welcome to uncharted territory.
Guided Packrafting Float Trips on the Minam & Owyhee Rivers in Eastern Oregon
Deep in the Eagle Cap Wilderness, the wild Minam River flows 42 miles from its headwaters at Minam Lake. Our guided trips paddle the last 25 miles of river, mostly class I-II, for 2-4 nights of immersive wilderness travel. We cater each float trip to your desires: from luxury fly in trips to our more rigorous backpacking style trips, each with a focus on land stewardship and packraft education.
Scroll down to read more and book your adventure.
Minam River: May-July 15
Owyhee River: September-November
South America: October-April
All-inclusive trips start at $355 per person, per day.
Group Dates 2025
These dates are bookable as group or private tours. Email Dan to reserve a date for a private trip, or click the link to see group pricing, per person.
Trip Type | Title | Start Date | Days | Location | Difficulty |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Packrafting Float & Forage | May 8-10 | 3 | Minam River- Lower (19 miles) | Class I/II whitewater- no exp necessary | |
Minam River Expedition w/ Minam River Lodge | June 18-21 | 4 | Minam River- Full (24.5 miles) | Class II/III whitewater- paddling exp required | |
Advanced Packrafting Expedition | June 26-29 | 4 | Minam River- Full (24.5 miles) | Class II/III whitewater- paddling exp required | |
Minam River Expedition w/ Minam River Lodge & Flight | July 8-11 | 4 | Minam River- Lower (19 miles) | Class I/II whitewater- no exp necessary |
Minam River | Paddle Through the Heart of the Wallowas
Join our expert guides as we hike in, pack in, or fly in to Oregon's largest wilderness and float out on one of the Wallowa's most important and scenic rivers. Discover a rich cultural & ecological history, epic camp sites, wildly fun whitewater, and the serenity that only comes with a wilderness float.
We operate two types of packrafting trips on the Minam River:
-
Our 3-4 day trips departing from Minam River Lodge or Reds Horse Ranch are reserved for private groups only and require demonstrated solo paddling experience.
-
We also offer 1-4 day packrafting trips focused on education where we pack boats down to easier water, available both as private and group offerings. No whitewater experience required.
All-inclusive trips starting at $400/person/day.
Contact us about private trips or see our public offerings & packraft courses on group trips page.
-
WILD: Experience Oregon's largest wilderness from the water
-
LEARN: the basics of packrafting including paddle strokes, gear, loading, safety, how to fly fish, and locally-specific conservation practices
-
CUSTOM OPTIONS: from flying in and staying at the upscale Minam River Lodge to backpacking and camping
-
DINE: on chef-prepared, hyper-local gourmet camp grub
-
UNIQUE & EXCLUSIVE: at the time of this writing, Go Wild is the only permitted packrafting guide on the Minam River
-
EXPLORE & DISCONNECT: travel through the best of the Wallowas with local professional and certified guides
What to Expect:
The majority of guided American packrafting happens in Alaska. Eastern Oregon is our little secret. When you contact us we'll put together a trip proposal based upon the time of year you want to come, your paddling expertise, trip length request, and other factors.
The afternoon before your trip, meet your local guides in the small cowboy town of La Grande, OR for a pre-trip educational session on flat water. (Alternatively, this can be all you do if you're most interested in a lesson!) Get to know your guides, your boats, explore the map, learn about your adventure to come, and finish if off with a your choice of complimentary libation at the local pub.
On the day of departure, your guides will meet you at your accommodation for complimentary pick up in Sully, our adventure van, to our packrafting destination based on the time of year and river flows.
It's on the water from here on out. Expect class I-II water, fishing breaks, and expert guiding.
At camp each night, your professional local guides turn into expert fun facilitators and chefs, serving hand crafted appetizers, cocktails, and gourmet campfire cooked meals, all sourced from hyper local ingredients.
Due to shifting snow pack and water levels every year, these trips require a good amount of flexibility. Contact us for more information.
Request More Info
Start the adventure! Fill out the form below and Dan will respond with your desired information. Call to book.
The Fine Print:
-
$500/p deposit due at time of booking. Due to the nature of our business with limited dates, trip sizes and commitments of guides, this is non-refundable. The deposit may however, be transferred to a future Go Wild trip if the cancellation is made 90 day prior to tour departure.
-
Final payment due prior to departure by check, cash, our booking software, or Venmo. Cancellations within 30 days will be charged the entire balance unless you or us can fill the spot at full price.
-
Fire, Weather, & Water Levels: All tours operate rain, shine, or smoke. In case of extreme or dangerous fire conditions, tours are moved to a safe location. For packrafting trips, we monitor levels leading up to a trip. Be prepared for contingency plans, but we'll chat about these during the booking process. For all tours, we recommend "Cancel For Any Reason" trip insurance to protect your vacation. See below.
-
Insurance: We strongly recommend you to purchase travel insurance prior to your trip. There are numerous agencies out there. Find one that works for you. A good example is the Ripcord Plan by Redpoint which covers trip cancellation for any reason, interruption, backcountry evacuations and more.
-
For group trips, Go Wild has the right to cancel any trip that does not meet our minimum; confirmations will be made 30-90 days prior to the start of the tour, depending on the trip.
-
Contact us: 541.403.1692 // gowildusa@gmail.com