Riggins Section Salmon

River Stats

Difficulty:  Class III
Length:  Half Day - 2 Days
Season:  May - September

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.  Trips in May and early June are big water adventures sure to thrill even the most hardened adrenaline addicts with the occasional up-side-down raft.  As the summer moves into later June, July and August the river comes down, the water warms up, and the Riggins day section becomes one of the best family rafting sections in Idaho, if not the Pacific Northwest.  Filled with mostly class III whitewater this section bring plenty of thrill but also provides tranquil pools between the rapids perfect for cooling off and floating in a PFD.  There are even a few smaller riffles where folks are often able to jump out and float through to see what the whitewater feels like at river level.  

2-day trips on this section take the incredible single day trip and just add more miles upstream in the more remote part of the canyon.  It is not uncommon to see Big Horn sheep while you float in the day and see deer from your riverside beach camp at night.  This may be the best summertime weekend escape in Idaho.

So if you are in McCall or Lewiston come on down to Riggins and create some incredible memories rafting the Salmon River.

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