take something during the day, keep it out and hand it to your guide. It rides in the communal day bag on the big raft so nothing gets lost. Evening medications just go in your dry bag and you will have them at the lodge or at camp.

If you have an allergy that can cause anaphylaxis, bring at least one EpiPen and let your guide know before we launch.

You need an Oregon fishing license. It is best to have both an Oregon and an Idaho license, since the river is the state line.

Those are the only two reasons we would ever cancel, and we hate doing it. We do not run the North Umpqua below 650 cfs, and we need 6 people total to go. If the numbers are short we will try to move you to another date; otherwise we cancel and let you know.

Bring your own shotgun, ammo, a hunter orange vest and good hiking boots. We recommend snake gaiters. You need an Idaho hunting license, an Idaho fishing license and an Idaho salmon and steelhead tag. We only hunt on the Idaho side of the river, never the Oregon side.

Call or text us at 208-630-6668 as soon as you know. We will run the meet and greet checklist with you over the phone, drop your bags at your lodging, and tighten it all up in the morning.

Every trip carries a first-aid kit and a trauma kit, plus a guest self-care box with band-aids, lotion, aloe, sunscreen, menstrual products, Pepto, nail clippers and over-the-counter meds. We also carry poison oak soap. Every guide holds a Wilderness First Aid certification and there is at least one Wilderness First Responder on every trip.

Rain, thunder, and smoke do not cancel a trip while the river stays open. If an agency closes the river, payments can move to another trip or a future season. They are not refunded.

Guided day and half-day trips: cancel 72 hours or more ahead for a 50% refund. Inside 72 hours, the fee is forfeited. Multi-day Orange Torpedo and Briggs trips: deposits and payments are not refunded. You can often move to another date in the same season for a fee, or give your spot to someone else. Lodge dates cost more to change because the rooms are held in your name. Whitewater Cowboys single-day rentals: 7 or more days out, half the deposit can be refunded. Multi-day rentals: 21 or more days out, half the deposit can be refunded. Shuttle refunds depend on the section and how close you are to launch, minus a processing fee.

We take a 50 percent deposit when you book, and the rest is due 14 days before your launch date. Deposits and final payments are non-refundable, weather cancellations included, so plan ahead. You can change your dates at no cost if you let us know 14 days or more before the rental.

On the Lower Salmon 4-Day and the Hells Canyon 5-Day you board the jet boat after lunch at the confluence for about an hour and fifteen minutes up the Snake River to Pittsburg Landing, then it is about an hour and fifteen minutes by van back to Riggins. It is cool to see a different river from the downstream perspective going up, and a small taste of Hells Canyon on your way home.

Guided trips require a release or acknowledgement of risk before you launch. Shuttle customers sign a vehicle shuttle agreement. If you are unsure about swimming comfort, mobility, or a health condition, read the Eligibility and Safety page before you pay a deposit.

Bring layers you can get wet, shoes that stay on in the current, sunscreen, a hat, and a dry bag for your phone and wallet. We provide life jackets, helmets when the rapid calls for them, and paddles. Camping and lodge trips have a longer list on the What to Bring page.

Put the things you want during the day and do not want wet, like your phone, sunscreen and chapstick, in the day bag. It stays on the paddle raft so you are not digging through your lodge bag. Clip a carabiner on your water bottle so you can hook it into your kayak or raft, and wear a sun shirt.

You float through the rugged Salmon River canyon, right past the town of Riggins. Keep an eye on the canyon walls for wildlife.

Mountain Time. Every meeting time on our Idaho and Hells Canyon trips is Mountain Time.

Mountain goats, bighorn sheep, bald and golden eagles, osprey, chukar, black bear, deer and elk. Chukar are a partridge brought over as a game bird that took to the high desert, and they are what we hunt on the Cast & Blast.

Briggs fishes the Rogue for winter steelhead on the swing, and for salmon on gear or fly, from traditional drift boats. The weeks that fish well move with the run and the flows. Call 541-238-5890, or check the fishing trip page, for the dates that are actually booking.

Leave your car at your hotel in Riggins, since shop parking is limited and every hotel in town will let you leave it for the trip. On the Main Salmon we suggest Salmon Rapids Lodge.

For single-day trips, use the dirt lot across the street from the shop, or the front lot if there is space. For multi-day trips, park inside the lot. On the North Umpqua, the Gravel Bin is the easiest spot since it is also the takeout.

You book your own night, which is why we call it the independent overnight. On a budget, the river campgrounds at Horseshoe Bend, Boulder Flat or Susan Creek. In the middle, the Hilton in Roseburg or a motel in Glide. For a splurge, the Steamboat Inn, which is really hard to get. Our pick for most people is Umpqua's Last Resort, with glamping, RV and tent sites, and the owner always sends people our way.

Night one is usually Tyee or Doe Creek, night two is Missouri, Quail Creek or Rocky Top, and night three is Tacoma, Clay Hill or Tate Creek, depending on group size and who else is on the river. Our gear boater runs ahead and we know by noon which camp we have, so the head guide can set the pace and fit in a side hike. There will always be room for us.

Camp trips carry a toilet we call the Johnny, and we set it up with privacy, toilet paper and hand sanitizer, with a separate bucket for pee. Hand washing at the foot-pump station is mandatory, no exceptions. Lodge rooms all have their own bathroom with a flush toilet and shower.

At our shop on the river, where you met us in the morning. It is the halfway point of the day.

Orange Tours is three outfitters. Orange Torpedo Trips guides rafting and inflatable kayaking. Briggs Rogue River Trips guides drift-boat fishing. Whitewater Cowboys rents boats and shuttles vehicles. Want a guide in the boat? Start with Orange Torpedo or Briggs. Want to run your own trip? Start with Whitewater Cowboys.

On the Rogue lodge trips our guides shoot photos and video and email you the raw files about three days after the trip.

At Nugget Falls, Jeff Wishard Photography shoots the falls, and you can buy your shots directly from his site. A second photographer, Capturing Carnage, is sometimes set up at Powerhouse Falls.

No. There is no cell reception in the canyon and no internet at the lodges. Camp trips are phone-free. Plan on a few days without it.

Rafts hold a maximum of 8. A group of 8 gets its own raft; smaller groups will likely share. We cannot guarantee you will be alone in the raft with just your family.

On wilderness sections, usually no. Do not plan on cell service once you leave the put-in. Tell family your take-out day before you launch.

Your best odds are bighorn sheep, plus deer, elk, osprey and both bald and golden eagles. Black bears show up mostly in June. On the Main Salmon add mountain goats and a very small chance of a moose. There are no grizzlies on any of our trips, and birders go nuts out here.

On the Rogue, bears, often with cubs near Paradise, bald eagles, osprey, otter, mink, turtles, mergansers and deer. Bring binoculars if you have them.