Why Idaho?
Idaho has over 3100 miles of whitewater rivers within the state. The state has many of the best multi-day runs in the country like the Middle Fork Salmon, Main Salmon, Hells Canyon, Selway, Jarbidge Bruneau, Owyhee and South Salmon to name a few. Besides the classic multi-day runs we also have many fun class III and IV day runs like the Lochsa, South Fork Payette, Murtagh just to name a few. With so many awesome rivers to offer, Idaho is often referred to as the whitewater state!
The Middle Fork Salmon is the crown gem of Idaho rivers. A 100 miles of pristine mountain whitewater unlike almost any other trip in the country. Springtime flows provide a perfect wilderness whitewater experience for class IV boaters. During the springtime there a wave trains for most of the trip and class III and IV rapids stacked throughout. The rapids start right at the put in and the first 25 miles are pretty continuous. After you pass Indian Creek, the river mellows out and scenery steps up a notch. Both scenery and whitewater peak towards the end of the trip and the river cuts through the gorge of the Impassable Canyon.
The wilderness section of the Main Salmon River which is often referred to as the River of No Return, begins just below the take out for the Middle Fork. The River of No Return has a rich pioneer history to the days early river runners build large wooden boats called scows on the banks of the river in the town of Salmon. The large cargo scows would be loaded with supplies to be delivered to miners and homesteaders living along the Salmon River. After nearly a 300 mile trip, the boats would arrive in Lewiston and broken down and sold for lumber. The boat drivers would river the train back to Salmon and start the journey again. Nowadays, the warm water and pool drop style rapids combine, form the perfect beginner/intermediate kayak run. If you have been to pool sessions and learned how to roll and have practice some basic kayaking skills the Salmon is the place to fully immerse yourself in six days of fun pool drop class III whitewater!
The Jarbidge Bruneau is hidden out in the desert grasslands of Southern Idaho. The headwaters drain from the Jarbidge mountains in Nevada flowing North. Looking out across the wide open landscape of the Owyhee Desert, you would never guess the Bruneau River has cut a giant crack through the ancient caldera volcano. This remote river canyon sees very few visitor each season as it can be challenging to catch spring run-off and the challenging fast and technical whitewater is not for everyone. For those who feel comfortable on steeper continuous wilderness whitewater, the Jarbidge Canyon is going to be hard to beat. Our skilled raft support team is there to carry the camping gear so we can enjoy the wilderness comforts rafts provide.
Besides these couple multi-day classics described above, Idaho has so much kayaking to offer. When looking for your next kayaking destination in the United States, Idaho has something to offer everyone and multi-day trips like nowhere else in the lower 48. Come join us and see why Idaho as a kayaking destination is such a special place!