Trip up the Rogue River

On Tuesday we had reservations to take Jerry's Rogue River Jet Boat trip for 52 miles up the river along with a stop for lunch. We had to be a dock in Gold Beach at 8:30 AM so it was an early morning for us. We arrived at the ticket office on time and got our tickets. There were three boats going on the 104 mile trip ( 52 up and then back - they also have shorter trips of 32 and 40 miles upstream) and we ended up on the boat with Captain Jeff.

Jeff's grandfather had started the company back in 1959 and continued to run it until he sold in the early 1970's.  Jeff has piloted jet boats on these tours for 31 years and is the senior pilot in the company. He was born and raised in Gold Beach, so he seemed to know everyone along the river along with the family histories of all the properties along the river. Jerry's Rogue Jets are the only company that are allowed to take large jet boats up the river. There are a number of fishing guides that also take small boats up river for salmon and steelhead fishing.

Although the sun was shining at our campground, there was fog along the coast. It was quite chilly starting out and we were glad we had worn jackets on top of our layers of clothes.

Loading the boat. Connie and I were the last two on this one.

One of the other boats loading. The red boats are the ones that go on the 104 mile trip. Other boats are blue.

We first stopped under the Isaac Lee Patterson Bridge which was completed in 1932 after two years of work. A few years ago it took the  6 years to do the restoration of the bridge.

One of the four towers that stand at each corner of the bridge.

Still some fog as we passed under the bridge.

We continued up river where we passed by our campground.

Four Seasons RV Park

We had a great ride up the river with several pauses along the way where Jerry gave us information and/or history of the buildings or locations along the river. We stopped at Agness for a bathroom break before entering the white water section of the river. 

Agness if located about 30 miles upstream from Gold Beach, so we went through about 20 miles of river that had sections of whitewater. We passed by a number of people fishing and a number of rafters coming downriver from Grant's Pass. Jeff told us that there are a limited number of rafters allowed each day on the river (about 120) with commercial companies using 60 permits and private individuals the other 60. Depending on river flow the rafting trip can take from 2 to 5 days.

One of the white water sections of the river.

Tree growing out of rock. A photo of this once graced the cover of National Geographic.

One of the many springs/creeks that flow into the river.

In one section with smooth water, Captain Jeff said we were going 60 mph. Along the river we saw several bald eagles, minx, harbor seals, sea lions and all kinds of ducks. One of the ducks flew along our boat at a speed of 50 mph for several hundred yards.

We stopped back in Agness for lunch before returning back to Gold Beach around 3:45 PM. It was a great trip and we would recommend it to anyone that is in the area (do the entire 104 mile trip - its worth the money).

After returning to the dock, we visited the Rogue River Museum that is located in the same area as the ticket office for the boat ride. We were able to pick up some fresh red snapper at the local grocery store that Connie cooked for our dinner.