[Click here] for reservations :: (3-Day, 2-Night Trip) $350 / person :: 1 - 5 Guests :: $250 / person :: 6 + Guests

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High desert canyons :: 51 miles/3-Day, 2-Night Trip :: Close to Seattle/Portland

A high desert, ‘pool and drop’ river ideal for first timers and families as well as adventurous paddlers. On the east side of the Oregon Cascades, so very likely to be dry, hot and sunny.

Class III - IV Whitewater (1 early season Class IV rapid) :: Easy to moderate :: Ages 6 +

Our guides will meet your group at the MAUPIN CITY PARK which is located on the east bank of the Deschutes under the US 197 bridge in the town of Maupin, OR.

Please abide by all park regulations and park near the public telephone near the north entrance.

Maupin can be reached by driving South from The Dalles, OR on US 197. Turn South off of I-84 travelling East onto US 197.

Allow 6 or 7 hours if you are driving from Seattle.

We suggest you reserve lodging in The Dalles for the evening prior to the trip so that you will have an easy hour’s drive to Maupin in the morning.

Distance from Portland: 105 miles - 2 hours, 1 minute
Distance from Seattle: 270 miles - 4 hours, 35 minutes

Delectable riverside meals, shuttle at river, user fees, all necessary river gear and, of course, professional and personable river guides.

ORION typically provides food from lunch on the first day of your trip through lunch on the last day of your trip, unless other arrangements have been made. Meals can be outdoor gourmet to simple, depending on what your group is willing to afford.

Overnight River Meals:

('Typical 3-Day Menu Example')

Lunch Day #1
Midwest Deli Spread
Wholesome Deli-Style Loaves
Condiments, 3 Cheeses, 3 Meats (Hummus option)
Seedless Watermelon
Pepperidge Farm Cookies

Dinner Day #1
Shrimp Fettucine Margherita
Grilled Garlic Asparagus
Kalamata Olive Bread
Strawberry/Blackberry Shortcakes

Breakfast Day #2
Sourdough Bread for Orange Zest French Toast
Vermont Maple Syrup
Maple Sausage Links and Patties
Sliced Navel Oranges
Cantaloupe and Honeydew with Lime
Hot Cocoa, Coffee and Tea

Lunch Day #2
Mom's Southern Tuna Salad Wraps
Raisin and Peanut Coleslaw
Red and Green Seedless Grapes
Dessert Breads

Dinner Day #2
Chicken ala Deschutes
Free Range Chicken Breasts
Baked Couscous with Pine Nuts, Pesto and Fresh Spinach
Artisan Bread
Raspberry/Almond Slices Salad
Chocolate and Cheesecake Pudding Pies Topped with Kiwi Halves

Breakfast Day #3
Four Color Fruit Salad with Nancy's Yogurt
Espresso Coffee Cake
Hot Cocoa, Coffee and Tea

Lunch Day #3
Thomas' Everything Bagels with
Cream Cheese Mixed with Chives and Olives
Northwest Smoked Salmon
Quartered Red Onions and Pesto
Clementines and Tangerines
Apple Oatmeal Cookies

A long serpentine Class III rapid jumbled with obstacles and splashy waves.

A short, quick Class III drop with nothing but smile-inducing whitewater rollers.

A sweeping right turn, a dive between boulders and then a runout over Class III breaking chevron waves cascading off the right bank.

A blind, screaming right turn into a maelstrom of whitewater turbulence and a mountainous wave, all the while smiling for the cameras.

A quarter mile of Class III-IV whitewater slots through basalt channels and past an island of columnar basalt.