New Member Profile: River Trail Guides
Meet Evan Wills, owner of River Trail Guides. To welcome them as a new member of the Springfield Chamber of Commerce, we recently spoke with Evan to find out more about him and the company.
Tell us a little about River Trail Guides.
We are a small, family-owned business that specializes in guiding people on fun river adventures. We have 3 experienced guides, including myself, and I’m a member of the McKenzie River Guides Association. We are passionate about getting people on the water and really enjoy leading people through a memorable day!
What types of services and adventures do you offer?
We offer half-day and full-day excursions on both the McKenzie and Willamette Rivers. Activities we do are whitewater rafting, jet boat excursions, and fishing. On those trips, we take in plenty of beautiful sightseeing, bird watching, rockhounding, swimming, riverside lunches and barbecues, and even do a 14-foot jump off the rocks! The excursions are tailored to preference, and we welcome every experience level. We can hit all the largest rapids on the system, including Martin’s Rapids, and give you enough excitement to get your heart really pumping, but there’s also plenty of time to just relax and enjoy the scenery. Our guides will tell the lore and history of the river and the surroundings, point out eagles, osprey, blue herons, and other wildlife … including Bigfoot, if we happen to see him!
Where and how did you get started in river guiding?
Ever since I can remember, I’ve had a passion for the water and sharing it with people. I got all my early experience running jet boats, drift boats, and rafting on the Rogue River. I’m a third-generation river guide, so it runs in my blood. My daughter is an aspiring river guide as well!
In 2008 I lost my job, and decided to stop into a local outfitter to talk about opportunities. I got hired and worked in the pro shop, then became a guide. They eventually went out of business, and it’s at that time I decided to start this business with a partner. River Trail Guides started in 2010 with just rafting, then as time went on, we worked into drift boats and fishing, and then expanded to offer jet boating as well.
What makes River Trail Guides unique?
I go on almost every trip myself to make a personal connection and get to know my clients. We have customers who have been with us for six, seven years in a row, we become like family and we treat you like family. We are really proud of that. For many, doing an adventure like this is a bucket list thing, and we pride ourselves on making your day memorable and precious! I always remind myself that this could be some people’s only summer trip or vacation, and that really drives me to make the excursions special.
What do you like most about your work?
I love showing people a good time! Sometimes, at the beginning of a trip, there are people at the boat ramp looking a little nervous. Some people in the groups may be a little pressured into doing this. It could be outside their comfort zone, and I love seeing them start to relax – shoulders getting less tense, starting to have a good time. Before you know it they are jumping off every rock they can, splashing around, and having the best time. I love seeing how contagious the fun can be. One of my favorite memories is seeing a father with his family, who started out on the trip very reserved and not engaging too much. About halfway into the trip, I could see him start to let loose. He tried a water gun, squirted one of his kids. Then did it again, and then again. Pretty soon he was laughing, splashing around with his kids and throwing them out of the raft. At the end of the day, his wife came up to me and thanked us for the great time. She said she had never seen her husband have that much fun with the family. That’s what it’s all about!
Anything else you’d like to share?
Any and all experience levels are welcome on our excursions. We always do a safety talk at the beginning to cover what everyone can expect on the trip. We go over how to handle certain situations, and what to do if anything happens, but rarely do people fall out of the raft – unless they are jumping out to take a swim!
River Trail Guides is a local, small business offering jet boat excursions, whitewater rafting, and fishing on the McKenzie and Willamette Rivers. Their guides have a lifetime of experience on the water, offering safe and fun adventures for all ages and experience levels.
