Rogue River Gorge (Jackson County, Oregon)

On my drive from Bend, OR to Oregon Caves National Monument, I saw an interesting sign that warranted some investigation. The sign indicated a geologic site called the Rogue River Gorge. While somewhat familiar with the Rogue River, I was unaware of any notable gorge cut by it and so, I had to check it out.

From the parking lot, just off the highway, a paved trail with a fence runs parallel to the small, but violent river as it passes through a narrow channel of reasonably high cliffs. As I read the signage and note with my own eyes, the river is flowing through a collection of collapsed lava tube caves. Not all that surprising given our proximity to the very active Newberry Volcano, which I explored yesterday. While these lava tubes may be much older than the areas I hiked in and around, they still keep some of that character.

A series of four overlooks have been constructed to offer views of the raging river below, but most are obstructed by trees or hanging limbs, which is unfortunate not only for me, but for a mother and her adult son that I strike up a conversation with. Apparently, he is studying to be a professional photographer. Well, my friend, you picked a great place to shoot. This area is absolutely spectacular. The river forms a series of waterfalls as it passes through the narrow gorge, which is probably only 20-feet wide at the widest point. 

Just a short distance upstream, the gorge opens up into two forks, one nearly dry and the other raging. A number of fallen trees have been collected over the waterfall and make for an interesting composition to my shots here. This is a really cool place and I'm glad I stopped, but that said, it's time to get back on the road.