We call it the outback and land down under of America.  So remote is it, that even an aborigine could get lost.  Now that's isolation.  A place to lose, yet find yourself. 

Strange hoodoos, creature like formations, and other odd wierdness make mysterious canyon gatekeepers.  Here,mother nature carved  a deep gash into the  high desert plateau, leaving bold mesa's and sculptured totems to outrageous beauty.  It is a place more like another planet, than our own.  Undoubtedly, the senuous vortex of fascination found here, provides a deep mystery like no other place on earth.

  Southeastern Oregon's Owyhee River  is Piaute / Cayuse country and the vicinity where Sacagawea's son Charbonneau is buried. The river drains the high desert plateau of the Steens Mountains and Juniper Mahogany Mountain complex. The deeply furrowed plateau creates a treacherous chasm with an austere feeling and character similar to Arizona 's Grand Canyon of the Colorado River area. Rapids range from family to extreme, with two sections to choose from to accommodate either interest.

The Owyhee is a powerfully enchanting river canyon that will call magical out to your soul.  In some places, the water is below you, sky straight above, and canyon walls vertical enough to engender darkness and make the stars twinkle. 

Unbelievable, other worldly, jaw dropping, breath taking, stuporously fixating, hypnotically transvexing, cosmically magical, are just a few connotations that come to mind trying to describe this place.

Geomorphically, the Owyhee has been compared to Bryce, Zion and the Grand Canyon. Geologic turmoil has created various volcanics and numerous hot springs. Steep gradient, flash floods and catastrophic rock slides have manufactured a river of great whitewater variety.

The Owyhee is regarded as a remarkable area for birds of prey and astonishing "aerial shows." Numerous species of waterfowl, shore birds, reptiles, and small animals make up a rich prey base. Other wildlife include antelope, bighorn sheep, bobcat, cougar, otter and coyote. For those interested in early cultures, the region is rich in rock art, caves and other dwelling sites. The side hikes are a trip into fantasyland and the austerely mysterious.

                                            Two sections of river: Lower and Upper.

Extremely important to sign up for the right run as each contains a drastic difference in whitewater difficulty :               lower - family friendly                    upper - adrenalin enhanced

Whitewater intensity ranges from moderate to extreme, depending on which section of canyon you tour. Rather you enjoy "in your face" cardiac whitewater extremes, or exciting, but more user-friendly rapids suitable to family adventure, two sections of canyon provide you a choice.

(* Time Sensitive):  There is a very limited window of time that the Owyhee River system can be comfortably run. Because the river drains high desert, spring arrives early and snow packs diminish flows before early summer, in most years. It is highly variable, depending on weather and snow pack each season. In most years, mid May is the typical cut off date for anything other than a wade/drag your boat float.  Weather is also as fickle as the wild horses that roam the sagebrush steppes there.

        Remember: this is a trip only available in a typical year from mid March to mid May.

In Northeastern Oregon we run the Grande Ronde River , which flows through the heart of Chief Joseph and the Wallowa Band of Nez perce Indian's homeland. It drains from sources in the Eagle Cap Wilderness Area of the Wallowa Mountains , and the Elkhorn Mountains of the Blue Mountain Province . The canyon corridor is heavily forested with mixed conifers containing a high mountain feel to it. Family sized rapids add flavor to the beauty.

The verdant Grande Ronde: Green enough and forested enough to hide a zillion leprechauns. And enchanted enough that the little people would want to live there, should they ever find it.

This rugged back country pours out of some of prettiest mountains in Oregon. Some call it the Switzerland of America.  With peaks, often higher than the clouds, the silhouettes made are as jagged as a cross cut saw with double rows.  Only one place water can go, and that is treacherously downhill. Formulating at the bottoms of glacially carved canyons to form  a wild and lively torrent. 

A wild-scape rich with  fish and wildlife.  A trackers paradise with a tremendous animal  storyline ready for the reading.  Deer, elk, bighorn sheep, bear, coyote, and feline cousins; bald eagle, goshawk, western tanagers, and a diversity of waterfowl,  just to name a few of the other sentient beings that roam these woods and canyon corridor.    

A tremendous trout and steelhead fishery also make this river a true sportsmen's paradise. Some of the finest fly fishing to be found anywhere in North America.

In the winter, we see and photograph great numbers of animals as they are forced down to river level by deep snows. We also gather information on a wintering population of bald eagles (sometimes seeing as many as 50 or 60 birds).

Then in the spring, with the arrival of great floral displays, new born animals, warm sunshine and snowmelt run-off, you will also enjoy the excitement of some lively whitewater that is sassy in nature, but a great experience for families and first timers.  Though fast and furious, the rapids are great fun for kids of all ages (you know, age 6 to 106).

 A Rare Find

It is extremely rare to find a river that contains such a wide variety of birds, fish, wildlife, flowers, trees, and such geologic diversity and combination of  natural/human  histories.  You may not have heard much about this river. And we like that aspect of it all, as will you, if you also enjoy a finding a place where the answer to your echo is your own voice, and not someone else's.