Debbie Thomason, owner of the Galice Resort, takes in the view from the property on the Rogue River in April of 2023, when she decided to put the property up for sale. Since then, it hasn't sold and she's decided to again offer food, drink and music there this summer.

Galice Resort owner Debbie Thomason says the resort property hasn’t sold in the year it’s been on the market and that she expects to open for the season May 18 with food, drink and music offerings seven days a week at the remote, popular location overlooking the Rogue River northwest of Grants Pass.

“Galice needed a heartbeat,” Thomason said last week in a telephone interview, explaining her decision to restart those operations.

Nearly three years ago, the resort’s old store, restaurant and large open-air deck burned in a fire blamed on an electrical problem. The structure, built in 1945, had been purchased in 1980 by Thomason’s parents, Mary Lou and the late Gil Thomason. After the fire in 2021, Thomason and her employees operated a makeshift store at the site, using temporary canopies and a boat shed, with food trucks serving customers.

But a year ago, Thomason quit that and put the property up for sale for $2.3 million, along with two adjacent properties for $700,000 each.

It was the sad end of an era.

Since then, the resort has continued to offer vacation rentals, but the riverfront location stood vacant. Now that the property hasn’t sold, Thomason is ready for something new.

“I miss having a purpose,” she said. “Things that bring me happiness and joy.”

“My crew is so excited. I’m excited.”

Others are happy, too.

“I think it’s awesome,” said Jan Slusser, president of the nearby Merlin Community Park District. “People are saying we’ve got to have a Galice Resort of some sort. Galice needs the commerce.”

“We are thrilled to hear the resort is going to open again this summer,” said Kory Mahr, operations director for Orange Torpedo Trips rafting company in Merlin. “Galice is a special area and being able to share it with the community is fantastic news.”

After the fire, the community gave $47,000 toward a fundraiser to support the resort. It helped pay for $100,000 worth of fill to level the site.

“I had no idea what this really meant to the community,” Thomason said at the time. “The whole community grieved.”

But now, it’s time to move on.

“It’s been almost three years,” she said. “We can only grieve so long.”

The new operation will be open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends through the summer.

There will be sun shades put in place over the picnic tables there. Soft-serve ice cream will be back. Beer, too. Up on the hillside, the resort will continue to offer rentals.

“Lodging is still going full speed ahead,” Thomason said. “If people need to hold an event, pick Galice.”

The resort property, at 11744 Galice Road, is about 12 miles west of Interstate 5. To get there, take Exit 61 and head west on Merlin Road toward Merlin, about 3 miles ahead, where raft rentals are available.

Four miles beyond Merlin, on what is then called Galice Road, the road meets the river at Hog Creek Boat Landing and Hellgate Canyon.

Beyond that are day-use areas, boat ramps and parks, including Indian Mary and Almeda county parks, which offer camping. Rafters often float downstream to Galice, where a Josephine County boat ramp is conveniently located adjacent to the resort property.

Farther downstream, about 6 miles, is the Grave Creek Boat Landing, where the Wild Section of the river begins and continues west for about 35 miles. Also at Grave Creek is the east end of the 40-mile-long Rogue River National Recreation Trail.

The road to Grave Creek recently reopened following a closure to make repairs in the wake of the 2022 Rum Creek Fire. From the Grave Creek area, the popular hiking trail to Rainie Falls remains closed until fire-related repairs are made.