{"id":38622,"date":"2026-01-25T00:00:41","date_gmt":"2026-01-25T08:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/community.nrs.com\/duct-tape\/?p=38622"},"modified":"2026-01-23T09:58:58","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T17:58:58","slug":"rogue-river-update-moon-complex-fire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.nrs.com\/duct-tape\/2026\/01\/25\/rogue-river-update-moon-complex-fire\/","title":{"rendered":"Rogue River Update: Moon Complex Fire"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Rogue River is one of the classic multi-day river trips in the world. I still remember my first trip down the Rogue back in 2010 and thinking how lucky I was to spend a summer guiding there. As the years flew past, numerous fires have blazed across the landscape and changed the scenery in one way or another. I remember floating past Big Windy Creek in 2014 after a fire the previous year started not far from the rivers edge and thinking wow what is it going to look like in five years? Surprisingly, it didn\u2019t take long for the vegetation to fill in the gaps and for the charred trees to disappear amongst new growth.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Last September, the Moon Complex fire started with a massive lightning show that ignited six fires along a portion of the Rogue River<\/a><\/span>\u00a0from Mule Creek Canyon to around Clay Hill. There were a handful of other fires that started from this same storm, but those didn\u2019t cause much issue for river and trail users. <\/span><\/p>\n

Being a guide and operations manager, I have been getting a lot of questions lately: <\/span>Is the river open? What does Blossom Bar look like? Is the trail open? Is it worth going on a Rogue trip now that all the trees burned? Can we still camp at our favorite spots?<\/span><\/i> Quick answers are yes, looks about the same, half is open, very worth going on a Rogue trip still as only a small portion burned, and camps on the lower portion may look different.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Fire is a natural part of a forest ecosystem. Some folks may see the burnt snags and the blackened slopes above Clay Hill and think it will never look the same. With that said, the river canyon is resilient, plants will start to grow back. You might even forget what it once looked like. <\/span><\/p>\n

With the winter rains moving in, the landscape will shift and some trees may come down, but that won’t take away from the magic of the Wild Rogue. It\u2019s just entering a new chapter, and honestly, seeing the river in a new and ever-changing form may be on<\/span>e of the most interesting parts of the upcoming season.<\/span><\/p>\n

Time Line<\/b><\/h3>\n

In case you totally missed the fire (or just curious about the progression), here is a breakdown of what happened during the lower portion of the Wild and Scenic Rogue River last September.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

September 3, 2025<\/b><\/h4>\n

A massive lightning event ignites six fires (Backbone, Brushy, Pinnacle, Tate, Paradise, and Stair), collectively known as the <\/span>Moon Complex<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

September 4\u20135, 2025<\/b><\/h4>\n

Initial attack crews struggle with the terrain. The fires are burning in some of the steepest, most inaccessible parts of the Wild & Scenic corridor.<\/span><\/p>\n

September 6, 2025<\/b><\/h4>\n

The fires grow to a combined <\/span>1,300+ acres<\/b>. The <\/span>Grave Creek to Marial Backcountry Byway<\/b> is closed. Structure protection begins at Paradise Lodge and Half Moon Bar.<\/span><\/p>\n