Friends and I planned a rafting trip during our vacation and chose these guys. We had a great time and our guide Matthew was fabulous!! Highly recommend. read more

Orange Torpedo Trips - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Merlin, Oregon

Just finished a great rafting trip down the Rogue River with this company. We had a great time, food was good, and they really know how to have a good time. Stephanie was one of the best rafting guides we have had and we were very impressed by her knowledge of the Rogue. We will be back. read more

What a fabulous river rafting trip! The guides were professional, personal and fun. They instantly make you feel safe, comfortable and challenged if you like. Their enthusiasm is contagious ! Our trip lasted 3 days, staying in lodges for 2 nights. The staff at the lodges were welcoming and the food delicious. This company loves and respects the river. They have terrific stories to tell of the history of the river and area. They are local people who are proud of their home. A wonderful experience for all ages and abilities. read more

11 of us went on the Nugget Falls half day trip as part of my bachelor party weekend. For most of us this was our first time white water rafting and it was awesome! We were split up into two rafts and upon hitting the first class IV rapid, the two guys in the front of the first raft came out, and then in the second raft our guide came out head over heels. Everyone was ok and we met up at a sandy little beach right after where we had some snacks. The guides were great and the trip was a blast, I definitely look forward to rafting again! read more

Great trip with Orange Torpedo! Our guide Gabe was super friendly and knowledgeable. What a fun and beautiful adventure! Highly recommended.

Loved the sunset rafting tour! Our guides Jasmin and Leila were awesome at navigating the white water and keeping us safe while having a fun ride! Be prepared to get wet. Beautiful scenery along the entire route. Thanks for a great evening! read more

My wife and I did an evening float trip down part of the Rogue with Donnie Farmer as our Tour Guide through Orange Torpedo. We saw lots of interesting birds and a couple of baby muskrats. Donnie told us a little folklore from the area and pointed out various highlights as we traveled downstream. We stopped for a great snack. Hitting a few stretches of whitewater made the trip exciting but Donnie kept it interesting all the way. read more

Our daughters softball team was in Oregon for the Nationals tournament last month and we found this place last minute and decided to book. We all had we an amazing time with the staff and lunch they served was delicious. The reason for the two stars is because of their billing and them adding people to your reservation without your knowledge and trying to charge you for it. I called them 3 times to let them know that they added another adult and child to my reservation and to please remove them and they never did. They sent me an invoice stating that I still owed the money for the two people THEY added to my reservation! You see, I booked online for myself, my husband, and my daughter. Only the three of us! I have proof of this! However the company added another adult and child to our reservation and tried to charge us for it, even after I had contacted them three times!! So this is my warning to you that they add people to your reservation without your knowledge or permission and try and make you responsible for the payment for them. Check your bank statement and compare that to the email receipt they send you!! read more

Such an amazing service! I went twice in two days because I loved it so much. Everyone is super friendly and helpful and offered fantastic advice. I felt extremely safe with the guides I had (shoutout to Claire and Brandon who were awesome...legit best guides ever!) Would highly recommend this to anyone interested in whitewater rafting in southern Oregon. Definitely worth a long drive. I couldn't have asked for better guides or more spectacular trip. This is a must for anyone with a sense of adventure passing through the area. read more

Had an amazing 14 mile float along the river! Felt very safe the entire time. All guests were looked after properly. Lunch was plentiful. They even sang me happy birthday! I cant wait to come back for the 3 day trip! Beautiful canyons, refreshing clean waters, most of all most relaxing day ive had in a long time! read more

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Great trip for our family of five. Harrison, Derek and Josh were real pros and put on a fun day. I would recommend to anybody looking for a fun, hassle free day on the river. read more

They helped us with a hike -- getting us background info, to start point and shifting cars around for the pickup. Worked great -- on time, as expected, etc. really appreciate the help and would definitely use again should we hike the trail again. (But next time we'll probably raft -- the crews we saw Orange Torpedo taking down the river looked like they were having an awesome time). Thanks guys for making it a great trip and maybe see you next year for a float. read more

What a fun family event! M and Trevor were excellent guides and made the tour memorable, fun and exciting. We had an awesome lunch and had a few epic water fights. Who knew you can ride a bull down the Rouge River? Thanks to M and Trevor for making our end of summer vacation complete with smiles and laughter. You rock! read more

This trip was so fun! We did a 3 day Rogue River trip. Mike and the other guides (Grant, Red, Disney, Stitch & Dietz) were amazing - so incredibly knowledgeable about the river and excellent at leading a diverse group of 20 through both scenic 'floating' and exhilarating class 2, 3 and 4 rapids. We stayed at fabulous lodges along the way - Black Bar and Paradise. Quaint cabins, excellent and bountiful food! Don't bring a hairdryer because these lodges are off the grid and run on generator power. If you are reading this review trying to decide whether to do it, I hope you sign up for a trip. I promise you'll be talking how amazing an experience it was in years to come. Don't be shy- we were a group of people of varied age - 11 to 70 and ability. You'll have a great time with OTT! read more

This was a great experience for our family. Our guide "Red" was especially knowledgeable and fun, while also keeping everyone safe. We highly recommend this company! read more

If you have any choice in rafting trips, let me assure you - you want to choose OTT. And there are several reasons for this. First of all, if you're coming from out of state, they can make your life very easy. We were flying in, were delayed a full 24 hours, and did not rent a car. They talked to us every few hours, volunteered to act as a liaison with our hotel, and happily drove us to and from the airport and hotel, and to and from the hotel and the river center. Friendly and charming about it all. They also recommended some things for us to do in Grants Pass (not an exciting town) and a pretty decent hotel (again, kind of as good as it gets). In terms of the trip itself, you want to take the Wild and Scenic Rogue River trip, which includes lodge stays instead of camping. The lodges were wonderful (no double beds, so prepare yourself to squish in with your significant other), with friendly staff, fantastic food, and nice hot showers. All the fun of the outdoors without the pain in your lower back from uneven ground. The guides also make delightful sandwiches for lunch, served with some brown sugar walnut cookies I will now be trying to recreate in my kitchen. Alcohol abounds, with lots of cheap beer, some decent wine, and the harder stuff, too. As for the rafting itself, it is a perfect combination of excitement and mindless floating. We only saw one class 4 (last day), but enjoyed the 2s and 3s immensely - this was only my husband's second rafting experience, and neither of us had tried the inflatable kayaks. Thankfully, experience is irrelevant. Even the kids were fine for all three days, and if you get tired, there is an oared raft with the group - you can sit there and be lazy for an hour, or a day. The guides are extremely friendly, full of history and geology notes, and always good for a laugh, so that even when you fall out it seems trivial and/or hilarious. They take excellent care of the whole group both on and off the river. We finished our three days feeling both accomplished and relaxed, and ready to book another trip. Notes for those shipping out soon: BRING SUNSCREEN. Ignore anyone who says the higher SPF makes no difference. Get 100 and apply every few hours (at every break). We were a fabulous maroon color by the end, and it was the only pain we experienced (shoulders were not at all a problem). We could barely walk the next day. Bug spray is a good call - the lodges are nice, but those bugs still get in (5 inch moth = terrifying). Gear to get (as OTT tells you): paddling gloves, river shoes, chums to hold your glasses on, baseball hat, chapstick, extra carabiners to hold shoes or waterbottles, and Dramamine for the 2 hour drive home. Warning - a rapid snapped my sunglasses in half when I flipped, so it's good to bring cheap ones! Don't bring too much stuff, by the way - you have to carry it uphill. Finally, they take fabulous high speed photos and DVD footage for everyone, which they send to you and post on Flickr. Therefore, bring a cheap waterproof camera to throw into a life jacket pocket, but don't worry too much about getting the perfect shots - they do a great job, so that you can focus on that wall of water in front of you. Thanks for a great trip, OTT! It was worth every penny. We can't wait to come back with our extended family. :) read more

A blast and highly recommded! Incredible team of professional yet very fun guides who can provide a tasty spread for lunch as well. The kayaks, the rapids, the adrenaline rushes, the lodges, delicious breakfasts and dinners, the laughs and the photos to prove we actually did it, made for an unforgettable 3 day mini-vacation. Thank you! You guys have it down. read more

I loathe giving bad reviews, but when there is a lack of basic safety standards and common courtesy I feel it is important to speak out. From the start, I was dismayed when the guides skipped the review of basic safety procedures for the guests on the paddle and gear boat. This was followed by a lack of common courtesy and a show of unprofessional behaviors. The result was several serious injuries and an uncomfortable experience with many left feeling that things could have been handled better. The lack of concern for safely contributed to the paddle boat getting stuck in the rapids. a slip and fall from the raft the resulted in a serious injury and a case of hypothermia. These injuries could have been avoided if the guides had given their full attention to the guests and offered a helping hand when needed. Where were the guides while these injuries were happening? Goofing off doing stunts in the water or on the beach. Taking care of the guests was just not on their radar. It was as if the guides were on vacation along with the paying guests. There was poor communication between the main office and the lodges. A single person was not given her own room, but had to share a sofa bed in a room with a family or couple. This made the parties involved quite uncomfortable. Bottom line: I've been on trips with other companies that were far better at taking care of the guests and maintaining a professional demeanor and safety standards through the experience. I would not recommend this company. read more

I made the mistake of renting an oarboat from this company. They don't understand how the equipment works together. The raft was fine. The oars and the oar frame were mismatched to the point of being a safety hazard. The people that rent this gear does not have a clue about the gear they have. This should have been a fun day of sports car like rafting. Instead it was work and stress. The oars were not balance for the frame. They probably were for an 18 foot boat and I had 13 although a custom frame could work for this. Instead it was probably a 70 year old vintage steel frame for a different type of boat. When I picked up a life jacket to use I was told to put it back and they insisted I use a life jacked that bearly zipped (ha ha, you think I am kidding). I think they wanted me to break an oar (and pay for it) but they did not give me an extra oar or a bail bucket. Renting from these people, never again and I recommend you go elsewhere as well. There appear to be a couple of other companies in Merlin. Other experiences there may be ok. An oarboat is very different from a torpedo boat or a trail run. I spoke to one guide and he seemed ok. read more

Our trip down the Rogue with OTT was a truly outstanding experience. The OTT staff, who do this all summer long, was enthusiastic, and helpful and great fun. Most critically, they were exceedingly competent in making for a safe trip, which pretty much means rapidly fishing guests out of the river when they dump (only one person in a party of 32 maintained dry hair on our trip). Could not recommend the experience or people more. read more

Fantastic day on the river with a fantastic whitewater rafting outfitter! So glad we went with Orange Torpedo! Reservation process was done by filing out a form online so it was easy peasy! Their full day + lunch price was a mere $10 more than the price of a half day excursion with the other rafting outfitters so this was a no brainer. We were a group of 8 adults and 8 kids ages 7-11. We had two rafts and two Orange Torpedo kayaks. We had two guides (one for each raft) and a guide on a kayak. We were able to take turns on the individual Orange Torpedo kayaks which was awesome because the kayaks were so much fun!!! Our competent guides were Luke, Pricilla, and Piper. They were all fun, friendly and were great with our kids. We had a great experience with Orange Torpedo and highly recommend this rafting outfitter. read more

We just left the river after a three day lodge trip with Orange Torpedo and cannot say enough about our experience. We had a blast! The briefing at the start of the trip, the guides, the rapids and the lodges could not have been more enjoyable. We would recommend this guide service to anyone who wants to enjoy the wild and scenic Rogue river. We will be back read more

We rented a float from Whitewater Cowboys. Real value for money. They dropped us off at the river and picked us up at the other end. They load and unload the raft. Life vests included. It was our first time on a raft without a guide and the rapids were easily manageable. Class II were the highest rapid rating. They allowed us to bring our dog along which helped as all the kennels were full. Secure parking inside. More parking outside. If you have forgotten anything - they also sell all kinds of things including hats, waterbottles etc - even dog lifevests. read more

On July 3, 2017, my husband, my best friend, her husband and I went on the afternoon guided rafting trip at Nugget Falls...and we had an awesome time! The two, class 4 rapids really challenged us! Our guide, Em, was very experienced in rafting and it showed! She was fun in addtioned to skilled. All the people at Orange Torpedo are great and they make your rafting trip a fun, fun adventure!! read more

Fritz from OTT led our group of 10 women on a four day hiking/rafting trip in the Rogue River Wilderness. Grant and Stitch were our capable oarsmen, who guided our gear (and an occasional blister footed hiker or two) down the Canyon. Can't say enough about how professional and accommodating our guides were. Very knowledgeable and fun to hang out with. They put together a mean lunch spread and our lodge stays were unique and fun each night. Food was great at the lodges. Especially liked Marial Lodge. (Sorry, you're going to gain weight on this trip.) On a particularly long and very hot hiking day, Grant and Stitch cooled us off with a ride on the rafts through a stretch of the Rogue with plentiful rapids. A great combo of beautiful, challenging hiking and an incomparable river experience. We were very well taken care of and enjoyed every minute of our trip. read more

We took the sunset raft 3-hour trip starting at Hell's Gate on the Rogue River. It was magnificent. Leela was our guide and she did an amazing job. She kept the raft always facing whatever there was to see - be it an egret, heron, turkey vulture or spectacular canyon walls and sunset. Mid way she pulled onto a beach and served us wine, soda, cheese and crackers, skewers of tomato/mozzarella and brownies. Every time one of us went to take a photo she magically brought the raft to a stop so our pictures came out perfect. I walk with a cane and have mobility issues, and was a bit worried about getting on and off the raft. Pffft! It was easy. I could easily sit on the bench while the raft was still mostly on the ramp and then swing my feet into the raft. She was knowledgeable and friendly, but also let us enjoy the silence of the canyon at sunset. The "white water" was less that the Disney ride Pirates of the Caribbean. Our legs and feet got wet from a splash or two, but it was not scary at all. If you're looking for a way to unplug for a couple of hours and enjoy spectacular natural beauty in the Rogue River, listen to the silence of the breeze and birds and the occasional fish jumping then this is for you. It truly made our vacation and we both haven't stopped talking about it. Thank you Leela - you have a gift for this and we can't thank you enough. read more

My husband and I jumped in at the last minute to raft down the Rogue. What fun! The crew brought water guns and we had a blast targeting other rafts. Great guides! Well organized! I'd do it again in a heartbeat. read more

The office staff in Merlin is extremely helpful! They were very generous and friendly!!

We brought our family of 3 down for a full day rafting trip. Our little is 7 and this would be her first time rafting down a river. Our 2 guides were Clair and Spencer. They were a fun pair and made sure we were safe the whole way down. We've done other rafting trips where the guide stayed on the big boat and the people in the torpedoes kind of forged the river with out much coaching. With this company, we had a guide on the big boat and one in a torpedo giving you the play by play of what was coming up. Very helpful. Lunch was wonderful. These guides really work hard to make sure your trip is perfect. It was the right speed for my 7 yr old and the guides were great with her. 3 thumbs up!! read more

I just went down the Lower Salmon with these guys. We had a GREAT TIME, wonderful food, and a fantastic experience. The guides were in the water with us all the time. We were well equipped, informed and protected. They were well organized and did an EXCELLENT job. I would go out with them again in a HEART BEAT. If you are going rafting, these are the guys to call. read more

we had a great time riverboarding on the Rogue Rover. Orange Torpedo was well organized, the guides were very helpful in getting us own the river safely. Thanks for a great day!!! read more

I just returned from a 2 day lodge trip on the North Umqua and it was AMAZING. Our guides, Nick and Jackson, were great the entire time. Not only did they know the river well, they even took us hiking to waterfalls in the evenings and gave us directions to other local hot springs and trails to explore. I had a 10 year old with me, and the level of safety was on point but not overbearing. The Umqua River is beautiful, all 27 miles that we floated in two days!! The lodge, Steamboat Inn, is stunning and right on the river. Food was great, scenery unbeatable, cabins were perfectly clandestine, and people were very friendly. An experienced boater would love this trip, and with the guides, even an inexperienced rafter will have the time of their lives. I rarely write reviews, but I HIGHLY recommend going with Orange Torpedo for either a rafting or kayak trip. We are already looking to do a 1 day on the Rouge soon and a Idaho trip next year. Hopefully Nick and Jackson will be available. Thanks again Orange Torpedo for the ultimate in rafting experience.......we will be back. read more

Our family of four just had a fantastic 4 days on the lower salmon with OTT, the kayaks were a huge highlight to the trip. Very organized, professional but relaxed and chill. Sad we are off the river. Our guides were outstanding! Josh (lead guide, super friendly and super accomplished, supportive and fun!) Taylor (strong, professional and fun to be around!) Melody (great attitude and great chef!) Quin (wonderful, bright capable guide!) Trevor/Ty (strong capable and helpful!) read more

We had a great time rafting with Red! This was our kids first rafting trip (9 & 11yr) and they can't wait for the next one! Thanks for showing them a great time. The yogurt, granola and berries were an added bonus (which my 9yr old just asked me to buy). The kids loved "riding the bull" and the extra attention (and teasing) Red gave to them made it so special. The company accommodated our late night request for a trip to begin first thing in the morning, while other companies said we waited too long, this company organized with us via email and made it happen in the small window we had available. Thank you so much! read more

My husband and 11 year old daughter and I went on the afternoon half-day trip with two Class IV rapids. What a fantastic trip. The Orange Torpedo did a great job organizing all the equipment and taking care of everything you'd need, including a yogurt parfait photo op break. We were given the option of parking at the ending spot of the trip, and we chose that. A guide will come pick you up in a van and deliver you to the beginning. There were four guides/rafts in our session. All were stellar. All were professional, and all were enthusiastic and got you excited for the day. Our guide, Michael, was awesome! He was so knowledgeable about the river, having spent most of his young life on it. He wanted everyone to have fun! He was daring and safe at the same time. He was fun to talk to and fun to have as our raft guide! We are so grateful to him for a day we will never forget! Thank you, Michael, for making our day so awesome!!! Dayna, Jim, and Alice read more

I wanted to give my brother & his three kids (9, 13, & 16) a Northwest experience they wouldn't forget while they were visiting Oregon this year. In particular, I wanted the older boys to get a thrilling whitewater experience without putting them at risk. I spent a lot of time researching raft guides & got a recommendation to check out OTT. They had a good selection of trip lengths and river difficulties and were flexible on arranging timing to match our schedule. They asked good questions about the skill levels of the group and made recommendations about river choices given the amount of time we had. With the option to ride in the raft if the boys were struggling too much to have fun in IKs, I felt comfortable signing on. I'm so glad I did. It was a short overnight trip, but it felt like a real vacation for me because OTT's raft guides were fantastic. Off the river they handled all the logistics (food, shuttle, cleanup, etc.) with a great attitude so I actually got to relax and be on vacation. On the river they were good, patient, safe instructors. Honestly, I can't imagine how the trip could have been better. Thanks OTT! read more

We chose Orange Torpedo after reading many great reviews. Those reviews were dead on. The staff were always friendly and helpful, and fun to spend a day with. I didn't see any reviews for the River Boarding so I thought it would be helpful to share our experience. We are a family of 3 and our son is 15 years old. We are in normal active middle age physical condition. Our trip was in early July with air temp about 91. We suited up in farmer john wet suits, and since I get cold easily I added a wet suit jacket. We were all perfectly comfortable all day. Fins and helmet are also provided. Our guide, Trevor, was in the water with us all day and did a great job of keeping us out of trouble and in the fun zone. The water flow was fairly low so, unfortunately, there were a lot of slow float sections. The riffles were fun. Just wish there were more. With higher water flow I think it would have been a great adventure rather than mostly a float with occasional riffle/rapid. In the slow floats you need to kick with your fins to keep up with the rafts, so you should be prepared for some physical excursion. If you do get tired, you can hop in a raft. My husband did that once for about 15 minutes and was the perfect rest for him to hop back in and continue the trip to the end. The lunch was perfect for the occasion, sandwiches with all the fixings and trimmings, and plenty to eat. I would recommend that OTT provide bottled water though. Since we planned to be in the water all day, we didn't take water bottles. And the only water provided was from a big water jug and no cups. Bottled water would have been a nice alternative, and preferred over soda. I would consider this a good option for anyone in normal physical condition, ages 14 and above. If you have neck problems, this may not be for you. You're resting on your tummy on the river board with your chin raised to look down river. This is pretty much your position all day and may be bothersome to people with neck problems. Othewise, you should give it a try - at least once. The company and staff are definately a 5, the river boarding about a 3, so I gave an average score of 4. We may try it again, but earlier in the year to get better water flow and a more adventuresome ride. read more

Great fun, great food, beautiful beaches. But most importantly, a great group of guides: Josh, "June-Bug" and Priscilla. This is my third trip with Orange Torpedo, so that should say it all. Except, it gets better each trip. First time for the Lower Salmon. Was a bit nervous about the big waves, but thanks to the "THIS IS FUN" mantra, I hit 'em head on and indeed, too much fun. A special thanks to Priscilla, who unknowingly lead my first adventure on the Rogue River some 5 seasons ago and taught me well: a clean run throughout the 4 day trip on the Salmon (more than I can say for some of the boys!). OTT has a great group of guides who enable guests, young and old, to feel secure to engage challenges that may not otherwise be possible. They are not just there as human GPS's. They instruct; they support and most of all, they provide one hell of a good time! Highly recommended as cleansing for the soul. read more

I went on a 5 day camping and kayaking trip on the main Salmon River and had an absolutely memorable and fun time. The guides were great and had an infectious exuberance, the food was good, the learning curve was enjoyable, we went from no kayaking experience to having a great time very quickly. we went in the water multiple times on the tougher rapids but the guides scooped us out in seconds and we all left with a sense of being more alive, would love to do it again and have recommended it to all my friends. read more

Two friends and I did the 3 day running. It was an absolutely perfect experience from beginning to end. All of the OTT guides were incredibly knowledgable, courteous, thoughtful, and extremely professional. They took care of our every need which allowed us to run 42 miles along the river which seemed like an impossible task. I would highly recommend the OTT Trail Running Adventure. The staff, lodging, food, scenery, and other runners made it truly a wonderful once in a lifetime experience! read more