Western Rafting Overview

Nearest Airports:
Medford (45 min)
Portland (4 hours)

Driving times:
SF Bay Area (6 hrs)
Seattle (6.5 hrs)

Lots of easy to see wildlife: osprey, bears, otters, deer, merganzer ducks.

Water is nice for swimming

good short side hikes up creeks and to old homesteads

oar and paddle rafts – Hybrid

Nearest Airports
To Salmon, ID:
Boise (5 hr)
Salmon (5 min) – prop plane between Boise and Salmon

To McCall, ID:
Boise (2.25 hr)
McCall (5 min) prop plane Mcall to Boise, ***leaves in the morning after trip

Beautiful beach camping, hot spring stop, second deepest canyon in the lower 48 states, good hiking, wilderness area, wild & scenic river

Good river swimming in late July and August.

Bighorn sheep

Hybrid trip – paddle and oar

Potential to stay in lodges some nights.

Challenge- shuttle, start and end in different spots. Best to fly to Boise than small plane to Salmon and at the other end fly McCall to Boise and then Boise home the day after their trip gets off the water.

Nearest Airport:
Missoula (10 min)

They are going to need to sign up years in advance. The Illinois is as good of a trip for those willing to deal with some weather (see below).

Only one launch per day with a maximum of 16 people total (guides and guests). Only 16 commercial launches per year (150 guests per year)

Not every trip but we’ve seen incredible wildlife on these trips: wolves, mountain lion, beaver, moose, deer.

Excellent fishing on second two trips when water drops and on Moose Creek during the layover.

One of the original 8 wild and scenic rivers as well as 1 million of the original 9 million acres designated as wilderness.

oar and paddle rafts – Hybrid

IMPORTANT – On 5 day trips there is typically a layover day. On 6 days there can be two layover days. A layover days is when two nights are spent at the same camp and no rafting is done. Typically there is a layover at Tony Point near the Moose Creek Ranger station. Here there is access to a web of hiking trails in the middle of the Selway Bitteroot Wilderness Area. There is also excellent fishing for cutthroat trout and a historic airstrip. Everyone decides there own adventure on a layover day.

Nearest Airports
To Stanley, ID:
Boise (3 hr)
Stanley (5 min) – prop plane from Boise

Beautiful beach camping, hot springs, famous Impassable Canyon at the end of the trip, good hiking, wilderness area, wild & scenic river

Bighorn sheep, mountain goats, bears, fish

excellent fishing

Hybrid trip – paddle and oar

Luxury Safari style camping options available

No pools to paddle across, continual current throughout the run

IMPORTANT – Later in the season (around mid july depending upon snowpack) trips have to fly into Indian creek and land on a dirt airstrip in the wilderness area bypassing the first 20 miles of the rivers. It is an incredible flight! Included in the cost if necessary with some outfitters including our preferred outfitter.

Nearest Airports:
Vernal (5 min)
Salt Lake City (3 hours)

Similar geology and landscape to Grand Canyon. Nice camping.

Water is nice for swimming

good short side hikes up creeks and to old homesteads

oar and paddle rafts – Hybrid

Last day is below the confluence with the Yampa. Both Lodore and Yampa run same stretch on last day. During high water spring runoff can have huge waves.

Nearest Airport:
Medford (40 min)

Only one commercial launch per day with a maximum of 12 people total (guides and guests). There can be additional private trips launching but it is rare.

Remote, harsh dramatic canyon. With continual fun rapids and a waterfall or cascading creek always in site. Guides who have worked it say it is their favorite river.

oar/paddle combo rafts supported with gear rafts

rent a drysuit!!! The canyon can be rainy and be cold but never disappointing.

The shuttle after the trip is long (5+ hours) but again scenic along the Oregon coast.

IMPORTANT – The main challenge with the Illinois is the elements. The river typically flows in April and May when there can be periods of rain and cold. Historically 20% of trips are cancelled for flows being outside the ideal window. Cancelled trips are offered a refund or an opportunity to raft the Rogue River instead.

Nearest Airports
Grand Junction (3 hrs)
Green River (5 min) – prop plane from Grand Junction

Hybrid trip – paddle and oar

scenic minimal whitewater

Great desert river with good hiking

IMPORTANT – Small planes take everyone from Green River to the put-in.

Nearest Airports:
Vernal (5 min)
Salt Lake City (3 hours)

Similar geology and landscape to Grand Canyon. Nice camping.

beautiful scenery

rapids can be big during highwater year

oar and paddle rafts – Hybrid

Last day is below the confluence with the Yampa. Both Lodore and Yampa run same stretch on last day. During high water spring runoff can have huge waves.

Nearest Airports

oar and motor trips

great hiking

Similar geology and landscape to Grand Canyon. Nice camping.

beautiful scenery

Rapids can be big during highwater year in the spring.

Nearest Airports:

motor rafts

Similar geology and landscape to Grand Canyon.

Very long day, complicated logistics that cost extra.

rapids can be big during highwater year