Rogue River Trail: lodge to lodge luxury

The idea of a four-day hike along a beautiful river without a heavy backpack is very appealing. Five friends and I decided to hike the Rogue River trail this June and stay in lodges along the way.

The Rogue River is known for it’s challenging whitewater rapids, rugged wilderness, and wildlife.  US congress designated part of the Rogue River as “wild and scenic” in 1968.  Popular with rafters, kayakers, fishermen and hikers, this section of the river is located west of Grants Pass in Southern Oregon.  A 41-mile trail parallels the river within the wild and scenic section.  Several primitive campsites are available by the river for hikers and boaters.  In addition, five different lodges offer meals and rooms from May through October.  We made reservations at three lodges.

We didn’t need to pack much because we weren’t camping or cooking. The lodges provide dinner, breakfast, and a sack lunch to take with.  Local river outfitters offer car shuttle services so that we could drive to the trailhead and then find cars waiting for us at trail’s end. 

Rogue River near Grave Creek Bridge

We started our hike near Grave Creek on the north side trail. A short trail on the river’s south side goes from Grave Creek Bridge to Raine Falls. There are no bridges beyond Grave Creek, so you must start on the north side if you intend to go beyond Raine Falls. 

Much of our first day was exposed and hot. As luck would have it, a late June heat wave settled in for the duration of our trip.  Being by the water helped keep the temperatures down, but it was still hot. The trail is high above the river nearly all the time. There are several creeks that empty into the Rogue.  These tributaries provide shade and cold water to beat the heat.  Some have deep enough pools for a nice dip.  Swimming in the river is an option, but the main trail is rarely by the river.  Side trails that lead down to the river appear fairly often but they tend to be overgrown with poison oak and blackberry bushes.  In contrast, the main trail was well maintained, thanks to the Siskiyou Mountain Club that recently worked on it.

One of the beautiful tributaries of the Rogue River

After cooling off near Bunker Creek, we took the cutoff to the beach for Black Bar Lodge.  A boatman came to ferry us across the river. They knew we were coming, so we didn’t need to holler across the river to get their attention.

A sturdy boatman manages the ferry across the river from Black Bar Lodge

Black Bar Lodge is small, beautifully rustic and very comfortable.  Good food was served up family style.  It was a lovely place to rest and share photos after a hot hike.

Dining and living room area at Black Bar Lodge

On the second day of our hike the trail was long but relatively flat.  We had great views of the river from up on canyon walls and the trail often veered into the forest where it was cooler.

Rogue River near Horseshoe bend

Shade was much appreciated

I went down a side trail to Zane Grey’s cabin.  Next to the river I found several private homes and some rustic constructions.

old cabin by the river

This building does not exactly match a photo of the original Zane Grey cabin that I saw online.  The siding and window are different, but it's in the right location.  Perhaps I did not find the right cabin!  The BLM purchased Zane Grey’s Cabin in 2008 and it is supposed to be open to the public.  Further downstream is Rogue River Ranch, a publicly owed historic ranch and museum.  It’s definitely worth a visit to learn about some of the local history.  I had visited it previously, so we skipped over it this time.

 It was great to relax on the patio at Marial Lodge after a 14+ mile hike.  Cold water and lemonade were freely provided with beer and wine available for purchase.  The food was remarkably good and there was plenty of it.

Dining room at Marial Lodge

The next day’s hike from Marial to Clay Hill was the shortest one of our journey.  It was still hot so we took advantage of cold creek pools and shady rest spots. We saw few groups of rafters on previous days, but for some reason, several more on the river this day. I had read that bears are more common on this lower part of the river, and sure enough we saw a black bear down by the river while on the trail.  Much of the hiking was high up on canyon walls and there were some areas of scree.

Hiking a nice trail on canyon walls above the Rogue River

I suppose it’s possible to miss the short cutoff trail for Clay Hill lodge if you’re deep in thought and don’t see the buildings.  Most of us noticed it right away.  It’s located on a very placid section of the river.  You can hike or float to Clay Hill, or you can motor boat up from a downstream launch at Foster Bar.

Clay Hill Lodge

The placid Rogue near Clay Hill

Early on the fourth (and last) day of hiking we stopped at Flora Dell Creek where a 30-foot waterfall plunges down into an inviting pool. We worked together to haul out a large tree that had fallen into the water.  The goal was to improve the swimming area.  I swam in this magical pool while others explored the cliff walls and discovered a treasure chest.  My guess is that the chest was left there in the spirit of geocaching fun.

Flora Dell Falls, named for a pioneering resident of Clay Hill, Flora Dell

The pool at Flora Dell Falls is perfect for swimming

Pirate's chest at Flora Dell

The last day of hiking included various terrain; canyon walls, forested paths, shady creeks, and a large private cattle ranch. A chorus of mooing cattle serenaded us near the trail’s end.  The wild and scenic Rogue River Trail was an excellent adventure and one that I would happily do again.

A calm stretch of the wild and scenic Rogue River 

Please post a comment below.  Share any great hikes you have done!