Home / Instructional Trips / Oregon Junior Whitewater School instructional Oregon Junior Whitewater School A 7 day intro to whitewater rafting Oregon Junior Whitewater School Trip Details Packing Guide Schedule & Pricing Starting at $1,899 per person. 7 days of fun Channel your inner Huck and join us for a week on the river. ARTA’s 7 day Oregon Junior Whitewater School is a wonderful introduction to whitewater rafting and wilderness camping. As well as an opportunity for exploration, discovery, and growth. The school will take place on the Wild and Scenic Rogue River in southern Oregon. The Rogue is a fun river with lots of easy, straightforward rapids and a few more challenging ones, great for learning the basic elements of whitewater navigation. Instruction will cover many aspects of whitewater navigation, including rowing, paddle-captaining and inflatable kayaking. Training will also be provided in whitewater safety, repair, rigging, cooking, and minimum impact camping. In addition to and perhaps more important than these technical skills, students will also develop teamwork, decision-making, interpersonal, leadership, and risk-assessment skills in a supervised, wilderness setting. Our goal is to act as positive role models and to foster a fun and friendly environment in which each student can gain self-confidence, independence, and maturity (while having the time of their life!) What to Expect A pdf of these trip details (along with more information about what to expect on your trip) can be found and downloaded here. If you still have questions, please feel free to call us (209-962-7873) or email us (arta@arta.org). We love to talk about our trips! Download Guide Trip Details A day on the river A day on the river Every day will be different; every day will be full. A typical day might start with the cook crew getting up first, making breakfast, and handling the kitchen duties. Others will be in charge of preparing the gear and others may have the morning off. Each day we’ll rotate so that everyone shares in the responsibilities of a successful trip. After a big breakfast, we’ll load the rafts and maybe have a quick on-shore lesson before heading downriver. One or two students will act as “Lead Guide” each day and, working closely with an instructor, be in charge of the trip. They will plan the itinerary, supervise any activities, disseminate information, and coordinate the group. At some point, we’ll stop for a picnic lunch and maybe play a game, practice a skill or learn a new trick. In the afternoon, we’ll continue to work on our rafting skills and maybe take a short hike or stop to swim or scout a rapid. Evenings will be lively with camp responsibilities, cooking, games, contests, stories, and time to reflect on the day. By dark, we’ll be exhausted and we’ll fall asleep to the sound of the river and the light of the stars. Download PDF Getting There Itinerary What's Provided On The River Getting There This Trip Will Begin and end at: Medford Airport Baggage Claim 1000 Terminal Loop Pkwy, Medford, OR 97504 We will meet you in the baggage claim area of the Medford airport between 3:00 pm and 6:00 pm on day 1 of the trip (The first day). Look for an ARTA T-shirt and a smiling face. Please make flight arrangements to arrive during this timeframe, and please give us the arrival time and airline information when you fill out your Online Registration Form. If you have other travel arrangements or have difficulty arriving during this window, please contact our office for an alternative meeting time and place. Get Directions Itinerary Subject to change due to flows Day 1 We will meet at the Medford airport between 3:00 pm and 6:00 pm, then drive to the ARTA facility in Grants Pass (1 hour). Here we will have dinner, go over trip parameters, pack for the trip, get to know each other, and spend the night. Day 2 An early and busy morning during which we will learn knots and rigging and go over safety procedures will lead to a relaxing afternoon in the boats floating downriver. There are just a few small rapids on this day, giving us time to learn basic navigation techniques and become comfortable in the boats. Camping will be at a wilderness site along the Rogue. Day 3-6 We will continue down the Rogue working on ferry angles, turns, pivots, and eddy-catching. In addition to whitewater instruction, we will take time to learn about wilderness camping and the unique history of the Rogue. We will explore historic ranches, hike to idyllic swimming holes, and play skills games in the warm water of the Rogue. The students and instructors will be divided into groups with each group having specific responsibilities for the day. Students will be involved in setting up and taking down camp, preparing meals, washing dishes, and caring for the equipment. The days will be busy, but not strenuous. Evenings will include a combination of structured and unstructured time. Day 7 An early morning wake-up will get us to take-out before noon. We will de-rig the rafts, load the trailer and head to Medford to catch afternoon flights back home. Please aim for flights that leave between 5:00 and 8:00pm on the last day of the trip. What's Provided We Will Provide Transportation from the Medford airport to the river and back. Friendly, professional instructors and assistants. All meals from dinner on the first day to lunch on the last day. All taxes and government access fees. Waterproof bags, lifejackets, and other specialized river touring equipment for the trip. What you are responsible for Transportation to Medford before your trip and from Medford after your trip. Personal clothing and toiletries (see Equipment page). Camping gear (see Equipment page for information on renting equipment from ARTA). On The River Weather Types of Boats Meals & Drinks Camping Weather The weather in southern Oregon in June can be cool and rainy and everyone should come prepared for drizzle and sunshine. A fleece sweater/pullover with a wool or fleece beanie and a good rainshell for camp should take care of the cool days; a hat with a brim, sunglasses and shorts will take care of the warm days. The river temperature is refreshing and you will be doing a lot of swimming. Bring plenty of sunscreen! Types of Boats We’ll try to bring a variety of boats so you can get experience with a lot of different equipment. Meals & Drinks ARTA meals are AMAZING! Guests are often shocked at how wonderful our meals are in a back-country setting. We bring the highest quality ice chests to keep meats, fruits and veggies fresh for the duration of the trip. Meals are designed for foodies (adults) and the occasional picky eater (kids!) alike. Guests can expect to start each day with fresh coffee and well-balanced breakfast, snacks are available throughout the day in the rafts, lunch is prepared riverside with many options, and appetizers are served to kick off the dinner hour early-evening with our main courses and desert to wrap up each day. We are happy to accommodate special dietary request/requirements. Please let us know in your pre-trip registration. We provide water, sports drink powder during the day, and hot coffee, tea, and cocoa in the morning. If you would like soda, beer, wine, or liquor at camp, please bring your own and we will have coolers/ice for you! Please bring beer/soda in cans, we can accommodate wine and liquor in glass bottles. Please bring what you plan to consume. Camping Overnight camping will be done at riverside beaches with spectacular views of the river and canyon. Guides will set up a full kitchen, dining area, drink and appetizer zone, and our ‘living room’ with chairs set up for each guest, a library of books and camp games. Guests will have the freedom to explore and pick out their own unique spot to set up their tents away from the central area, and guides are available to help. Our toilet facilities, and a hand-wash station will be set up in an isolated (and usually beautiful) location; going to the bathroom in the wilderness is surprisingly pleasant, keep in mind we set up the toilet facilities away from camp, a short walk to the toilet, often on uneven ground is part of the deal. On The River Weather Weather The weather in southern Oregon in June can be cool and rainy and everyone should come prepared for drizzle and sunshine. A fleece sweater/pullover with a wool or fleece beanie and a good rainshell for camp should take care of the cool days; a hat with a brim, sunglasses and shorts will take care of the warm days. The river temperature is refreshing and you will be doing a lot of swimming. Bring plenty of sunscreen! Types of Boats Types of Boats We’ll try to bring a variety of boats so you can get experience with a lot of different equipment. Meals & Drinks Meals & Drinks ARTA meals are AMAZING! Guests are often shocked at how wonderful our meals are in a back-country setting. We bring the highest quality ice chests to keep meats, fruits and veggies fresh for the duration of the trip. Meals are designed for foodies (adults) and the occasional picky eater (kids!) alike. Guests can expect to start each day with fresh coffee and well-balanced breakfast, snacks are available throughout the day in the rafts, lunch is prepared riverside with many options, and appetizers are served to kick off the dinner hour early-evening with our main courses and desert to wrap up each day. We are happy to accommodate special dietary request/requirements. Please let us know in your pre-trip registration. We provide water, sports drink powder during the day, and hot coffee, tea, and cocoa in the morning. If you would like soda, beer, wine, or liquor at camp, please bring your own and we will have coolers/ice for you! Please bring beer/soda in cans, we can accommodate wine and liquor in glass bottles. Please bring what you plan to consume. Camping Camping Overnight camping will be done at riverside beaches with spectacular views of the river and canyon. Guides will set up a full kitchen, dining area, drink and appetizer zone, and our ‘living room’ with chairs set up for each guest, a library of books and camp games. Guests will have the freedom to explore and pick out their own unique spot to set up their tents away from the central area, and guides are available to help. Our toilet facilities, and a hand-wash station will be set up in an isolated (and usually beautiful) location; going to the bathroom in the wilderness is surprisingly pleasant, keep in mind we set up the toilet facilities away from camp, a short walk to the toilet, often on uneven ground is part of the deal.