The Wild and Scenic Rogue River

Western Oregon is one of my favorite places on this planet. I cannot get enough of the lush greenery, raging rivers, abundant waterfalls, and hiking trails that wind through magical ancient forests. When we selected Prospect, Oregon, as the place we would stay for our Crater Lake visit, I had no idea we would be in the midst of such majestic beauty. Prospect is located on the Rogue River, known for its salmon runs, whitewater rafting, and rugged scenery and is one of the original eight rivers named in the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968.  Beginning near Crater Lake, the river flows about 215 miles in a generally westward direction from the Cascade Mountain Range to the Pacific Ocean.

From our RV Park, we were practically walking distance to the Rogue, and nearly everywhere we turned, we saw the river crashing through gorges, spilling over rocks, tumbling out of lava tubes, and swirling in ancient black rock lava beds, all surrounded by lush and beautiful trees, ferns, flowers, and moss. Hiking trails winding throughout the area allowed us to see and experience the river in even more detail. As often happens, our short visit here gave us just a taste of what the area is all about, and has been added to our list of places to come back to for an extended visit sometime in the future.