Submitted photo

Before moving to Port Orford on the southern Oregon Coast in 2002, Tim Palmer spent 22 years living out of a van, traveling around to all the different places he describes in his 23 books.

“Whatever I was writing about, that’s where I went,” Palmer says. “I was a true nomad.”

His latest book, “Field Guide to Oregon Rivers,” is a thorough reference that profiles 120 waterways throughout the state. Palmer, 66, spent two years researching and writing the book, canoeing or rafting 50 of those rivers.

“I set out to systematically explore the rivers of Oregon the way I think nobody else has really had the opportunity to do,” Palmer says. “I wanted to canoe or raft all of the long river trips that are possible. We have more of those than any other state.”

Although many guides have been published on whitewater rafting and fishing on Oregon rivers, Palmer says he wanted to write a book that focuses on the rivers themselves, with a spotlight on conservation and protection.

The book includes a natural history of Oregon’s rivers, with descriptions of ecology, geology, plants and animals, accompanied by numerous maps and color photographs. Palmer presents profiles of individual rivers, including opportunities for hiking, fishing and exploring by canoe, kayak, raft or drift boat.

Central Oregon rivers featured in the book include the Deschutes, Little Deschutes, Metolius, Crooked, North Fork of the Crooked, the John Day and the White River.

Palmer will be in Bend on Thursday, hosting a slideshow on “Field Guide to Oregon Rivers” at the Central Oregon Environmental Center at 7 p.m. (See “If You Go.”)

“What’s really unique about the rivers in Oregon is the diversity, rain forest to desert, and we have the Coast Range, the Cascades, and we also have the interior desert mountain ranges,” Palmer says. “We have 114,000 miles of rivers and streams.”

Palmer says he enjoyed discovering the little-known, out-of-the-way streams of Oregon — rivers such as the Chewaucan, near Paisley in southeast Oregon.

“There are a lot of little unknown streams,” Palmer says. “The Coast Range was really one of the biggest eye-openers to me, because I live over here (on the coast). The Chetco River has an incredible wild canyon. It’s a classic, multiday expedition trip. You have to hike in from the east side about 10 miles, and then you can boat 50 miles down the river.”

Asked to name some of his favorite rivers of Oregon, Palmer was reluctant to answer. But he finally named four: the Rogue, John Day, Imnaha and Chetco.

Palmer has been exploring, researching, photographing and writing about rivers for 40 years. Some of his other books include “Rivers of America,” “Field Guide to California Rivers” and “Oregon: Preserving the Beauty and Spirit of the Land.”

Paddler Magazine named Palmer “one of the 10 greatest river conservationists of our time” and in 2000 included him as one of the “100 greatest paddlers of the century.”

— Reporter: 541-383-0318,

mmorical@bendbulletin.com