Owyhee River, OR

The Owyhee is the Grand Canyon of Oregon, the most remote and arguably the most scenic river trip in the state. It runs through the high desert of southeastern Oregon for only a few weeks each spring, which is a big part of its mystique.

The river

Five and a half miles of farmland give way to a vertical gorge, and it only gets deeper. Sweetwater Canyon brings Long Sweetwater, Upset and Bulls Eye. Green Dragon Canyon pushes the walls close to 1,000 feet and holds Montgomery, the one true class IV of the trip. In between are hot spring camps, the Weeping Wall springs, hikes to Pruitt's Castle and Chalk Basin, and petroglyphs more than 8,000 years old. Day four eases off through Nuisance and a run of class II to one more hot spring camp before the reservoir. If you're into photography, this river is in a class of its own.

Trips on the Owyhee

Orange Torpedo Trips runs a 5-day adult-only wilderness trip from Rome, Oregon, in rafts and inflatable kayaks, with a motor across the reservoir at the end. The trip covers 49 to 68 miles depending on the takeout and needs six guests to run. Row Your Own boaters bring their own raft while we carry the kitchen and show the lines. Briggs Rogue River Trips runs it from drift boats, a trip that is less about fishing and more about scenery and hiking, though the bass will take a fly. Whitewater Cowboys doesn't operate here.

When to go

The Owyhee runs in April and May, and some years not at all. It has the shortest season of any commercially run river in Oregon, and if we cancel for low water your deposit moves to the next year. The water is cold, so a drysuit is far more comfortable than a wetsuit.

Getting there

Trips start and end at the Rome boat launch, about 115 miles southwest of Boise on Highway 95. Boise is the closest airport, and Burns and Jordan Valley have the closest beds. Plan on a long, beautiful drive.