Grants Pass / Oregon / United States
Hellgate Jetboat Excursions draws nearly 85, 000 people every season, which runs from May through September. Visitors from all over the world make Grants Pass Hellgate Jetboats their destination in order to board the propeller-less boat that is pushed by the hydro-jet that glides just inches above the waters surface. Local residents enjoy excursions as they entertain themselves and their summer guests. Corporations often send groups to Hellgate for team-building exercises, as employee rewards and incentives, and to take the place of traditional company picnics. "Every year, business owners discover that Hellgate is a fantastic way to indulge their employees. They also find that it is an easy event because planning involves a single phone call to set a date, " explains Robert Hamlyn, owner of Hellgate Jetboats. "The entire group has a great time and the experience creates a sense of unity because everyone is in the same boat, so to speak." Along the river, trained, educated and witty Hellgate pilots offer a narrated historic overview of the region and point out landscape features amid the most majestic scenery to line any waterway in the country. On every trip, pilots point to nearby wildlife such as deer, river otter, osprey and bald eagles flying overhead, guarding nests or perched on high branches.
