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    Imperial River Company

    4.0 (115 reviews)
    Open • Open 24 hours

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    Jason C.

    You step onto the Deschutes not knowing what to expect. The sun leans low. The water pulls forward with purpose. The rapids, those crisp, roaring punctuation marks, start writing the kind of afternoon you'll replay in your head for years. Then Alex, our guide, takes the mic. With the charm of a seasoned showman and the precision of a scientist, he turned a whitewater rafting adventure into something unforgettable. His wit is sharper than a dry martini. His knowledge of the river and the volcanic bones beneath it is the kind of insight that makes you feel smarter just for listening. He doesn't just steer the raft. He steers you through time, weaving in the geologic history of the canyon walls while pointing out an osprey nest perched high above, hatchlings inside, chirping beneath the wind. You hear the rapids before you feel them. Then comes the dance. Navigating tight fits between boulders. Gliding effortlessly over shallow shelves. The raft lifts and drops like it's in on the secret. The kids laughed. The adults let go. And when the moment was right, we jumped in. Cold, clean, and utterly refreshing. A shock to the system in the best possible way. It's family friendly in the purest sense of the phrase. Thrilling, but never reckless. Informative, never dull. Wild, but still welcoming. The Imperial River Company doesn't just offer whitewater rafting. They offer escape. The kind where you stop checking your watch and start listening to the water, the birds, the laughter echoing off canyon walls. Book the trip. Ask for Alex. Let the Deschutes show you what summer is supposed to feel like.

    Trout
    Klf B.

    Clean, nice fire pit. They have a restaurant and a Bar. But best of all it's on the Deshutes River where the fishing is GREAT. We stay here every time.

    One corner of our bedroom, the Birdwatcher's room. Each room has a theme.
    Lindsay P.

    Our bicycle group stayed here for several nights in June,2024. Lovely setting along the Deschutes River. Our room, the Birdwatcher,wasn't fancy but spacious with comfortable beds and tasteful murals on the walls of trees and with sweet little birdhouses. Breakfast included was plentiful and ideal before a bike ride. Delightful dinner on the shady patio by the river. Dave was our excellent server. Although they also run rafting trips, we didn't have time on this trip. Very nice and shady Maupin city park is next door which our friends with RV's and tents enjoyed.

    Rivers are nice. The bathroom hooks were perfect for my socks! The carpet felt so good between my fingers. They don't offer room service but I was comforted by the painting on the wall that said "Room Service." The beautiful vase by the window really helped me fall asleep. The alarm clock was perfect. The fake plants in the room helped me breath. But don't bump them... they will do the opposite. The ceiling light. Old photos of children on the walls. Really neat, but I couldn't find the batteries that were making their eyes blink. Right on the river, which is cold, but the air conditioning works. Would have given 5.1 stars, but I lost my gloves. All in all, splendid stay.

    Rafting trip 2019
    John G.

    This was my 3rd year rafting at Imperial, and it literally gets better each year. The guides are freaking funny and informative and just so fun to spend the day with. Our guy this time was Brian (who actually recognized me from last time). He had a shaman's knowledge of the river and all the quirky things in the area, but literally made us laugh a few times so hard we almost peed. Super awesome dude (his sister Kelly was also great the year before, btw). The river itself is gorgeous. Great rapids in areas with calm floats in between. Its perfect. We love it and look forward to our yearly trip here more every year. We are loyal Imperial River Company customers and will be back next season for an even longer trip down the Deschutes.

    From the views of the Deschutes River to relaxing mornings with one of their great Bloody Mary's. This place is an amazing place for anyone.
    Luke L.

    Always a comfortable stay when we come here each year for the Salmonfly hatch. The atmosphere is always a very energetic, relaxing and fun. Service around the whole Lodge, restaurant and bar. All equally amazing! Brian is a great bartender and always fun to have a chat with. Over the past decade I've completed the stay in each room of the hotel. Each one of them is very unique, equipped with their own special books and backstories. It's an amazing lodge, great for anyone looking to disconnect, relax, fish, raft, birdwatch, whatever strikes your fancy. A very enjoyable place anytime of the year.

    Imperial burger with fried egg and sweet potato fries
    Jasmine T.

    The best place to eat along a river on a warm summer day. Burgers are great and the barbecue sauce is their own. My only complaint is that they changed the way they seat and serve people. It used to be a sit down and be served place, now it's an order at the counter and then sit down. Service used to be better but food is still good and location is awesome.

    bridge by the rafting place
    Akiko I.

    ******* Disclaimer ******** This review isn't for foods. I review nothing but foods. But I guess I can offer good travel tips after my vacation, so this is sorta exception. I came here for the "whole day white rafting" on Deschutes River! ******************************************** Booking: Online or call. Online is definitely easy. There's a season for rafting - when the water level is low, it's not fun. Make sure you contact them first so that you can do it. Fee: $100 for the whole day (adult). I guess $60 or so for the half day. I do recommend the whole day!! The whole day package comes with 18 mile of rafting - 2 sections before lunch, and 1 more difficult/exciting section after lunch - and lunch. Attire: I recommend to wear swim suits, shorts, and T-shirt. They have water proof light jackets you can wear under the life guard jacket if you don't wanna be "SOAKING WET". You WILL get wet. I warned you. Stuff you might bring: They have a photographer - you can buy all the pictures for $60. But we didn't have it since he/she called in sick that day. Bring the water proof camera! It costs you only a little, and you do want that since there're tons of quiet down time you don't need to paddle and can enjoy seeing all the nature. You don't need to bring anything else - they provide you water and a snack bar while moving to the next point. You might need a towel during the lunch and after rafting, but you don't need it during rafting. Personal belongings: Put everything in the car. You can leave your car key in the building - they lock it while rafting. - Locale Destination - It's on Bakeoven County Rd - right on the banks of the Deschutes River, Maupin, OR. It's an hour drive from Bend. It's beautiful - lots of trees, river, and mountains. The town I passed to come to this white rafting experience had some cool classy buildings - good old American classic - like a gas station. I wish I could take pictures there ;( If you come here for rafting, it's good idea to stay this lodge or places nearby (the whole day rafting starts at 9 am). You don't see 5 star accommodations around here, but you see old and small charming places. The staff were all fun, knowledgeable, and funny. - Gluttony Expedition - Rafting: They'll teach you how to do it and give you tips before we start it. It's easy. The guide tells you what to do while rafting. Lots of down time not to paddle. If you fell into water, just be calm so that all of your clues can help to pick you up. Don't get panic. It happens. You can swim in the river if you want. The guide tells you when things get bumpy and let you sit at the front of the boat to enjoy it!! Just listen to your guide. They're well experienced!! It's really fun!! Lunch: They'll provide you BBQ - burger (beef, chicken, or vegetarian), salads, fruits, cookies, and drinks. *** For a whole day package It's decent. It tasted good after rafting!!! - Conqueror's Deduction - This was my first time for rafting. This was easy and a lot more fun than I thought. It's more like "paddle sometimes, lots of non paddle time to enjoy the scenery". You don't keep paddling non stop here. I'm sure you can have those experiences somewhere else, but this is definitely easy and tons of fun!! I was thinking to get my own boat and paddles for myself to enjoy it while rafting ;p The knowledgeable staff really helped us to enjoy it. Do it if you had a chance. It's REALLY FUN!!!!

    Great outdoor seating, right on the river.

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    2 months ago

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    Chelsie F.

    The fishing here is great! Join us this Fall for the Steelhead run!

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    2 years ago

    Stay here on my Deschutes fishing trips. Perfect location and nice place to stay. The room themes are fun and interesting

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    1 year ago

    Beautiful location and great staff! Loved our rafting trip with them. We will be back.

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    2 years ago

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    5 years ago

    Been rafting with them 3 years in a row. Did the overnight with them and had a blast. Plus we hardly had to lift a finger beside row!

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    Page 1 of 3

    Ask the Community - Imperial River Company

    Review Highlights - Imperial River Company

    “Our guy this time was Brian (who actually recognized me from last time).”

    Mentioned in 6 reviews

    Read more highlights

    River Drifters

    River Drifters

    (102 reviews)

    The entire trip experience from booking through load out was fantastic. Haven, who was our trip's…read moregear boater called a few days before we left but with the well laid out info we already had received I didn't have any questions or concerns. On the river, Pippa, our boats guide was a master. She shared her knowledge of the river and surroundings and made the trip just a really fun and unforgettable experience. Kaden was the second boat guide on our trip and was fun to chat with at camp and obviously enjoyed his time on the river. The three of them made sure we had great camps and meals- lunch the first day was my personal favorite. Meals worried me because of a gluten intolerance but I was well accommodated and even got to enjoy some yummy day 3 pancakes for breakfast. The water was amazing. The guides offered extra adventure for those who were up for it- jumping off rocks, bull riding on the bow, and picking your level of comfort for the last days big rapids. Surfing was my favorite and I'll never forget being able to gaze down into that moving water a few inches from my face. This trip was absolutely amazing. Don't hesitate for a moment- this is a beautiful way to see an incredible part of Oregon.

    What a fantastic half day rafting down the Deschutes River. We went in a group of four adults and…read moretwo kids (5 and 7), almost all of whom had never been rafting. We had our own raft and shared the river with two other rafts of six from the company. Our guide was great on the river and great with the kids (including suggestions for where they should slsit in the raft). The first words out of our 5 year olds mouth was "can we go again"? They had a photographer follow by minivan with fun telephoto shots of the group afterwards ($60). All and all a great trip. Our only tip is that the email information differs from some of the instructions in reality ( ie they say you must have closed toe water shoes, but many were in flip flops or Teva sandals; it was recommended to bring water, sunscreen, hat and sunglasses by our guide after we checked in- whereas it felt like much of this was discouraged but online)

    High Desert River Outfitters - Brian S. guiding through Boxcar.

    High Desert River Outfitters

    (94 reviews)

    We had a big group and they were very accommodating. Super fun crew (Justin and Zach) that gave us…read moregreat thrills and we're still considerate of our kids. Thanks HDRO for the best vacation day yet!!

    Organized down to a science. Safety conscious. AND fun conscious. AND inexpensive -- $60 for a…read morefull-day of wild wetness, including a bbq lunch halfway thru...and a ten-minute HIKE to a NATURAL WATERSLIDE. Add a $4 use fee. Still a bargain for some awesome FUN in nature. You assemble at 10 a.m. to sign waivers and confess your age on the form...get outfitted with the appropriately-sized life jacket. And buy some last-minute things in the office, such as chapstick with sun screen and a water-tight container for smokes. Also pet Lucy the wonder dog. Bring nothing except a great attitude, because they will take pictures for you (having guys stationed along the route with a ready and well-practiced camera). They have SHUTTLE transportation and it's a SHORT RIDE to the put in. We had a badass female river guide...DEB....she was the lead that day, and gave us some great advice on how to row (use your core, not your arms)...easy-to-understand rowing instructions...and she emphasized the fun AND the safety. No one swamped or got pulled into the water, unless they wanted to swim...she also memorized our names and talked a little with everyone on the trip. Also her voice carried nicely over the rushing water and the screaming of the clients...Way to go! Awesome job, Deb! This is a CLASS III river...with plenty of time to recover and just float...water was a little low...so rocks were exposed here and there...and while there weren't the big big holes or crazy nuts insane hydraulics, it was still super fun and we did get super wet. Plus there are LAVA TUBE formations below, so it created interesting spinning motions for the rafting experience....plus there's a rapid where we could STAND UP while paddling (my favorite thing to do!!! Whoooo hooooo). Our guide DEB told us about the geology, the flora and fauna along the river...and she told us the names of each set....Wapinitia...Boxcar...AND she also pointed out the nesting OSPREY and pointed out the deer resting underneath an oak tree...we saw SWALLOWS, the swallows nesting under the bridge...the DUCKS zipping fast out of our way...I LOVE WILDLIFE SIGHTINGS! Deb was also encouraging to our not-so-coordinated and the young'uns...again much appreciated, Deb. One cool feature....you can bullride the nose of the raft and get completely drenched. Everyone on the left side gets wetter...HINT: Just check which side the river guide sits, that will tell you which side is the dry side. I really wanted to ride the nose but I was a tag-a-long on this family vacation, but next time. SHOUTOUT: Friendly upbeat river guides. Also nice picnick lunch...a guy named Rabbit grilled the hamburgers....the buns all stacked in a pyramid....all the fixings and condiments...nicely and evenly cut tomato slices...watermelon, beautifully sliced thin (someone has pretty good culinary knife skills!!).... freshly-baked store-bought type sugar cookies with m & m in them....being a vegetarian/vegan, it was easy to make a tomato onion pickle sandwich from what was on the table. Had they had prior warning, I wonder if they would have had a garden burger for me...it was a thoughtful picnic setup nonetheless. OVERALL: Great outfitter. Reasonable cost to purchase pics, shown to you on an IPAD, then given to you on a flashdrive. Bigtime FUN on the river...on a breezy warm, but not too warm, perfect Thursday.

    Imperial River Company - hotels - Updated September 2026

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