Rivers & Trips

The Middle Fork of the Salmon River is the quintessential river trip. It begins as a small stream near 6000 feet above sea level at Boundary Creek and drops nearly 3000 feet before meeting the Salmon River near Cache Bar. Over the course of 100 miles it has nearly continuous whitewater that varies from Class III to Class IV depending on river levels with plenty of more mellow sections to take in the scenery and relax between the thrill of bigger whitewater.

For any family looking for one of the premier river adventures in the U.S. the Main Salmon should be on the list.  Big splashy class III and IV rapids, mixed with smaller whitewater and placid pools mean this trip has all the excitement one could want without having too much.  The camps are often large beaches with big eddies in front that make for great games of bocci and plenty of swimming.  The river canyon is full of trails to explore with many of them taking hikers to old abandoned homesteads where kids and parents alike can image what life must have been like for the hearty breed of humans who have made the canyon home decades ago.

If you are dreaming of a white-sand vacation no need to travel oversees, just come to Idaho.  The Canyons of the Lower Salmon River are filled with enormous beaches that rival any post card from the tropics with the best part being how they are accessed; by running the  whitewater with one of the many incredible companies who operate on the Lower Salmon River. This section of river in July and August has warm water where kids will swim for hours from the beach in camp and from the raft in the pools between rapids.  The rapids themselves are primarily roller coaster class III’s perfect for splashing and exciting but not overwhelming.  

No trip to Idaho in the summer is complete without a river adventure.  Idaho is known as the whitewater state so to truly experience Idaho one must crash through some whitewater and no trip is better for that quick escape than the Main Payette River.  35 minutes from downtown Boise, anyone in the area, be it for fun or work, can escape for an afternoon rocking through the class III rapids and swimming in the warm waters.  

The South Fork of the Payette has a number of sections each with a different levels of adventure and unique characteristics; but all the sections have pristine clear mountain water, magnificent river canyons, and each section has some technical and challenging whitewater ready to challenge any adventure seeker.  For those...

The South Fork of the Payette has a number of sections each with a different levels of adventure and unique characteristics; but all the sections have pristine clear mountain water, magnificent river canyons, and each section has some technical and challenging whitewater ready to challenge any adventure seeker.

Whether you find yourself in McCall or Boise if you are looking for a a fun day on the river for your group of friends or family the Cabarton section of the Payette River is very possibly what you are looking for.  This section starts with some incredible high...

The Salmon River near Riggins Idaho provides 60 miles of easily accessed whitewater set in the bottom of a deep river gorge and filled with thrilling rapids.  While this section of river has numerous opportunities for trips the most common guided trips here are half-day to two-day trips with the most common being the done in a day option. The Salmon River is the longest un-damned river in the lower 48 states and without those man-made flow controls the nature of the river fluctuates throughout the rafting season.