Blossom Bar is the best-known rapid on the Wild and Scenic Rogue. I've run it on two trips, in 2023 and 2025, and both videos are below. More from the same trips: Rainie Falls fish ladder and the rest of the Rogue.
Disclosure: SOLWYRX Paddle Gear sells Sawyer gear, and I earn money when you buy it here.
Blossom Bar 2023: A Clean Run on the Rogue River
This is a clean 2023 run of Blossom Bar on the Rogue River, rowing a Super Puma with a frame on Sawyer MXS oars with DyneLite XD blades. For frames, I like DRL River Gypsies.
Video: Blossom Bar 2023 By Jacob Linkhart on the SOLWYRX Paddlesports YouTube channel.
Filmed: 2023
About Blossom Bar
Blossom Bar is the big one on the Rogue's Wild Section, a Class IV boulder garden just below Mule Creek Canyon. Most boaters scout from river right, and the standard line enters left and cuts to the center (The Mountaineers). Lines shift with flow and wood, so scout it yourself every time; this is the guidebook description, not instructions. Miss the move and you're headed for the rocks, so this is a rapid where clean oar strokes matter.
The oars
I row the Sawyer DyneLite XD MXS (the yellow shafts). They're stiff and light, which helps when you need a strong, fast stroke to make a move. My MXS oar guide compares them with the DuraMax version.
Want to compare years? Watch Blossom Bar on the Rogue River 2025. If you're learning to row rapids like this, start with Picking Your Boat.
Source: The Mountaineers, Rogue River: Grave Creek to Foster Bar
Blossom Bar on the Rogue River 2025
A clean 2025 run of Blossom Bar on the Rogue River, rowing my Super Puma on Sawyer MXS oars with DyneLite XD blades.
Video: Blossom Bar on the Rogue River by Jacob Linkhart 2025 on the SOLWYRX Paddlesports YouTube channel.
Filmed: 2025
Two years, same rapid
Compare this with Blossom Bar 2023. Running the same rapid in different years is one of the best ways to see your own progress, from how early you set your angle to how few strokes you need.
My rig: Super Puma with a frame and Sawyer DyneLite XD MXS oars. If you want to learn to row rapids like this, start with Picking Your Boat.
Personal trip report: flows, wood and hazards change, and what worked for me that day isn't a rule for your boat or group. Check current conditions, scout, and boat within your training.
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Updated October 31, 2026 · By Jacob Linkhart, owner of SOLWYRX Paddle Gear · Spot a mistake? Email me and I'll fix it.
