Jerry's Rogue Jets — Attraction in Gold Beach

My family really enjoyed the 6 hour, 104 mile ride down the Rogue in July! My teen boys loved it, and it was one of the highlights of our coastal tour this summer.

We had never gone before, so at check-in, a most helpful employee (Dorothy) gave us the low-down on the entire trip -- what to take, what to leave, and what to expect in general (dry bags for sale there, if you need). She also explained the difference between the various trips, in particular the 4.5 vs 6 hr, since I was unsure when booking and was on the fence if we really NEEDED 6 hours. As you would guess, you go further down river on the longest tour - but the different and spectacular scenery is really the selling point here. Once you get past Agnes (the lodge for lunch), you enter wilderness that is pretty much uninhabited. It is really pretty, and worth the extra expense and time. The canyon becomes more rugged, steep and scenic, with more white water. So if you want more diverse scenery and more rapids, then go with the 6 hour tour. You won't be bored. Unfortunately we didn't see much wildlife -- just a few large birds nests, until the very end when we did spot some elk. Darin was our guide and driver - pretty dry sense of humor, but gave good information along the way and really knows how to drive the boat for a good time.

My only complaint would be in the expectation of keeping assigned seats for the entire ride (maybe we missed that rule, getting on last?). If you don't love your seat (i.e. soaked the whole time, or not really wet at all), I think you should have the option of switching seats since this trip is so long, is expensive, and stops 2x for a break. You get very different experiences in outer vs inner seats, and front vs. back. Really wanted to switch after sitting right in front of the windshield for a long stretch. They never asked for our weight, so keeping the same seats didn't seem totally necessary to me, although general size/weight might have been considered for balance, initially. We did move seats after lunch for a better/different view and to avoid being drenched with each spin (my husband), and felt like we were reprimanded for doing so, when other people didn't seem to care.

The BBQ lunch at Cougar lodge was good overall. Plenty of food on each plate! It's a really nice/scenic covered spot for a lunch/bathroom break, and there is even a little market with t-shirts and snacks/ice cream bars if you want or need something extra. I was impressed overall, despite our meals coming out 30 minutes apart.

Overall a very memorable day. Layer up - you might start cold, but on a warm day things heat up FAST! Hats, sunscreen, sunglasses, and quick-dry clothing is very helpful. Hats may fly off when going fast, but I would still suggest bringing one (hang on to it) or a way to contain longer hair, as it will be in knots by the end. We never pulled out our binoculars, as you don't stop for very long, and then things get wet again quickly. But would be great to have for more wildlife.

I would go on this trip again in a heartbeat, if not for the cost for a family (slightly discounted family rates would be awesome). I do think it is worth it for a first time experience though, it's great fun and the Rogue River is...

We took the 12:15, 80 mile tour up to Singing Springs for a late lunch.

Excellent ride up and down the bottom of the Rogue River! Kevin did a great job of mixing entertainment and information along the way.

We had a chance to get (really) wet just before stopping for lunch and then a good hike up to Singing Springs for a meal.

The meal was ok, not what we were expecting. All for of us ordered the Picnic Pack and the beans and macaroni salad were very good, the biscuit was great and the pulled pork was all right. The chicken was over cooked to the point of being jerky in parts of all of our plates but did have a good taste. The small black kitten made is way around begging for scraps but was picky about what it would eat!

The trip back down stream was very windy, so my soaked coast was almost dry by the time we got back to Gold Beach.

We saw lots of osprey, a couple kinda of eagles, deer, herons and many kinds of waterfowl. Several times we had to slow for rafts, once had to wait for one to clear the narrow area before continuing downstream.

We have done the Hellgate tour from Grants Pass a few times but never from this end. The rides were comparable, we always enjoy the personalities of the pilots who do a great job showing the scenery and making it fun to ride the river.

Next time we go, we'll schedule for the other place to stop for the meal since that was the only part of it that was not top notch! The food was good, just not the stand-out that the Hellgate tour has.

We will definitely be taking...

My family and I had a great time on this tour. We took the 80-mile Whitewater Excursion and stopped at Cougar Lane Lodge for an excellent meal. Our guide Kevin, who claimed to be the grandson of business founder Jerry himself, was an absolute riot- hilarious, energetic and knowledgeable. He got on my nerves a little with his sing-songy voice, but at the end of the day I certainly can't say I wasn't engaged with what he was telling us about the history of the region, including local landmarks and his company's feud with the Mailboats tour, which ended when Jerry's acquired them a decade ago. He brought his dog Rue along, and while docked at Cougar Lodge the passengers took turns playing fetch with the black lab mix, who dove into the water without fail each time. Kevin also picked on a few of the tour goers in the front row, having them complete funny tasks like being in charge of taking complaints. He struck up a funny duo with an older passenger named Ron, who he picked on frequently (it was all in good fun). Along the way we saw loads of ospreys, a couple bald eagles and river otters, beautiful waterfalls and plants, seals on rocks miles upstream (I didn't even know they went that far from the sea)- which we got right up close and personal with, and even a brief bear sighting. Oh, we also got drenched with water. Soaked to the bone from Kevin's intentional turns and 360 maneuvers in the whitewater. So I highly recommend bringing a rain slicker. All in all, the tour was wonderful and I couldn't recommend it...