Rogue River 4-Day Camp Trip

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.