If you don't find the answer to your questions
here please feel free to contact us or to call our office toll-free at 800-827-1358. We're available to assist you year-round.
Also, you may wish to read our Help
Me Choose a Trip page for advice on how to decide which river and
trip to choose.
Now
in our 30th year, we run
whitewater rafting trips on ten of
the best rivers Oregon and Idaho have to offer. Our safety record
is excellent. Our guides are
friendly, skilled professionals. We use only
the best, professional quality rafting equipment. And we offer an unsurpassed
variety of boats from which to choose: oar rafts, paddle rafts, inflatable
kayaks, and our unique, custom designed Row-Your-Own
oar rafts.
O.R.E.'s safety record is excellent. That's because your safety is our number
one priority. Running rivers, like other outdoor activities, involves an element
of risk. But we work hard to protect your safety and well being. Our guides are
trained in river safety and first aid skills. Each trip begins with a thorough
safety orientation. Coast Guard Approved life jackets are worn at all times
while on the river, and complete first aid and emergency kits are carried on
each trip.
No -- not unless you want them to be! On an O.R.E. river adventure you choose how active (or
inactive) you'd like to be. If you're looking for a vigorous, athletic vacation
you can find that on the river with O.R.E.. But lounging in the sun, letting the
guides do the rowing, and generally being as lazy as possible is an equally
viable option!
Almost anyone! No prior rafting experience is necessary, and
no prior camping experience is required for our multi-day trips. We welcome
children ages 7 and up, and adults of all ages. We recommend that our guests
know how to swim, but non-swimmers are free to join us on most trips (with the
exception of certain high water spring trips.) If you are quite large - well
over 300 pounds or with a chest size of more than 56" - we may be unable to
provide you with a life jacket (please contact our office for more information).
Prices range from $50 for a half-day trip on the Clackamas
river to $965 for a 5-day trip on the Salmon river.
Discounts are available for children, as well as for groups (typically: parties of 10 or more),
for selected early and late season trips, and occasionally for last-minute stand-by
bookings. For further trip price information visit our schedule
& prices page or contact our office.
We offer a wide variety of rivers and trip
formats from which to choose. Do you want a long trip or a short one? Mild
whitewater challenging rapids? Do you have a particular interest in fishing, or
perhaps bird-watching? To help decide which trip is best for you start by
reading the questions and answers on our help me
choose a trip page. If you need more assistance review our at-a-glance river
comparison chart, read more about each river and
trip, and check out our schedule and
price page. And you can always give our office a call. We'll be happy to help you find
the trip that's best for you (even if the best trip for you is a trip we don't run).
We use four different types of craft on our trips. Paddle
rafts (featured on one-day trips and selected multi-days) accommodate 6 or 7
guests plus an O.R.E. guide, but may be paddled by as few as 4 guests plus
guide. Our inflatable kayaks are one person craft. Most of our guided oar rafts
will accommodate 2 to 3 people, although we have several oar rafts that will accommodate
6. Our row-your-own rafts and catarafts are designed to accommodate 2 to 3 (one
person rows while the other one or two ride).
For more about O.R.E.'s fleet visit our boat
options page.
We offer river trips from April through September. There's no one best time,
because each season has something to offer. Spring bursts with wildflowers,
waterfalls, and the biggest waves of the year. Spring is also the only time
certain rivers can be run (the Owyhee, for example). Summer offers long, sunny
days, moonlit nights, and warm water. Most of our rivers offer good rapids
throughout the summer. Fall is best for warm days, cool nights, changing colors,
and solitude.
Your trip fare covers all expenses from the time we meet until the time we
say good-bye. We provide top quality professional rafting equipment, including
U.S. Coast Guard Approved lifejackets, waterproof river bags and boxes for your
personal gear, and transportation to and from the river from a designated
meeting place. We also provide outstanding, freshly prepared meals from lunch on
the first day through lunch on the last. Juice, coffee and tea are provided, and
complementary wine is provided with some dinners.
Descriptions of what to bring as well as complete checklists
can be found via the dropdown list on each river page. For example,
follow
this link for information about what to bring on a Clackamas one-day trip,
or follow this link for details
about what to bring for a Rogue River multi-day trip.
We'd be happy to provide you with a list of references, upon request.
Oregon River Experiences is a member of America Outdoors, American Rivers,
and the Pacific Rivers Council. We operate under special use permits in
partnership with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and in partnership with the
U.S. Forest Service on the Umatilla, Willamette, Klamath, Umpqua, Mount Hood, and Siskiyou
National Forests. O.R.E. is an equal opportunity service provider.
To reserve space simply give us a call -- we'll guide you
through the process. Or visit our Reservations
page, where you can read about our reservation, cancellation and refund policies
and then follow the available link to our on-line reservation system.
Certain trips sell out quickly. For instance, multi-day trips
that launch between mid-July and mid-August may fill as much as 9 to 12 months
in advance. Earlier and later multi-day trips tend not to fill as quickly.
Mid-summer weekend half and one day trips tend to fill quickly, but for the most
part booking day trips a month in advance is sufficient. When space remains
we also take bookings for one-day trips as late as the day prior to the
trip.
It is always best to make reservations as soon as possible.
But even during the height of the season some space may remain on certain trips,
so we encourage you to contact us about the trip of your choice.
