The Rouge River

When someone invites you to raft the Rouge River with them, the answer is always yes. Especially when they have the majority of the gear, (like the raft) and have extra permits for you to tag along! In a few hours we modified our holiday plans from camping at Deception Pass to explore 34 miles of the Rouge River with our first semi-solo 3 night, 4 day rafting trip. Ted rowed the Rouge River back in May apart of his OARS rafting class, but this would be the first time he would be running his own raft and the first time I would be rafting and camping overnight on a river! We had a great time and had a lot of fun trying out our new GoPro toy to capture the adventure!

We put in at Graves Creek and we (ok... really Ted) had 2 hours of river navigation until we reached our first camp for day one. For a real in-depth explanation, photos and mileage log of our Graves Creek to Foster Bar run click HERE and jump down to the River Features section. Otherwise, buckle up and hold on tight.

Our first challenge of the day was the Fish Ladder, an alternative, but man made route

around Rainie Falls a difficult class four rapid. Why man made? For the fish of course, but that means it's narrow, shallow and has lots of nooks for fish to rest as they make there way up stream.

Our second day we covered a lot of miles but it was all very fast as the second day section contains 24 class two or above rapids including the class IV Black Bar. Black Bar is a short but fast moving section of the water that wants to push you and your raft in to a wall and pin you there until you flip over. We took our time scouting the rapid and picked a path over a yet to be exposed rock. This rock gave us a nice entry point and allowed Ted to pull away from the wall and get us through the rapids. That day ended with a great campsite call Lower Whiskey Camp. We had pork chops and seasoned potato wedges with some beers... obviously.

Day Three was a big day of scouting to tackle Mule Creek Canyon (Class III-IV), Coffee Pot (Class IV), Blossom Bar (Class IV), and Devil's Stair (Class III) before setting up camp for the night. After watching a handful of other rafters head through Blossom Bar we were up and I hustled to the observation point to watch it from above!

Setting up camp at Tacoma for the night provided us a great campsite right on the beach and a great view of the night sky! We were both too tired to stay up for a complete dark sky and when we woke up to use the bathroom at 3:00 am, it was just too much energy to reach for the phone, turn it on and attempt a night lapse photo. Maybe next time.

The Rouge River is one of 208 river's designated apart of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 which created the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The act established a policy of preserving designated free-flowing rivers for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations and to complement the then-current national policy of constructing dams and other structures along many rivers.

Three classes of wild and scenic rivers were established under the act, reflecting the characteristics of the rivers at the time of designation and affecting the type and amount of development that may be allowed thereafter.

• Wild rivers are free from impoundments (dams, diversions, etc.) and generally inaccessible except by trail. The watersheds (area surrounding the rivers and tributaries) are primitive and the shorelines are essentially undeveloped.

• Scenic rivers are free from impoundments and in generally undeveloped areas, but are accessible in places by roads.

• Recreational rivers are readily accessible by road, with some shoreline development, and may have been subject to some impoundment or diversion in the past.

Congress initially designated 789 miles of eight rivers as part of the system. Today there are 208 river units with 12,708.8 miles in 40 states and Puerto Rico, administered by federal agencies. Learn more HERE.

Who is ready to book their visit for 2023 to go rafting?! Or join us in August when we solo navigate the Deschutes River!

Until next time, pack it in and pack it out.