A River of Fun Runs Through Us
Roseburg isn’t the only Oregon town settled around a beautiful river, but not many can beat the recreation and scenery offered by the famed Umpqua.
Story by Brian Staffield Photos by Jonathan Cummings
Offering 111 miles of versatile water play and unmatched scenery, the mighty Umpqua River is one of only four rivers in Oregon that travels from high up in the Cascades, through the valleys and eventually to the Pacific Ocean.
The South Umpqua River runs right through the heart of Roseburg while the North Umpqua River meanders westward from the Cascades. They converge just west of Roseburg at River Forks Park.
The versatility and characteristics of the Umpqua River make it a destination for sightseers, recreationalists and anglers year-round.
When the heat is on in Roseburg, the Umpqua River is one of the most popular cooling-off destinations around. The river serves as a natural waterpark offering floating, rafting, swimming, sunbathing, picnicking and millions of gallons of uncrowded fun.
Each section of the river has its own personality and neighboring landscape. At higher altitudes, there are palettes of greens, frothy white rapids, steelhead-filled jade pools and lush banks covered with bigleaf maples, sword ferns and old-growth Douglas firs.
Further down the river the river scenery changes to pastoral hills of farmland and spread-out neighborhoods.
While formed by thousands of years of geological events and ever-changing water levels, some sections of the North Umpqua almost seem designed specifically for whitewater rafting, The river doesn’t boast the Class 4 and 5 rapids found in destinations with heavier rafting traffic, like the Deschutes and Rogue, but it does offer the most rapids per mile among Northwest rivers. And it features enough technical rapids to ensure a thrilling ride.
For a more leisurely trip down the North Umpqua, the Amacher Park to River Forks Park river float is a favorite of local rafters. The trip typically takes about five hours by innertube or inflatable kayak and features a few rapids, some of the technical variety, and plenty of peacefully slow sections.
Non-rafters will find swimming holes all along the Umpqua rivers and their tributaries. Colliding Rivers Park in Glide is a popular site for those looking to cool off or to see the only spot in Oregon where a river meets almost head on with its tributary, in this case the North Umpqua and Little rivers, respectively.
Whether your preferred mode of river transport is an inflatable flamingo or a rubber raft, rest assured the Umpqua River offers plenty of ways to float your boat.
