The wild raging character of the Rogue River passing through Takelma Gorge is a key attraction on this section of the Upper Rogue River Trail.
Beginning from the Woodruff Bridge Picnic Area on Forest Road #68, the trail heads downstream past a scarred, eroded pumice slope on the opposite bank. Alder, vine maple, cow parsnip, and horsetail line the river until it reaches the dark-colored lava cliffs of Takelma Gorge, 1.5 miles south. Here the river drops through a series of rapids and turns sharply to enter the gorge itself. The narrow channel continues for another half a mile. This section of trail has a rocky tread with a few steeper grades.
Below Takelma Gorge, the river widens and flows calmly past the Union Rogue Baptist Church Camp, while the trail returns to pumice flats along the river. Raptors, such as the shy goshawk, can be seen on this section of the river. The trail ends at the River Bridge Campground on Forest Road #6210.