Bob Volpert owns Rogue River Journeys and Idaho River Journeys. He first floated the Rogue 40 years ago and continues to visit the Rogue annually. During the summer, he and his wife Mary oversee Idaho River Journeys’ Middle Fork of the Salmon operation and live in Salmon, Idaho. Their winters are spent in Inverness Park, California, just outside Point Reyes National Seashore.

The Interview

What is your connection to the Rogue River?

Owner of Rogue River Journeys

When did you first run the Rogue?

My first trip down the Rogue was 40 years ago. It was on that trip that I decided that if I was to pursue a career in outfitting, it would focus on running multi-day trips on exceptional rivers like the Rogue and Middle Fork of the Salmon. Everything that followed came from that realization on my first Rogue trip.

What are your favorite qualities of the Rogue River?

What could be better than a year-round, multi-day trip on a spectacular Wild & Scenic River that is so easily reached and accessible? All the highlights someone looks for in a river trip can be found on the Rogue.

Favorite places on the Rogue?

Lots of great places on the Rogue but my favorite is just a few strokes from put-in at Grave Creek. There is transitional moment when you wave good-by to the launch site stuff and look downstream at a beckoning river canyon knowing that the first rapid of the trip is just around the bend and your trip is underway.

Is there a sense of community on the Rogue?

The Rogue is a small river with an extensive family. A trip here is like a visit to a home-town reunion. You always run into people you know.

Has the Rogue River changed you?

My first trip on the Rogue shaped my outfitting life. More importantly it is a place that Mary and I have been able to share with our sons. Our trips on the Rogue have created a lifetime of memories. In our family, when we reminisce about vacations, no one ever mentions Disneyland. It’s always about a river trip.

What is the personality of the Rogue?

Here is proof that I’ve written too many brochures: Charismatic, whimsical and sometimes stubborn.