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The Deschutes River cuts through the heart of Central Oregon and provides an abundance of white water rafting as close as 15 minutes from Bend! If you're willing to venture out a bit further, the opportunties multiply.
Here is a smorgasbord of whitewater rafting within a days trip of Bend Oregon:
(Please note: Some outings are seasonal and are not be available year-round.)
Deschutes River, Big Eddy Thriller
Distance from Bend: 15 minutes
Trip Length: 1.25 hours
Price: $47/person
The forested beauty of the Upper Deschutes River provides a natural paradise for rafting, hiking, and observing bird and wildlife. We are floating through the beautiful Deschutes National Forest, where the flows of lava from Lava Lands National Monument shaped the Deschutes River over 7,000 years ago. Towering ponderosa pines and quaking aspens cover the landscape.
Our three-mile Deschutes River rafting adventure begins at Aspen - an old logging camp that's now residence for cattails, blackbirds, and excited rafters! After a flat water training session with your guide, your journey will get underway with some warm-up rapids. These first riffles are rated Class 1 and 2 (based on a scale from 1 to 6, with 6 being the most difficult).
At the halfway point in the trip, we'll pull over to scout the Big Eddy Rapids. After viewing, with your raft guide, the various drops, turns and waves, we will regroup in the raft and challenge this great stretch of river. We will negotiate Kenmore, (Class 3) a drop with a washing machine action. Next we will power through the Notch (Class 3) and ride the white flume past the bat cave. Get ready and dig in because the Souse Hole (Class 3) is just ahead.
Bust through this terrific reversal with a smile because our photographer will get three action photos of you - wet, dry, or screaming! The standing waves will carry us around the corner and set us up for Old Stogie (Class 3) which is the last of the Big Eddy Rapids.
The Roller Coaster Rapids (Class 2) will spill us out into the swimming hole, where relaxation is the name of the game. Our guides will carefully direct your raft to the take out just above Lava Island Falls. With Paddles in hand and lifejackets on, you may pause to take a photo with the beautiful Deschutes River as a backdrop.
This Deschutes River rafting trip is enjoyable for the entire family. Younger children need not paddle if they so choose.
Deschutes River, Lower Deschutes Full Day
Distance from Bend: 2 hours
Trip Length: 4.5 hours
Adult Price: $110/person
Child Price: $100/person
This High Desert Classic is one you do not want to miss! This trip is for the entire family. The Deschutes River near Maupin Oregon provides outdoor adventure with a natural paradise for splashing, sunning, exhilarating paddling and just plain relaxing. With 13 miles of river before us, we will be challenged by many exciting rapids and enjoy many peaceful quiet stretches.
The trip put-in is 6 miles up from the quaint little town of Maupin, OR (population 500). After a training session with one of our certified guides,your journey will get under way as you practice your paddling skills on several warm-up rapids. Two miles into the trip we experience our first major rapid, Wapinitia. Boxcar Rapids is next, known for it huge "kicker wave". Two miles of easy rapids follow Boxcar allowing us to unwind before lunch.
We will break for lunch at the Imperial Lodge where your raft will approach the dock as the smell of grilled chicken floats through the air. After your well earned lunch and maybe a little volleyball we head back out on the river. Island Rapid and Surf-City known for their huge standing waves will be our first post-lunch encounter. Shortly after Surf City we approach Oak Springs Rapid, with its numerous rock shelves and turbulent waters. As Oak Springs ends White River Rapids begins and carries on into Upper Elevator. Those interested in adding a little zest to their trip are allowed to float Upper Elevator in their life jackets. Challenging rapids such as Lower Elevator mark our final venture into whitewater.
The final mile of our trip sees the river narrow and the turbulance increase. Our guides will carefully guide our raft into the takeout area at "Sandy Beach" which marks the end of your ultimate day of Whitewater Fun.
McKenzie River, 1/2 Day
Distance from Bend: 1.5 hours
Trip Length: 2.5 hours
Price: $75/person
Our McKenzie River rafting trip is a Jewel set in the magnificent Oregon Cascades. Rafting the McKenzie River with one of our professional guides will be a marvelous and memorable experience.
On this continuously active river, your guide will introduce you to the magic of McKenzie River rafting with the mountainous forest and enormous Fir and Pine trees rising steeply from the water's edge. The crisp, pure water is amazing- so clear that the light seems to come up from the bottom! This convenient, half-day trip, nestled next to the Three Sisters Wilderness is a dream come true for the "active paddler".
We will choose our put-in and take-out points each day, customized to the specific water level. Regardless of the specific launch and end points, you can count on several constants...stunning scenery, continuous river action, and an unforgettable river experience.
Standard to all of our trips, there is a guide in each boat. Minimum age is 6. Because of the continuous and rather chilly nature of this water, dressing appropriately is quite important. On warm days, tennis shoes, or river sandals, nylon shorts and a nylon top can be enough. For cooler weather, long pants and a sweater, or vest are appropriate. Wool or nylon socks and a ball cap or hat are never bad ideas -- on a warm day, you can leave them in the van. Splash Jackets and Pants are provided at no extra charge.
The McKenzie River is very special, and Sun Country Tours can show you all its magic. We hope you will join us for this world-class whitewater rafting trip.
North Umpqua, Full Day
Distance from Bend: 2.5 hours
Trip Length: 4.5 hours
Adult Price: $120/person
Child Price: $110/person
Many of our guests consider the North Umpqua River rafting trip as Sun Country Tours' premier offering!
The clear and rollicking waters of our north Umpqua white water rafting trip were once locked up in the generous snowfields of Oregon's magnificent Mount Bailey. As the waters course and tumble down the mountain's sides, they pause - and rest, and warm - in Diamond Lake and Tokatee Reservoir before spilling playfully into the North Umpqua valley.
Rock spires jut from the sides of this steep, deeply wooded valley, and the river traveler has a sense of time immemorial, dwarfed by the giant pines and prehistoric monoliths. Healthy and hearty Oregon elk and deer roam these forests, but rafters rarely catch those sights as their eyes and ears are intent upon the North Umpqua River's most enviable feature - it's whitewater.
Class 2 & 3 whitewater abounds on our North Umpqua Rafting Trip and the character of these rapids - curling ramps, boulder gardens, and crashing, splashing wave trains - is enough to lure the most serious and composed of rafter into a delicious fit of giggles and hoots that may last for several days!
Starting from Bend at 7:30 AM, or Sunriver at 8:00 AM, our vans will carry you two hours into the heart of Oregon's Southern Cascades, to the Boulder Creek put-in of the North Umpqua River. Once there, you will be matched up with a guide and outfitted with the finest paddling gear and lifejackets that are available. You will be an integral part of a paddling team as you navigate the next 13 miles - stopping only at the halfway point for a delicious and satisfying lunch.
The return trip to Sunriver will be full of stories and laughter as you recount the day's accomplishments and adventures on the North Umpqua River.
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