Overview
The Grande Ronde is a fast-flowing, yet gentle, river that passes through the corner of northeastern Oregon before winding into southeastern Washington. This is a perfect introduction to white water river rafting. The Grande Ronde is a milder whitewater trip and ideal for family rafting. This adventure offers luxury camping and beautiful scenery, and is a good trip to try inflatable kayaking on our "Daring Duckies." The Grande Ronde is a tributary of the Snake River and traces the pattern of a large circle, which is the derivation its name.
Available Activities:
At A Glance
- Trip Duration: 3-5-Days
- Trip Length: 34-81 miles
- Intensity: Easy, Class II
- Season: June-July
- Minimum Age: 7
- Closest Airport: Lewiston, Idaho or Spokane, Wash.
- Highlights: Wild and Scenic River with gentle rapids, mountain canyon scenery, abundant wildlife, excellent family trip.
- Other Highlights: Cultural history, great fishing and hiking.
Details
The Grande Ronde River offers a scenic rafting trip without too many surprises. It's a great introduction to whitewater and perfect for family adventures. Campsites are on beautiful plateaus with wildflowers and grasses. Wildlife viewing, mountain scenery, hiking and good fishing are some of the highlights on this trip. The water is fast-moving and the Grande Ronde's whitewater is exciting but relatively mild.
In 1988, recognizing the spectacular beauty and outstanding resource values of the river canyon, Congress protected 44 miles of the Grande Ronde as part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers system.
On the Grande Ronde River, we float through evergreen forests with towering ponderosa pines anchored on steep mountainsides. The mountains and river canyon are accented with black basalt cliffs that were created millions of years ago during the great Columbia Basin lava flows. The river corridor has a complex ecosystem rich in plant and animal life.
Where we pass through the heart of the ancient homeland of the Chief Joseph band of the Nez Perce, the mountains are replete with wildlife. Elk, deer and black bear may be seen on the upper stretches while big horn sheep are often perched on the cliffs of the lower river. Birds of prey commonly soar and hunt the wooded hillsides and Grande Ronde River.
The Grande Ronde comes from a relatively small watershed so it's only raftable in the late spring and early summer. Your white water rafting trip begins on the Wallowa River for a fast-paced nine miles before it joins the Grande Ronde River at Rondowa. In June and early July, wildflowers are blooming and the air is crisp and pine-scented. This is a wonderful trip for bird-watching, wildlife viewing and alpine scenery, and the Grande Ronde is also one of the rivers we raft for our River Soul Journeys, yoga/meditation trips with limited departures.
ROW Adventures operates on the Grande Ronde through a special-use permit from the U.S. Forest Service in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest.
If you need to purchase some gear before your whitewater rafting trip, ROW has assembled the more common items at our ROWear online store, hosted by New Headings.
FAQ
Please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.
Also visit our Whitewater Resources page for additional information.
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