Program Overview

Management Plans and National Designations

  • 1968 - Designation as a National Wild and Scenic River
  • 1969 - BLM/ USFS River Management Plans
  • 1972 - Joint Management Plan
  • 1973 - Rogue River Ranch listed on the National Register of Historic Places
  • 1973 - Whisky Creek Cabin listed on the National Register of Historic Places
  • 1978 - BLM - Hellgate Recreation Section Activity Plan
  • 1981 - Designation of the Rogue River National Recreation Trail
  • 1983 - Wild Section Activity Plan
  • 1987 - USFS Forest Plan
  • 1989 - BLM Hellgate Recreation Area Resource Management Plan Initiated
  • 1998 - Rogue River becomes pilot project for National Fee Demonstration Program
  • 1999 - Rand listed on the National Register of Historic Places
  • 2002 - Rogue River Hazardous Fuel Reduction Project
  • 2003 - Hellgate Recreation Area Management Plan - Final Environmental Impact Statement (PDF)
  • 2004 - Hellgate Recreation Area Management Plan (PDF) and Record of Decision (PDF)

Studies for Revising the Hellgate Recreation Area Management Plan

  • 1992 - Economic Effects
  • 1993 - Recreation Impacts and User Perceptions
  • 1993 - Erosion
  • 1994 - Landowner Attitudes
  • 1995 - Boating Safety
  • 1995 - Effects of Boat Traffic on Juvenile Salmonids
  • 1996 - Cultural Resources

Mileage and Acreage

River Mileage

  • Hellgate Recreation Section - Applegate River to Grave Creek (BLM) - 27 miles
  • Wild Section - Grave Creek to Mule Creek (BLM) - 19.5 miles
  • Wild Section - Mule Creek to Watson Creek (USFS) - 12.9 miles
  • Recreation Section - Watson Creek to Blue Jay Creek (USFS) - 10.5 miles
  • Scenic Section - Blue Jay Creek to Slide Creek (USFS) - 7.5 miles
  • Recreation Section - Slide Creek to Lobster Creek (USFS) - 6.6 miles
  •  
  • Rogue National Wild and Scenic River Total Length - 84 miles

Trail Mileage

  • Rogue River National Recreation Trail - Grave Creek to Mule Creek (BLM) - 23.5 miles
  • Rogue River National Recreation Trail - Mule Creek to Big Bend (USFS) - 16 miles
  •  
  • Rogue River National Recreation Trail Total Length - 39.5 miles

River Corridor Total Acreage

The total acres shown here correspond with 46.5 miles of the Rogue River between the mouth of the Applegate River and Mule Creek. The river corridor includes land within a quarter mile of the river. Total acreage includes Bureau of Land Management land, Oregon State land, Josephine County land, and private land with scenic easements.

  • Hellgate Recreation Section - 7,777.72 acres
  • Wild Section - 6,490.07 acres
  •  
  • River Corridor Total Acreage - 14,267.79

Acquisitions

  • Acquisitions in Fee Title - 99 Acquisitions - 2,416 acres at $3,682,1951*
  • Scenic Easement Acquisitions - 168 Scenic Easements - 1,914 acres at $3,248,0641* ( *1972)

Visitor Use 2006

  • Wild Section - 917 (Jan - May 14 & Oct 16 - Dec: off-season use)
  • Private Floaters - 6824 (May 15-Oct 15: regulated use season)
  • Commercial Float Passengers - 6179 (Entire Year: Jan 1 - Dec 31)
  •  
  • Total Floaters - 13,920

Total visitor capacity is 18,480 during the 154 day regulated use season, May 15-October 15, with an allocated 50/50-private/commercial split, at 120 people per day allowed to put-in. This means 69% of all possible spaces were used in 2006.

  • Hellgate Recreation Section
  • Commercial Motorized Tour Boat Passengers - 84,608
  • Commercial Floating and/or Fishing Passengers - 4,617
  •  
  • Total Commercial Floaters - 89,225

A conservative estimate of 50,000 private individuals boated the 27 mile Hellgate Recreation Section in 2006.

Commercial Recreation Permits and Fees in 2006

  • 46 Commercial Permits for the Wild Section
  • 120 Commercial Permits for the Hellgate Recreation Area (only 77 permittees ran trips)
  • Commercial Fees Collected $244,698

Visual Resource Management Classes

  • VRM Class I within the 1/2 mile river corridor
  • VRM Class II within the remaining river viewshed

BLM Recreation Sites and Facilities

WILD SECTION - Grave Creek to Mule Creek

  • 64 Primitive Campsites, 18 toilets
  • Rogue River National Recreation Trail: 23.5 miles
  • Rainie Falls Trail: 2 miles
  • 1 Developed non-fee Campground - Tucker Flat, accessible by auto
  • 2 sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places - Rogue River Ranch and Whisky Creek Cabin
  • 2 Archeological dig sites

HELLGATE RECREATION SECTION - Applegate River to Grave Creek

  • 1 Visitor Center - Smullin Visitor Center at Rand
  • 6 Boat Launch Sites on BLM administered land, with toilets and parking, 3 of which have BLM toilets and 4 of which have BLM parking facilities - Grave Creek, Argo, Rand, Ennis, Hog Creek, Griffin, Whitehorse
  • 2 Viewpoint/Parking Areas
  • 9 Recreation/River vehicle access sites, 5 with toilets, 2 of which have BLM toilets - Chair, Rocky Bar, Carpenters Island, Rainbow, Hellgate, Robertson Bridge, Griffin, Finley Bend, Whitehorse
  • 41 Primitive Campsites, 1 with toilet
  • 42 Primitive Day Use Areas
  • 1 Float-In Campsite with toilet - Robert Dean
  • 1 site listed on the National Register of Historic Places -Rand Ranger Station
  • 2 Archeological dig sites

Cooperative River Management Agencies

Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, Josephine County Parks Department, Josephine County Sheriffs Department, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Oregon State Scenic Waterways, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon Department of Forestry, Oregon Division of State Lands, Oregon State Police, Oregon State Marine Board, Oregon Water Resources Department, National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife.