Deschutes River Adventures

My family and I have rented and rafted with Deschutes River Adventures for more than twenty years, and have always had a great experiences. Their owners and office staff are always friendly and accommodating and answer all your questions, no matter if you are an experienced rafter or coming for the first time. We've done different types of trips with them over the years, whether it be day trips or overnight trips, we always have a blast.

My three friends and I decided to come to Central Oregon for the weekend after feeling cooped up in The Willamette Valley for too long.

We hiked a great trail, spent some time at the Bacon, Brews and Balloons Festival and then went to camp near Terrebonne.

On Sunday, we had reservations for the full day White Water Rafting. The cost was $90 per person.

Only one of us has ever been rafting before, so the other three of us didn't know what to expect. But our friend have us a good general outline and the person at the counter also did a great job at answering questions to help facilitate the process.

We had arrived at 10:30 and we left in a small bus at 11am.

This place was a little different from what our friend said in the sense that she has previously gotten to leave her dry clothes and belongings with the bus/ pick up car. However, this time, you had to leave your belongings in your car.

Once we arrived, we were given a lot of safety instructions, our paddles and our life vests. We were then assigned to Jody (male guide). I started off by telling Jody that I did not know how to swim. He looked at me and said "that's what life vests are for!" He was extremely positive, down to earth and really easy to engage with and talk to. He kept asking us our comfort levels about different things and kept the entire trip engaging, fun and he had fun stories to share about different parts of the four hour trip (which included time for lunch).

Jody was really good about giving us information about about what was coming up and how to get through it. He told us about different scenarios and let us know what to do and where to go in the event of an emergency.

He knew many people on the other boats and would engage them with different jokes and practical jokes. He also knew a lot about the history of Maupin which was pretty incredible.

Jody did a great job at engaging and encouraging my group with questions, listening and he was very proactive. It was evident that he loved being able to take people out on the water and help them be safe.

He was really good about being encouraging to me as someone who doesn't swim and as a result, I did a number of things I honestly never thought I would do.

Once we got back to the main office, we were able to change and then we looked at our photos. There were three options for the photos, my group of four friends decided to split the cost of buying the entire set which was available on Google Drive or a thumb drive. We purchased it for $60 which ended up just being $15 a person.

It's crazy to think something as simple as a weekend trip to Central Oregon could be so life altering, but with a little positivity, some great guidance and a few good friends, life can change in the most miraculous of ways.

It was my first time and it was a great day and experience! Our guide was great! I recommend!

Connor was our guide and the other staff were calling him the terminator out on the water... This is a great crew with the best equipment and friendly guides!

Shelly and Dave are an awesome team!!!!!

Shelly is so personable and helpful. She followed up to make sure we had our shuttle taken care of, our river permits, checked our put in and take out dates and times and if we needed Ice. Its these little things that are so helpful.

Dave beat me to the Buck Hollow boat ramp and we were ready to load. Raft, Frame, Oars and accessories were in excellent condition. Dave even took the time to help me load.

At Heritage Boat ramp he was in the water waiting and we went right onto the trailer and up to the Parking lot.

This team really understands the meaning of SERVICE!!!!!

They'll have my business forever!!!! Paul

I've been several times with this company, they're the best trained, thank you this past weekend to Carson for an exceptional experience, he truly had skills beyond any other guide and showed us a great time, very knowledgeable about the area too!

We have been Deschutes River Adventure customers since 1985. Our annual 3 day trip from Warm Springs down to Maupin is an event that is looked forward to by our entire crew. In the 30 years that we have done business with Deschutes River Adventures we have never had a single slip up in service or follow through. If you are going rafting, Deschutes River Adventures is the only outfit that you need to contact. Thank you Shelly, John, Dave and the whole crew for all the years of great service.

Sincerely,

Harry Shook

We had a blast with Andy and crew. DRA knows the river like no other outfit and they know how to maximize the fun and safety on your boat. Fantastic!!

The team from DRA helped turn a Scout Troop's idea into a fantastic trip. The Scouts wanted a 50 mile rafting trip and they were not disappointed. Four days and three nights on the river, excellent weather, great camp sites, delicious meals and fantastic scenery made this a trip to remember. From Troop 479 thank you DRA.

So much fun, they really take care of you! Amazing time and great hospitality. Absolutely loved it!