Beautiful Ashland, Oregon is the home of Kokopelli River Guides.

Matt and Leslie on a 21 day Grand Canyon river rafting private trip in Oct-Nov 2007.

About Kokopelli River Guides

Kokopelli River Guides is located in beautiful Ashland, Oregon. Ashland sits at the base of the Siskiyou Mountains and is a short drive to Medford, Oregon and the California border. Rafting and kayaking are what we do for our jobs but we also play on the river for fun! We would like to share that love of the river with you.

Our Mission

Our mission at Kokopelli is to provide an intimate experience where not only your rafting or kayaking guide gets to know you, but our entire company becomes your friend. You'll never be just another rafter to us. Our hope is that you leave your rafting or kayaking trip with a newfound understanding and respect for the rivers of Southern Oregon and Northern California. Ashland, Oregon and the surrounding Pacific Northwest will become part of your soul and Kokopelli will be here year after year to entertain you on our deluxe rafting and inflatable kayaking trips

At Kokopelli River Guides, we believe in taking care of and protecting the environment and the places where we live and play. We want to protect our precious rivers for future generations to experience and love as much as we do. That's why we have changed all of our electric usage in our shop to the Green Tags program which replaces "traditional polluting sources of electricity with clean, secure, and sustainable renewable sources of energy that come from solar and wind power from across North America."

Floating the rivers for us at Kokopelli River Guides is a way of life. There is so much beauty in Southern Oregon and Northern California that most people never see while driving in their car. Once you are on the river you can get to places and see things that most people never see in their lifetime. While on the river you begin to shed away the layers of stress from every day life and begin to get in touch with what is really important in life. Running rivers is in our blood and we would love to share that love with you.

Matt, co-owner, loves whitewater kayaking and rafting on the Rogue River and Klamath River and all the creeks in between.

The Owners of Kokopelli

Kokopelli River Guides is owned by Matt and Leslie Dopp. Both spent the summers guiding rafts down the rivers of Colorado before moving to Ashland, Oregon. Matt is an EMT employed by Mercy Flights in Medford and is currently studying to become a Paramedic. He has been a raft guide since 1994 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 1995 and enjoys whitewater kayaking 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 and the peace it brings her as well as the challenge it presents.

Matt and Leslie decided to move to Ashland, Oregon and start a kayaking and rafting business. They named the business Kokopelli because they really love running rivers and backpacking in the desert southwest and the Kokopelli figure is well known in this area. Kokopelli began simply as a kayak school and has evolved into what it is today- white water rafting trips, kayak instruction, kayak and raft rentals, and a retail paddlesports store...and it's still growing.

Both Matt and Leslie are actively involved in the daily operations of Kokopelli River Guides. You may see them running the retail store, teaching kayak classes, guiding raft trips on the Rogue River and the Klamath River, or renting you an inflatable kayak to take for a day on the river. They both are actively involved in the Ashland Parks and Rec rafting and kayaking summer programs for kids. Matt and Leslie love what they do and being involved in a business that brings joy to so many people.

Greg Cross is one of our long time river guides who will entertain you and get you safely down the river.

Our Guides, Instructors, and Equipment

We provide only the best paddling equipment on all of our trips and lessons. Your river guides and kayak instructors have been handpicked and trained for their ability to provide the most entertaining, informative, and safe river trip you have ever experienced. Our guides and instructors are certified in First Aid and CPR and Swiftwater Rescue.

Transportation

Kokopelli provides transportation to and from the river and will pick you up at your lodging in Ashland or you can meet us at our River Center in Ashland. Our vehicles are clean, comfortable and air-conditioned, and we offer all natural/organic and healthy snacks or lunches with all our rafting and inflatable kayaking trips.

Thank you and happy paddling,
Matt & Leslie Dopp
and all of the Kokopelli River Guides