Solo hiking Oregon’s Rogue River

Most of my adventures take place in California within the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

A few years ago, I decided to broaden my boundaries and spend time in the state of Oregon. In the past I’ve driven the coastal route to Gold Beach, Ore.

My father and I fished for salmon at the outlet of the Rogue River. During our stay at Gold Beach, the family and I decided to ride the jet boat upstream on the Rogue River.

We were all curious what adventure this wild river has to offer us. As we were forging our way upstream, I was impressed by the wildlife at the river’s edge.

On our return trip, I told my father that one day I would make this river one of my hiking adventures. That date was in July 1976 and it took me until September 2009 to complete that promise I made to my father.

Come join me on my five days adventure solo hiking the wild Rogue River from Grants Pass to Gold Beach Oregon by the sea. (Part one of a two part story.)

West of Grants Pass following the Rogue River is a subsidiary water source called Graves Creek. Also on the Rogue’s north bank west of the boat landing is the start of the trail and the beginning of the wild Rogue River.

Starting from the trail, you can look down at the Grave Creek Rapids and the foundation of the Sanderson Homesite built in 1940. The cabin was dismantled in 1971.

The concrete piers visible on both sides of the river are the remains of the bridge used for mule pack trains and foot traffic. The bridge was built in 1907 and was destroyed by flood in 1927.

Almost two miles along this trail is the area called Rainie Falls. This tapering falls is a narrow zone along the river with water cascading down 15 to 20 feet. One of today’s highlights was watching those rafters testing their skills shooting this drop in the river.

So far, this trail has been easy to follow and I’m hoping to accomplish 13 miles to Meadow Creek. Looking at my map, I will have a few creeks to cross before arriving at my destination. There are interesting names associated with those creek crossings.

Rum Creek is noted for wild salmon that can be found schooling at the mouth of the creek. Whisky Creek, with a cabin built by a placer miner around 1880, was last occupied in 1973. This cabin is on the National Register of Historic Places and offers a glimpse into the pioneer history of the Rogue River.

Most of these creeks are not flowing at normal capacity because in September after a hot summer they are easy to cross. Next I’ll be crossing Alder Creek and Booze Creek. They were also mined for gold over a century ago.

Around the mile five mark is the Tyee Rapids, which is the site of the once famous gold mine where 300 Chinese workers took $1 million in gold dust.

Next, I crossed Russian, Montgomery, Bronco and Jackass creeks, but when I arrived at Bunker Creek the bridge spanning the small gorge had collapsed. I got my feet wet on this crossing.

This first day I crossed 18 creeks and was a few hundred yards short of Meadow Creek. I was losing daylight so I dropped down a steep embankment to the river and set up my first campsite.

The following morning at around six o’clock I was awakened by coyote’s barking. They were directly across the river from my campsite. Maybe they wanted to see if anyone was occupying that lone tent along the river.

I fixed my breakfast, packed my gear and was back hiking around seven o’clock. If I would have hiked another 15 minutes yesterday, I would have arrived at Meadow Creek which had a small camping area sheltered by trees.

In the next two miles, I crossed four more creeks. No wonder they call the Rogue River a wilderness river, with all these tributaries that water has to runoff somewhere. After another three miles I was anxious to explore around an area called Battle Bar.

This historical site received its name because of the fight between Colonel Kelsey’s Calvary on the north bank and a band of Takelma Indians on the south bank.

Hostile elements broke out of the Table Rock Reservation on Oct. 9, 1855. Fighting extended downriver to Grave Creek until winter weather stopped the campaign.

The Indian families spent the winter near Battle Bar until the spring of 1856. The battle resumed and led to the extraction of American Indians from the Rogue River country.

I spent some time exploring this area but after all these years, all that remained to photograph was trees and tall grass. Back to the trail again and crossing another two creeks, but I’m looking forward to the next major area called Winkle Bar.

This is the area where the famous western writer Zane Gray bought the mining claim from a prospector in 1926. He had his cabin built and here he spent time writing and fishing. His cabin is still intact, but locked, and this area is still considered private property today.

I spent my second night on a sandbar on Mule Creek close to the Rogue River Ranch. This ranch is on the National Register of Historic Places and is located in the heart of the Rogue River Wild Section.

Those river visitors are welcome to look inside the museum. This area is maintained by the Bureau of Land Management caretakers along with volunteers.

As I was hiking along the river, there were those rafters floating, enjoying the current carrying them downstream. Starting the second day, we began recognizing each other.

Sometimes our conversations were more than just a hello, how are you as they would ask if I wanted a ride. One rafter made a classic statement as he held up a can of beer and stated, “I bet you wish you had one of these!”

One couple and I shared the same sandbar on Mule Creek that evening and they invited me to their camping site for dessert. They shared a huge apple pie and a glass of wine for an attitude adjuster.

It’s surprising what supplies one can carry floating down the river. I was only carrying the necessary items to survive this adventure. At this point I could easily consider changing my mode of travel.

My next article will be the conclusion of my Rogue River Adventure.

Tony Krizan describes himself as an “adventurer” and he explores the Sierra Nevada range on a regular basis. He can be reached at tonykrizan@hotmail.com.