WRO Menu

Wilderness River Food Philosophy

Though many people may think of hot dogs and Top Ramen when they think about wilderness camping, Wilderness River Outfitters has a notorious reputation for our backcountry gourmet cooking. While immersing ourselves into the world of minimalist adventure, there’s nothing that quite compares to eating a thoughtful, hearty, fresh, and well-prepared meal with the kind of dining room landscape one can only dream up. With the accompaniment of the crackling fire, soft melodies of the river, fresh pine-scented air, and awesome company, these dinner parties are hard to beat. We believe that meals bring people together, as well as provide nourishment for the types of big adventures that we are gearing up for, and our rotating menu reflects the style of community dining and quality of eating that we strive to reflect. Our menu is full of fresh fruits and veggies, meats from our local butcher, sourdough bread from Odd Fellow’s Bakery, and nourishing rotating appetizer tables. Whenever possible, we try to locally source ingredients, use organic products, and utilize farm fresh veggies from our own pride and joy, the WRO greenhouse, where we also repurpose our organic waste into compost.

Sustainable, Open Fire Cooking

Unlike most other river companies, we pride ourselves with the use of traditional wilderness cooking methods, using open-fire whenever possible as opposed to synthetic, fossil fuel materials such as propane or charcoal briquettes. Wilderness River collects driftwood throughout the day in order to have large fires both in the mornings and in the evenings, and If we have space on our fire, you can almost guarantee we will be cooking on it. From our cowboy coffee, Dutch oven baked goods, grilled meats and veggies, and even our dishwater, we heat and perfectly cook it all over the open fire. You will experience the art of fire management with WRO, understanding the intricate ways in which our guides have mastered the process from the careful wood selection to slow coal baking and open flame heat management of grilling. In addition to enjoying high quality meals on our trips, you will probably pick up some new cooking ideas and techniques!

WRO Sample Menu

Our menu has a wide range of meals to choose from, which we rotate depending on the size of the group, availability of ingredients, the nature of the trip, and dietary restrictions and allergies. We have extensive experience with food substitutions, and will make accommodations to the menu free of charge.

Breakfast

Odd Fellow’s Bakery Dutch Oven Cinnamon Roll, Veggie Omelette Scramble, Local Bacon

New Potatoes, Fresh Veggies and Baked Eggs

Dutch Oven Huevos Rancheros with Chorizo

Kodiak Buttermilk Pancakes, Egg Scramble, Local Breakfast Sausage

Dutch Oven Spinach, Avocado, Basil Frittata

Odd Fellow’s Bakery Challah Orange Zest French Toast

Build Your Own Breakfast Burrito with local meats, veggies, cheeses

Odd Fellow’s Bakery Sourdough Bagels and Lox

Lunch

Turkey Pesto, Provolone, and Avocado on Odd Fellow’s Bakery Multigrain Sourdough

Garden Chef Salad with local greens, dates, gouda, cured salami, fresh garden tomatoes, avocado, sunflower seeds and slivered almonds

Cold Cut Rueben Sandwiches on local Whole Wheat Rye Sourdough

Curry Chicken Salad on Odd Fellow’s Bakery Croissant

Ham, White Cheddar, Arugula Hoagies

Southwestern Taco Salad with Peppers, Ground Beef, Local Greens, Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Black Beans, Garden Freshh Tomatoes, Corn Chips

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

*Lunches also include a snack table with a rotating variety of fruits, veggies, chips and hummus, trail mixes, etc.

Evening Appetizers

Baked Brie with Chutney Served with Apple Slices

Egg Rolls and Edamame

Freshly Made Guacamole, Chips, and WRO "Riverrita" Cocktail

Charcuterie Board with a Seasonal Variety of Cured Meats, Fine Cheeses, Nuts, Pickled Veggies, Fruits, and Mustard

House Made Spinach Artichoke Dip

Dinner

Char-grilled Wild Sockeye Salmon served with Wild Rice Pilaf and Fresh Summer Spinach Salad

Stir Fried Chicken and Fresh Veggies served over Jasmine Rice with a House Made Curry Sauce

Sirloin Strip Fajitas with Southwestern Beans and Rice

Dutch Oven Lasagna with Mediterranean Cucumber Salad and Odd Fellow's Bakery Sourdough Garlic Bread

Fresh Cod Fish Tacos with House Made Coleslaw and Lime Crema

Grilled Pork Chops served with Fresh Kale Slaw and Dutch Oven Cornbread

Grilled Ribeye served with Fresh Garden Salad, Odd Fellow’s Bakery Sourdough Garlic Bread, and Mashed Potatoes

Dessert

Dutch Oven Deep Dish Chocolate Chip Cookie

Salmon River Parfait served with Fresh Berries and Dark Chocolate

Dutch Oven Brownies

Bananas Foster

Dutch Oven Guinness Double Chocolate Cake

Dutch Oven Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Dutch Oven Fruit Cobbler

*Note: this menu is simply so you can get a better idea of the types of meals that we may have out on the river. We do not take menu suggestions, with the exception being if the trip is chartered or there are food allergies or restrictions.