Help me Choose a River and Trip
Which is the best
river? There really is no one best river or trip:
the best river is the on that best meets your needs. To help decide which trip is best for you, start by
reading the questions below and follow the links to the answers that follow. Then 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).
Other sources of information:
River
Comparison
Rivers and Trips
Frequently Asked Questions
There really is no one river that is best for white
water. But here are a few suggestions.
When it comes to one-day trips our most thrilling river is
usually the Clackamas. To find the biggest rapids in
spring on a one-day trip your best bet in most cases will be the
Clackamas (or occasionally the
Umpqua or
Santiam, at certain water levels). But
for the biggest waves in the middle
of the summer your best bet is usually the
Deschutes river. (This does not mean
the Deschutes has the most challenging mid-summer rapids. On the contrary: the
Clackamas is more challenging, as is the Umpqua. But the Deschutes usually provides the biggest mid-summer splash.)
For September and October day trips your best bets are the North Santiam and the
Deschutes.
For multi-day trips your best bet for big waves in the middle
of the summer is the Salmon River. However, rapids on the
Rogue River tend to be
more challenging (they just don't get you as wet). Probably our most exciting
multi-day white water experiences are provided during high water years by the first one or two
Owyhee and Salmon
trips of the season.
Want to know more? Here are a few additional details.
In most cases the rapids on a given river will get more
exciting as the water level rises. However, there are exceptions to this rule:
on a given river, a few rapids may actually be milder at higher water rather than more
exciting.
The international scale of river difficulty rates rapids
from one through six. Class one rapids are quite mild while Class six rapids are
very, very dangerous. Most of the challenging and enjoyable rapids you will
encounter on an O.R.E. trip will be rated two through four. (And by the way, the
scale tells you something about how difficult a rapid is, not necessarily
how much fun it will be. You may find that a few of the easier rapids end up
being more fun than the
tougher ones.)
Two rapids on two different rivers (or even on the same river)
may both be rated at the same level - say class 3 - but be quite different in character. For instance,
rapids on the North Umpqua river may present a challenging, rocky slalom course, while
rapids on the Lower Salmon of equal difficulty may instead feature large,
roller-coaster style waves.
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Each of our class III and IV river trips offer exhilarating
whitewater. For most individuals, families and groups, these trips provide all
the excitement they need. But we know that some of you are looking for a more
intense experience, a stronger rush of adrenaline. If you're looking for maximum
excitement, read on.
There are three steps you can take in search of whitewater
thrills: choose your river, choose your water level, and choose your river craft.
Choose
your river.
Select a river that offers at
least some class IV whitewater. (For extreme thrills choose a class V trip. We don't offer this sort of trip, but we can direct
you to outfitters who do.)
Choose
your water level. For the most part this means choose a springtime trip. The level of whitewater excitement
varies on every river as each river's water level changes. On some rivers the
whitewater changes in subtle ways, but on
other rivers the change is striking.
For long
trips, consider a high water
Owyhee or high water
Lower
Salmon trip. The Salmon's flow is typically high - but not too high to raft
- during the first week or two of July. Owyhee peak flows can be difficult to
predict, but generally occur in late April or early May.
For short
trips consider a high water
Clackamas half day or 1 day or a
North Umpqua
1 or 2 day trip. Clackamas flows are generally at their highest from mid-April
through mid-May. North Umpqua flows are at their highest during the winter
months, but for optimal high water Umpqua flows during the boating season we recommend a
trip during April or May.
Choose
your river craft.
Paddle rafts and
guided
oar rafts are popular options, and are available on most of our trips. But
for maximum involvement and excitement, take charge of your own boat! At ORE we offer two hands-on options:
one-person
inflatable kayaks and 2-3
person
"row-your-own" rafts and catarafts.
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I want to bring my children out for their
first raft trip, and I want the whitewater to be as mild as possible. Which trip
should I choose?
With the exception of a few high water trips, all of our trips
are suitable for children. However, if you are looking for the mildest possible
whitewater your best bets are the
McKenzie
River for a one-day trip, or the
Grande Ronde or
John Day rivers for a multi-day trip.
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I'm in Portland, and I want to get away for a
quick river trip. What's my best bet?
That's an easy one: hit the
Clackamas. It's our favorite one
1/2 and 1 day trip, and it features Portland's closest whitewater. After Labor
Day choose the North Santiam, or possibly the
Deschutes.
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It has been cloudy for days, and I want to
get away from Portland for a quick one day raft trip in the sun. Where should I
go?
While there's never any guarantee when it comes to the
weather, your best bet for a sunny one-day trip under these conditions may be the
Deschutes. In the
spring, there are days when it is cloudy in the Willamette Valley but sunny on
the east side of the Cascades, where the Deschutes flows.
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I love the beauty of pristine desert canyons.
Which river trip should I choose?
Your first choice should be the
Owyhee. The beauty of the
the Owyhee is spectacular!
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My idea of ideal river scenery is green water
and a lush, thickly forested canyon. Which river trip should I choose?
For a 1/2, 1 or 2 day trip choose any of our rivers except the
Deschutes (which features desert scenery). For a 3 day trip choose the
Grande Ronde or the
Rogue. For a 4 or 5 day trip choose the Rogue.
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Which river has the best
beaches? Which river
is best for swimming?
The Salmon River wins in this category, although the
Rogue's
warm water is also great for swimming. The best one-day trip for swimming is
probably the Deschutes (although the water there is cooler than what you'll find on the
Salmon or the Rogue).
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