Kokopelli River Guides

Medford, United States

4.8

Open now

21 reviews

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 541-201-7694
Website:
www.kokopelliriverguides.com
Address:
Serving Medford and surrounding area
Categories:
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Bussiness info

Good for Kids
Yes

Today

Today 9:00 am – 6:00 pm
Open now
Local time (Medford) 15:49 Saturday, 21 June 2025

Business hours

Monday 9:00 am – 6:00 pm
Tuesday 9:00 am – 6:00 pm
Wednesday 9:00 am – 6:00 pm
Thursday 9:00 am – 6:00 pm
Friday 9:00 am – 6:00 pm
Saturday 9:00 am – 6:00 pm
Sunday 9:00 am – 6:00 pm

Description

Specialties

Kokopelli River Guides specializes in whitewater rafting trips and inflatable kayaking adventures. We offer half day, full day and multi river rafting and kayaking trips on Southern Oregon and Northern California Rivers. The Rogue River, Lower Klamath River, and Upper Klamath are our home rivers.

Our family friendly rafting trips are for kids and adults of all ages. Our guides are enthusiastic and truly love guiding. Our snacks and lunches are organic, all natural, and delicious.

Trip discounts are available. Book your trip early to secure your spot this summer. You’ll be glad you did! Join us for an adventure of a lifetime!

History

Established in 2002.

Kokopelli River Guides was started by long time river guides Matt and Leslie Dopp. They wanted to create a company that was smaller where the guests get a more intimate experience instead of «herding» their customers down the river. Since the opening of Kokopelli in May 2002 this business has grown every year.

We have treated many guests to fun and exciting river adventures and taught many beginner kayakers the amazing sport of whitewater kayaking. We now outfit kayakers and rafters in the latest equipment for their river trip or their day paddling on the lake.

Meet the Business Owner

Leslie D.

Business Owner

Kokopelli River Guides is owned by Matt and Leslie Dopp. Matt and Leslie met while living in Vail, Colorado. Both spent the summers guiding rafts down the rivers of Colorado. Matt also taught kayaking for Alpine Kayak in Vail. Matt has been raft guiding since 1995 and is an American Canoe Association certified kayak instructor. He still loves the adrenaline of rafting and kayaking and has been known to run some pretty gnarly creeks and rivers in his kayak and raft. Matt is an extremely patient kayak instructor and is well versed in most everything you want to know about boating equipment.

Leslie has been a raft guide since 1996 and enjoys kayaking, stand up paddling, and rowing a raft on multi-​day river trips with their dogs. Leslie is a competent Class 4+ raft guide. She enjoys the feeling of being on the river, the peace it brings her, and the challenge it presents.

Kokopelli River Guides also recommends

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«We get our full day river trip lunches from the Market of Choice. They have friendly, helpful service.»

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Korean

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Leslie D. says,

«Great sushi, great service!»

Yogurt Hut Ashland

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«Yummy, self service dessert!»

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21 reviews of Kokopelli River Guides

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Place rating: 5
Santa Monica, CA
Kokopelli was recommended to us for river rafting on the upper Klamath River, and we had an amazing experience. From the very start it was great, they were right on time and even provided water shoes free of charge (I forgot mine). I cannot say enough about the knowledge, experience, and integrity of our guide, Steve. Not only did he take great care of us, he also provided assistance to another rafting company when they had problems. Good karma for Kokopelli! His main concern was that EVERYONE was having fun and that we were all safe. We would highly recommend Kokopelli!
Place rating: 5
Buena Park, CA
My family took the ½ day Nugget trip and my children are still raving about it. Our guide was super knowledgeable and friendly & the ride was a good balance between relaxation/​observation & exciting falls. Perfect for beginners like us. It was well worth the money. We are already planning to go back one day and take the Upper Klamath trip.
Place rating: 5
Patagonia, AZ
Really excellent trip! Our guides were great and very knowledgable. The lunch was also fantastic!
Place rating: 5
Ashland, OR
Don’t overlook this place for Rentals! We rented two kayaks from Kokopelli for a day trip on our own. Three things we liked were: 1) Really nice people, knowledgeable and friendly 2) Reasonable prices 3) Super quality kayaks! I mean, what is there not to like?
Place rating: 5
Corvallis, OR
We booked a group of 10 people for the upper Klamath trip. Great guides, great river, great trip. We highly recommend them for a great day on the river.
Place rating: 4
Phoenix, AZ
Went on a trip with three of my friends a couple weekends ago. We had a great guide, very attentive. So sorry, I can’t remember his name, because he was very helpful, conversational and I would definitely want to do another trip with him again.
Kokopelli provided all of our gear, was relatively well organized when we arrived and made it convenient for us by having us park near their facility and then having them drive us in the van to our drop-​off spot in Gold Hill. That saved time and gas and I like that.
Let me be clear, I’m no white water rafting expert. I’ve been white-​water rafting a few times down the Colorado river near Vail and in Costa Rica. I’m used to rapids that are going pretty strong and having to paddle the majority of the time.
We took the Rogue River «Nugget» trip, which to me was literally rafting 101. I can’t remember if they asked us where we wanted to go or what our experience was, but for $ 89, I feel the trip was overpriced. (and yet it is what every outfit in the area charges for the same trip.)
¾ of the trip was literally floating down a river — the same river many people go on what they call «booze-​cruises.» We went through a few small 2 class rapids and the highlights were at the end of the trip with Nugget falls, a class 3 rapid and Powerhouse, a super fabulous class 4 rapid.
I kind of feel like for pricing, this trip should be less expensive because A) it is relatively close to Ashland, and B) not as much work for the guides. Maybe $ 59 or $ 69 would be more appropriate than $ 89.
If I’m spending nearly $ 100 for something, I want a trip that’s memorable. Sure the floating was beautiful, and the last two sets of rapids great. But for the time we spent on the river and what we did, I personally feel it is a bit overpriced.
Place rating: 5
Oakland, CA
This trip was the best. The guide was super friendly and the rapids were just right for a beginner level kayaker. A must do for people visiting Ashland.
Place rating: 2
Portland, OR
We booked a rafting trip on the Klamath River months in advance for our family reunion providing weights, ages and experience. We communicated by email, talked to them by phone and even checked in personally prior to the event to make sure all would go well. After a 45 minute van ride and arriving at the drop off point, we realized they had forgotten 5 life jackets as well as extra helmets. It took almost an hour of waiting in the sun for them to formulate a plan. One guide and one rafter stayed behind and the other three guides left, without life jackets. Once the jackets arrived, we were able to flag down the rafters and provide the jackets and load the rafter who had stayed behind. From then on, the trip went well. The guides were great with the 14 children (6 to 14), lunch was good and all had a good time.
We never received an explanation or an apology as to what went wrong. We did receive a credit for one rafter. I am hopeful that they have changed their procedures and that this never happens again. It was unsafe and almost ruined a long planned gathering. Our experience with other raft trips has been less waiting time for set-​up and transfers and more guides per rafter. We had 3 guides for 28 people (3 rafts and 12 kayaks).
Place rating: 5
San Antonio, TX
Exactly what we were looking for! We called last minute to see if we could do a rafting day trip and they were very friendly and got us on a trip for the next day. From start to finish the team was friendly and engaged in great conversation and had knowledge of the area and river. The food served was very good. We had so much fun and Yonn– our guide was very entertaining and made sure we all had a great experience. We will definitely be back if ever in the area again.
Place rating: 5
Portland, OR
So, on our second trip, I echo everything in my first review and then some. On this trip it was just our group of 4. The same guide (Brian) used a slightly different style without kids in the raft and I think he even had a great time rafting with us. We hit some of the wilder areas of the rapids and did some pretty sweet surfing. Our friends from out of state will never forget the experience.
Couldn’t recommend them more and well worth the 5 hour drive from Portland.
Place rating: 5
Lenox, MA
We had a delightful adventure on the river today. Nick was an excellent guide, very professional and easy going and most importantly, he inspired real confidence as a river guide and leader. Nick also has knowledge about the local flora and fauna and he is happy to share his this when asked. I felt safe with him at the helm and I strongly recommend you avail yourself of his, and Kokopelli’s, services.
Place rating: 5
Santa Cruz, CA
I chose Kokopelli at the last minute without much research (unusual for me) and was very pleased with my choice. First of all, they offered a $ 20 discount for booking at the last minute, so right away we got off to a good start. To my surprise, they picked us up right at our hotel and were early to boot. Our guide, Greg, was very friendly and made everyone feel really comfortable and safe. I expected to feel like a dope since I had never been rafting before, but Greg taught us everything we needed to know and never acted like he was put out or anything. I had such a good experience rafting with him that now I want to go on another harder trip! We had a lot of fun and a great memory of a wonderful afternoon!
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
Today is the first day that I’ve not awoken to a big blue sky, the sounds of the river, and looking forward to adventures being guided down the Klamath by Nick and Jill, the SUPER AWESOME Kokopelli River Guides. The whole experience was fantastic and while they can’t take credit for nature, Nick and Jill did their best to enhance it. The group of 7 women with whom I traveled were taken care of from start to finish. There was no request that unaddressed, no need unfulfilled, and no moments of concern.
Nick and Jill are real professionals. They know what they are doing on the river and in camp. They are super cooks, master logisticians, and a whole lot of fun. If you are looking for an amazing experience with your friends or family, I can’t recommend working with Kokopelli enough.
Place rating: 5
Eugene, OR
Took a trip on the lower Klamath and it was a blast. Great, mellow trip for the family with a excellent guide (we had Greg). I would recommend getting an inflatable kayak, it makes some of the smaller rapids more exhilarating!
Place rating: 5
El Cerrito, CA
Just got back from 3 days on the lower Klamath and we had an amazing time. My wife and I went with our 9 year daughter and 7 year old son. We had a blast. Our guides (Nick, Greg, and Carol) were fantastic and great company. They really treated our kids amazingly. The river was fun but not crazy. We were able to spend the hot days jumping into the river and cooling off. The river canyon was beautiful and we got seem5 or 6 bald eagles. The food was fantastic. Eggs and bacon, blueberry pancakes, salmon, salad, and chicken fajitas. Amazing. Looking forward to next year.
Place rating: 5
San Jose, CA
Best River Rafting Experience so far!
We had an amazing experience on Upper Klamath river, our guide Nick was amazing and very experienced; which gave us confidence and peace of mind, he gave us great insights about the river and the rapids, we will recommend Kokopelli to our friends and relatives, I will not think twice selecting them for my next rafting experience.
Place rating: 5
Ashland, OR
My wife and I received a half day trip for our combined birthdays from a family member and it turned out to be the best present we’ve received in years!
Our guide, Nick, was super cool, very informative and never boring.
This trip was a blast and we plan on going back for a full day on the Klamath.
Thanks for an amazing day on the river guys!
Place rating: 5
Redmond, WA
My wife and I took a half day trip down the rogue with Kokopelli while visiting Ashland. We had a great time on the river with a combination of more relaxed sections and wild rides through rapids. Our driver and guide, Nick, was fun to chat with and ended up being a great resource for learning more about the area and getting ideas for things to do during our stay in Ashland. He also did a great job of making our rafting trip fun while carefully making sure everyone stayed safe. At the end of the trip, high quality sodas and chips with wonderful locally made salsa were provided. If you are in Ashland and are looking for some fun on the river, check out Kokopelli!
Place rating: 5
Eugene, OR
We had a fabulous experience on the Upper Klamath run. This trip has few calm spots so if you’re looking for an action packed adventure, go for this run! Nick and Brian were wonderful guides — knowledgeable about the flora and fauna and cheerful and friendly. Jill, our fabulous driver greeted us with freshly cut melon and beer at the pull out. Highly recommended!
Place rating: 5
Vail, CO
If you are looking for the perfect rafting trip, you should go with Kokopelli River Guides. We did a 2 day rafting trip on the Upper Klamath. Our guides were amazing, and they made us all feel so comfortable and well taken care of. They were also very patient with us, as most of us were beginner kayakers.
The food was incredible, and they did a great job of catering to all of our different requests. Our camp site was great, and our guides really helped to create a relaxing and fun atmosphere.
On the 2nd day, we went on a hike back to waterfalls, and it was one of the most memorable hikes of my life! All together, our trip was amazing and unforgettable. I highly recommend Kokopelli River Guides!
Place rating: 5
Palo Alto, CA
We did a half day trip on the Nugget Run, and had a blast. Our guide Brian was fantastic, giving us a lot of information about the area, the behavior of local animals, and of course first-​class instruction to ensure we could navigate the rapids.
Our only disappointment: that the trip had to end so soon. We’ll want to do the full day run for sure next time.
The overall experience was wonderful, and all of the logistics were simple. Good Fun!