Grande Ronde River: Logistics & Details
Northeast Oregon
3 or 5 days
May - July
Class II+ |
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You'll find information here on the following topics:
| How to Sign Up |
What's included |
| Where and When to Meet |
Getting To and From the River |
| What to Bring |
Pre and Post Trip Lodging |
| Camping |
Fishing |
| River Shuttles |
Nearby Attractions |
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How to sign up
Call us (at 503-632-6836,
or toll-free at 1-800-827-1358), or use our
web-based reservation system.
Trip includes:
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The services of our
professional guide staff.
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Transportation to our take out near Troy back to Minam
at journey's end on 3 day trips, and shuttle service for your car so
that it awaits you at Heller Bar on 5 day trips.
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All meals, from lunch on the first day
through lunch on the last. Our menu is delicious, varied, and hearty. Meals are
freshly prepared by our guides from the highest quality ingredients. Juice and
water are available at each meal. Coffee, tea, and cocoa are available at dinner
and breakfast, and complementary wine is served with some dinners. Special
dietary needs may be accommodated with advance notice. We also provide
cups, plates, and silverware.
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Durable, professional quality rafts and river
running equipment, including U.S. Coast Guard Approved lifejackets.
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Waterproof river bags and boxes for your
personal gear.
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Camp chairs.
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Where and when to meet
We will meet at 9:00 AM
on the day your trip begins, on the riverbank adjacent to the Minam Store in
Minam, Oregon. Minam is approximately 35 miles northeast of La Grande, and
roughly 280 miles east of Portland.
Getting to and from the river
To get to Minam, take
Interstate 84 to La Grande, and exit onto Oregon Highway 82. Follow Highway 82
to Minam. At the sign pointing to Minam State Park, you will see the Minam Store
on the left, next to the Wallowa River. The closest commercial airport is
Pendleton, Oregon (85 miles from Minam). It is serviced by Alaska Airlines. Plan
your flight to arrive the day before your river trip begins.
No public transportation is available from Pendleton to Minam,
but rental cars are available.
What to bring
When you sign up
for your river adventure we will send you a complete list of what to bring. This
list is also
available online. In
general you'll need to bring only your own clothing and toiletries, plus a tent,
sleeping bag and sleeping pad. If you do not own or do not wish to transport
these last three items we have them available for rent. Follow the link above to
our checklist page for more information on rental gear, or call our office at
1-800-827-1358.
Pre and post trip lodging and camping
La Grande, the nearest sizable town, offers numerous hotels. The Best Western Motor Inn (541-963-4498) and Super 8
Motel (541-963-2925) are two options.
Camping is available at Minam State Park, just a few minutes
drive from the Minam Store.
For post-trip lodging on 5 day trips we recommend the Red Lion Hotel in Lewiston. For reservations phone
800-232-6730. They offer a
discount to our customers, so be sure to tell them you're taking a river trip
with Oregon River Experiences. For a lower price (but fewer amenities) we
recommend Inn America (across the street from the Red Lion). Again, in order to
receive the best rate tell them you are taking a river trip with O.R.E.. For
camping, try Hells Gate State Park, just south of Lewiston.
Camping while on the river
We select meadows and forest glens for our camp sites. Our
guides establish a central kitchen and social area, and trip members select
spots in the surrounding area to pitch a tent or roll out a sleeping bag.
The guides will set up a portable toilet at each camp, which
will be located with privacy and convenience in mind.
O.R.E. practices minimum impact camping, and the crew will
instruct you on the simple steps we follow to protect the river.
Fishing
Fishing on the Grande Ronde is often good for steelhead in the
spring, and trout in the summer. If you would like to fish you’ll need an
Oregon fishing license, which may be purchased at Oregon sporting goods
stores.
Pre and post trip
river shuttles
3 day trips: Your trip fare includes
transportation from our take-out point back to Minam at trip’s end. However,
if you would rather have your car at takeout, shuttle service for your vehicle
can be arranged through the Minam Store when you arrive for your river trip. We
have used them for many years, and have found them to be very helpful and
dependable. Their charge to drive a vehicle from Minam to takeout is
approximately $50.
5 day trips: Your trip fare includes a car shuttle. Our
shuttle service will transport your car from Minam to Heller Bar, so that your
car awaits you at trip's end. For your convenience please bring two sets of car
keys to the river with you if possible.
Nearby attractions
While in the area you may want to visit the beautiful Wallowa
Mountains. Some of the Wallowa's many attractions are the Eagle Cap Wilderness,
the towns of Enterprise and Joseph, and Wallowa Lake. For more information
contact the Wallowa County Chamber of Commerce at P.O. Box 427, Enterprise, OR
97828, (541) 426-4622. Also nearby is Hells Canyon National Recreation Area. For
more information contact HCNRA at P.O. Box 699, Clarkston, WA 99403, (509)
758-1957.
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