Rogue River Camping Letter 2010

We haven’t used this blog for a while, but I recently wrote the following letter and want to share it with as many Rogue River users as possible to help possible alleviate some of the campsite issues we’ve discussed in the past.

April 21, 2010

Dear Rogue River User,

I am writing this letter to both commercial outfitters and recreational river users (“private boaters”) to address some of the issues with campsite competition on the Rogue River and to offer some possible solutions. In the past there have been tensions on the Rogue River between commercial groups and private groups based on campsite competition. Two years ago I helped propose a campsite reservation system on the Rogue and learned a lot about some of the issues and possible solutions.

The problem seems to stem from small groups (let’s say 10 or fewer people) that use the large campsites, which can hold 20 or more people. Many groups use these sites simply because they have established outhouses, and they don’t want to set up their required river toilet. When this happens, large groups often have no place left to camp. This is a serious problem for large groups (both commercial and private), so in response, they sometimes send a rabbit boat (aka speed boat) ahead of their group to reserve large campsites. This, in turn, infuriates groups who don’t get their preferred campsites, and they blame the large groups. It’s a vicious cycle.

There are plenty of camp sites on the Rogue, if small groups take small campsites and large groups take large ones. The problems arise when small groups take large campsites. Unfortunately, the established outhouses are, for the most part, located at the large camps. This contributes to small groups not wanting to utilize the small sites.

This becomes a problem between private and commercial users, since large groups tend to be commercial groups and small groups tend to be private boaters. At most, 5 commercial outfitters can launch per day in several configurations, since outfitters have large (20 guests plus 5 guides) and small (10 guests and 3 guides) starts. On any given summer day, there can be 3 large, or 2 large and 2 small, or 2 large and 3 small, or 1 large and 4 small starts for outfitters. So, at most, there can be 5 commercial groups of varying size launching per day and at most, 3 of them are large groups. Typically at least one of the commercial groups is staying at the lodges, so only 2 of the larger camps are needed by large commercial trips.

Private groups tend to be much smaller based on the way the BLM manages private permits. It is more difficult to get a private permit for a larger group, so most private boaters apply for small permits. Since there is no punishment for turning in a private permit up to 10 days before the trip date, many permit holders hold their permits until then. These last minute cancellations lead to private groups that are put together at the last minute, which also tend to be smaller. The most common size for a private group is 2 people. Over half of the private groups are 5 people or less. 87% of the private groups have 10 or fewer people.

So commercial companies can launch up to 5 trips per day and they tend to be larger while private users, on average, launch 15 trips per day and tend to be smaller. It’s tough to find 20 camps each night, and luckily some outfitters run lodge trips, which eliminates the need for camps for some commercial groups.

To help us all have access to adequate campsites and a great experience on the Rogue, we all need to camp in campsites that fit our group size. This includes small commercial groups. The BLM has set this policy, but some groups don’t follow it and throw a wrench in the whole system.

There are so many wonderful small camps on the Rogue River that don’t get used simply because they don’t have a permanent outhouse. I am asking that if you are a small group, please don’t take a large camp simply because you’d rather not set up or clean your river toilet (this especially includes commercial guides & outfitters with small groups). Setting up your river toilet in a small camp will help alleviate camping issues for larger groups. This will help alleviate some of the on-river tensions AND reduce the need for commercial companies to send rabbit boats.

I attempted to propose a campsite reservations system two years ago and met much resistance along the way. It was a huge learning experience for me. Here are some alternative solutions to the “campsite competition” program that I suggest:

Remove established outhouses from large campsites and replace them in small campsites.

Require private permit holders to turn in their unused permits 30 days before the start date. This was proposed by the Oregon Whitewater Association as a solution to the campsite competition problem.

Educate small groups about the limited number of large sites (i.e. this letter)

Finally, please note that if you are a small group camped at a large campsite, another group can camp at that spot. This goes for both private and commercial trips. Please be ready to make space (and new friends) if you’ve chosen a large site for a small group.

If you have any comments, ideas, or suggestions, please contact me directly at (541) 386-2271 or by email at zach@echotrips.com.

Sincerely,

Zachary Collier
General Manager
ECHO River Trips