Rafting Trips

The McKenzie River is a true gem of the Pacific Northwest.  Flowing off the foothills of the Cascade Mountain Range, the McKenzie starts its 86 mile journey. Its clarity and color are seldom seen and will leave you with a lasting impression.  Its continuous technical nature keeps you active as the waves dance around you.  The top 10 raft-able miles was recently designated "Wild and Scenic" and winds through some of Oregon's most pristine old growth forests.

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For some people, the idea of going on the river rafting trip can conjure up images of peril. Concerns about the raft flipping over, or fear of falling from a raft may scare some potential river rafters, holding them on land, while millions of others are flocking to this increasingly popular adventure trip every year. What are the real risks in Whitewater rafting? What are the real statistics of security? One can only wonder...........

Take, for instance, River Trips on the Deschutes River in the State of Oregon ... one of the most popular Whitewater Vacation Destinations in America. On this river guided rafting trips were introduced in 1980, where, for the filling of Whitewater applicants. Today, Natural High Rafting - Whitewater rafting offer daily trips to more than 25 miles from Whitewater Rapids in Oregon's rivers. Over the past three and a half decades, professional rafting outfitters for more than 3 million visitors rafting on more than 25 million mile guided rafting trip (equivalent to a journey to the moon and back 52 times!), racking up an impeccable safety record in the process.

Despite continuing Angst is to subscribe to the fact that some people still call "extreme" sport, in truth, guided rafting trips down the river is statistically safer than getting in your car and driving there. There are several reasons rafting outfitters can make such a remarkable safety record, including:

*They are guided rafting trips. Professional rafting guides are with you all day. They know the river, they know the dangers, they know the best route through the Whitewater, they know how to help you avoid mistakes, and they know what to do if it looks like the situation may start to go wrong. For example, the whitewater guides are trained in swift water rescue, Red Cross First Aid (Standard and Advanced) and PPC. In addition, they collected thousands of hours on the river, have gotten acquainted with each section of the whitewater at each of the dozens of different water levels. This is important because two trips down the exact same stretch of river at different levels of water can lead to drastically different levels of excitation.

*You are in Whitewater raft, not a canoe. If you try this sport in the  White water canoe or kayak, it is a totally different ball game. Professional Whitewater Rafts have two things: 1- are hard to flip  2- difficult to puncture. Properly constructed commercial rafts bounce off most boulders, and keep a steady course in a remarkably turbulent water. In most places, you can float through the Whitewater Rapids forward, backward or even sideways, and this is only part of the fun. If you do this in a canoe, kayak or flimsy pool/lake raft, the results can be drastically different, to say the least.

*You wear Whitewater PFD (personal flotation device). It's amazing how many people who take the Do-It-Yourself Approach to rafting, or do not use the right kind of raft, or do not wear a PFD. Going on a commercial rafting trip, wearing a PFD is not an option, it is a requirement. If you unbuckle your PFD, the rafting guide will gently remind you that putting yourself at risk simply "is not acceptable."

Please come and join us on the river you will love the experiance.