The Rogue River is one of the premier rivers in the country due to the multi-day "wild" section of the Rogue that is on many boaters' bucket lists. Upstream of the famous wild section are several day runs including the Nugget-Powerhouse run near Gold Hill, Oregon.
Nugget-Powerhouse, named so because of the two biggest rapids in the run, is 5.5 mile stretch of mostly class II rapids with the two class IV namesake rapids, thrown in. This run is easily done in a couple of hours, and kayakers love it for its accessibility and easy shuttle. You can shorten this run by putting in just above Nugget or Ti'lomikh Falls. Whitewater enthusiasts tend to run these rapids multiple times. Ti'lomihk Falls is also the site of the King of the Rogue Race, which benefits the Gold Hill Whitewater Park.
Trip Highlights
Mile 0: Put-in at or below the former Gold Ray Dam site.
Mile 0.81: Fishers Ferry. Alternate put in at a gravel boat ramp used by many local outfitters. Parking available alongside road.
Mile 2.42: Bitterman Falls (II) Fun rapid with several surf waves to catch on the fly.
Mile 3.0: Lyman falls (II) Rapid split by a rock island with lines on both sides. River right has an easy surf with great eddy service. Rafts often spend some time here taking turns playing on this feature.
Mile 3.45: Broken Weir (AKA Son of Nugget, pop up hole) (II) an old Concrete weir with a channel opened in the middle. Beware of rebar sticking out of the concrete pillars at the top. The primary feature in this rapid is a good play feature for burying the bow or stern of a kayak. This is your indicator that Nugget Rapid is coming up in less than a quarter mile.
Rapid with man-made debris just above Nugget Rapid
Mile 3.7: Nugget Falls (IV) is commonly run on river left and consists of a lateral wave at the top, followed by a drop that is harder than it looks. A rock comes out in the center at lower flows. Easily scouted and photographed from river left eddy above the entry.
Kayaking Nugget Rapid on the Rogue River
Mile 4.9: Diversion weir river right, signals Ti’lomikh Falls is coming up.
Mile 5: Ti’lomikh Falls (Powerhouse) has 3 distinct lines. Mugger's Alley on the right, the main drop, and a kayak boof line on the left.
Mile 5.5: Gold ray sports park provides parking, restrooms, and a boat ramp on river right to take out.
