Owyhee River 5-Day Wilderness Trip

Guided day and half-day trips: cancel 72 hours or more ahead for a 50% refund. Inside 72 hours, the fee is forfeited. Multi-day Orange Torpedo and Briggs trips: deposits and payments are not refunded. You can often move to another date in the same season for a fee, or give your spot to someone else. Lodge dates cost more to change because the rooms are held in your name. Whitewater Cowboys single-day rentals: 7 or more days out, half the deposit can be refunded. Multi-day rentals: 21 or more days out, half the deposit can be refunded. Shuttle refunds depend on the section and how close you are to launch, minus a processing fee.

Orange Torpedo day trips: 30% if you book more than 30 days out, balance due 30 days before launch. Multi-day Orange Torpedo trips: 50% deposit, balance due 60 days before launch. Briggs multi-day fishing: 30% deposit, balance due 30 days before launch. Whitewater Cowboys rentals: 30% deposit, balance due the day the rental starts. Shuttles are paid in full when you book.

Yes for multi-day trips. Orange Torpedo and Briggs treat deposits as non-refundable and ask you to buy a Travel Guard policy when you book. The office can send a quote.

Most guided trips start with a safety talk and coaching on the water. You do not need to have rafted before on Class I–III. Class IV is still guided, but time on a river helps. If you start in an inflatable kayak and it is not for you, guides will move you into a raft. Moving from a raft into a kayak mid-trip is not always possible, because the boats and guide count are packed for what people reserved.

Orange Torpedo is known for inflatable kayaks. You can also choose a paddle raft or an oared raft. Some day trips, including Nugget Falls, are paddle rafts only. Briggs fishing trips use traditional drift boats.

It depends on the river and the boat. Many of our family trips start at age 5, and our youngest guests ride in an oared raft with a guide. Class IV day trips, such as Rogue Nugget Falls, start at age 8. Each trip page shows its minimum age, and some trips have a higher minimum early in the season when flows are high. Youth pricing is 17 and under. Give us a call if you have questions before you book a date.

Camping trips use a river toilet at camp. You sleep in a tent. A sleep kit can be arranged if you ask when you book. Lodge trips sleep in riverside lodges. Food and camp gear go downriver with the group.

Camp trips carry a toilet we call the Johnny, and we set it up with privacy, toilet paper and hand sanitizer, with a separate bucket for pee. Hand washing at the foot-pump station is mandatory, no exceptions. Lodge rooms all have their own bathroom with a flush toilet and shower.

No. There is a guide right there who will come get you no matter what, and you can hop into a raft any time. We would love for you to try the torpedo, but it is never required.

The answer is yes. Tell us at the pre-trip meeting or when you book. The lodges are very accommodating, our camp menus adjust for allergies and gluten-free, and on the North Umpqua we pack plant-based options and gluten-free chips and cookies.

If you take something during the day, keep it out and hand it to your guide. It rides in the communal day bag on the big raft so nothing gets lost. Evening medications just go in your dry bag and you will have them at the lodge or at camp.

If you have an allergy that can cause anaphylaxis, bring at least one EpiPen and let your guide know before we launch.

Every trip carries a first-aid kit and a trauma kit, plus a guest self-care box with band-aids, lotion, aloe, sunscreen, menstrual products, Pepto, nail clippers and over-the-counter meds. We also carry poison oak soap. Every guide holds a Wilderness First Aid certification and there is at least one Wilderness First Responder on every trip.

On wilderness sections, usually no. Do not plan on cell service once you leave the put-in. Tell family your take-out day before you launch.

Tips are appreciated but never required. At the end of the trip, give any tip to the head guide, who splits it evenly with the crew. Standard restaurant percentages are what we usually see, but please do not feel obligated.

Not always. The Owyhee has one of the shortest seasons of any commercially run river in Oregon, and some years it does not run at all because there is not enough water. About 4 to 6 weeks before the trip we start to get a good sense of the season. If we have to cancel for low water, give us a call and we will walk you through your options.

It can be cold, and it can also be hot. Even on a hot trip the water is cold, so if you plan to paddle an inflatable kayak we strongly recommend renting a dry suit. We supply wetsuits and they work fine on most trips, but a dry suit is far more comfortable. Immersion Research, Oregon River Gear and Pacific River Supply all rent them.

Yes. We need at least six guests for an Owyhee trip to run.

We usually bring one guide for every three to four guests, depending on the mix of boats on the trip.