I turned up the heat in the car at the trailhead. It was a chilly, near freezing November morning as we finished getting our gear ready. There was a sense of excitement. As I hoisted my pack, I could feel the not-so-gentle protrusion of the solid kitchen frying pan in my back. I knew it would be worth it. I carefully left my key in the car in the prearranged location, hoping that the arranged transportation would deliver it to the end of the trail as planned.

There were three of us: a good friend from high school, his dog, and me. As we took our first steps on the trail, I remembered the views from a short run a couple years previous. Soon we entered scenery that was new and our planned adventure became a reality. Our hike on one of Oregon’s most famous trails, the Rogue River National Recreation Trail, had just begun.

The Rogue River Trail

The Rogue River Trail follows the officially designated Wild and Scenic Rogue River for about 40 miles of inspiring beauty. By this point the river has already flowed 100+ miles from where it originates as a gushing stream out of the ground in Crater Lake National Park. It then travels through dramatic gorges, even disappearing underground through lava tubes, across a dammed reservoir, and also amidst the heart of the developed Rogue Valley, including a section parallel to busy Interstate 5. From our start at the trail’s eastern trailhead we would travel along the north bank of arguably the best and wildest section of the river.

Around nearly every corner, we experienced a new perspective of the river. The temperature began to increase as the sun filled the canyon. While a popular trail in the summer, it appeared that we would have the trail nearly entirely to ourselves.

The trail was often 40-50 feet above the river and we peered down on many rapids and rocky cliffs. At times the trail entered the forest and we heard colorful fallen leaves crunching under each step. Even in November there were many rushing creeks that flowed down the canyon and entered the Rogue River. We used these creeks as our primary water sources. There are approximately 40 named creeks along the trail, but some are only viewed across the river.

We passed some of the many developed campsites along the trail equipped with bear boxes and some even had electric bear fences. The Rogue River’s bears are likely some of the most habituated in Oregon as the campsites are also shared with large groups of white water rafters.

We continued to enjoy the beautiful scenery along with the comfortable temperature on a nearly perfect fall day with a cloudless, blue sky. Across the river we could see small waterfalls from the creeks flowing down the canyon.

In the forest there were interesting trees, some that no longer had bark and others with many limbs going in different directions. We were thankful that the Rogue River Trail has remained mostly unscarred from the many recent wildfires that have blazed through the West.

Along the way, we passed interesting history: gold mining sites, cabins, the Old Rogue River Trail, the location of an 1800s landslide that had blocked the entire Rogue River, and Black Bar where William Black was killed and his body put into a boat and pushed down the river by his killer, Dutch Henry, who had a cabin several miles away. At another location, there was a five hour battle between army volunteers and Native Americans in which the army volunteers decided to leave. Native Americans spent a lot of time along the Rogue River. The Takelma lived along the Rogue River until the 1850s. Many other tribes previously lived in the Rogue River Corridor as well.

After 15 miles with the sunlight fading, we found a peaceful campsite near the bridge at Kelsey Creek. The frying pan was removed from my pack and we enjoyed sun-dried tomato and avocado quesadillas. Mocha feasted on her favorite dehydrated dog food. It was a cool night, but the campsite in the forest seemed to help avoid severe cold, and I had a restful night. In the morning we packed up and continued west along the river.

Light brightened the rocky canyon walls on a particularly narrow portion of the Rogue River. The variety of the river was profound. Sometimes its reflective stillness made its movement almost unnoticeable while other times the power of its rapids was deafening.

At Winkle Bar we passed the site of author Zane Gray’s cabin. Gray’s writing has been said to have created a new literary genre, the Western. The trail goes near Rogue River Ranch, a National Register Site that historically had a trading post, post office, and boarding house. The trail briefly follows a forest road to Marial and a trailhead near the Wild Rogue Wilderness boundary. We anticipated the dramatic scenery that was ahead. The Wild Rogue Wilderness was officially designated in 1978 and about 15 miles of the Rogue River Trail is within the wilderness.

We were in awe of Mule Creek Canyon, a narrow gorge carved through the rock. In some places the trail had been blasted out of the side of steep cliffs and we were able to stand on cliff-edge viewpoints high above the river. Down below, brave white-water rafters navigated the rapids and tricky parts of the river including its narrowest location at The Coffeepot, which forms a semi-whirlpool. There was a stunning two-tiered waterfall on the south side of the river, appropriately named Stair Creek Falls.

The trail went around Paradise Lodge and we began to look for a campsite for the night. There were many rafters camping at the next river bar so we continued on and found a large campsite at Brushy Bar in the forest near the river. Before going to sleep, I looked up at the starry sky through the trees.

We began our final day on the Rogue River Trail the next morning. Within a few miles we reached the trail junction with the Clay Hill Trail which is part of the Wild Rogue Loop, a spectacular nearly 30 mile loop that climbs steeply to vast views looking down over 3500 feet on the river and valley.

But for this adventure, the vastness and unknown distant surroundings weren’t the goal. The nearness and present reality deep in the Wild Rogue’s canyon were all that was needed. The trail became faint and narrow in several sections with steep drop-offs and careful foot placement was needed to avoid a dangerous slip and slide.

A thirty foot waterfall, Flora Dell Falls, cascaded into a pleasant but chilly pool that would be perfect for swimming on warmer days. On warmer days, the sounds would be different, with the experience to hear and see the famous Rogue River jet boats speeding up and down the river providing scenic tours all the way from Gold Beach to Blossom Bar, over 50 miles one way. We enjoyed the solitude but in the summer, seeing the boats would be part of the historic experience. In the past boats were used to deliver mail to remote lodges along the Rogue River.

Passing several more lodges, we soon arrived at the Marial Trailhead and it was a short road walk to the Foster Bar boat launch. Arriving at the boat launch, we saw many rafters finishing their expeditions and discovered that my vehicle had survived the shuttle and was parked waiting for us to arrive. A beautiful and memorable hike on the Rogue River Trail was complete.

Need to Know

Information

The Rogue River Trail is one of the most spectacular river trails in North America due to its stunning beauty, wildness, history, and dramatic scenery. Permits are not necessary for hiking the trail, but are required for rafting. Bears are common and skilled at getting food from the many rafters and bear boxes are located at many of the campsites. Snakes and ticks are also present. Poison oak may overgrow portions of the trail. Many of the rafting companies are willing to shuttle a vehicle along the trail, but there are few official trailheads due to the remote nature of the trail. The trail is best hiked east to west as overnight parking is not allowed at the Grave Creek boat launch. If a loop is more desirable, consider the Wild Rogue Loop using the Rogue River, Clay Hill, Panther Ridge, and Mule Creek Trails. While shorter it is a much more strenuous hike with considerable elevation gain.

Best Time to Go

April/May or September through early November. Temperatures can reach 100 degrees in the summer and weather and trail conditions are unpredictable in the winter.

Getting There

Graves Creek boat launch is 15 miles from Interstate 5 near Grants Pass with commercial flights available into Medford. The western Marial Trailhead is 31 miles from Gold Beach, Oregon, and the Pacific Ocean.

Maps and Books

The forest service has a mile-by-mile guide to the Rogue River Trail. Backpacking Oregon: From River Valleys to Mountain Meadows by Douglas Lorain and Becky Ohlsen. Maps: USFS-Wild Rogue Wilderness and USGS Mount Euben and Bunker Hill. There are few trail junctions and we found navigation was fairly straightforward. For getting to and from trailheads and exploring other destinations in the state, an atlas such as the Benchmark Oregon Atlas can be useful.

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in Issue 53 of TrailGroove Magazine. You can read the original article here for additional photos.