Canoe and Kayak Trips

Main Salmon River

Our canoe and kayak trip on Idaho's Main Salmon River has become a guide and guest favorite. If you are an experience boater, you’ll enjoy challenging the big waves and holes and playing in the surf waves. If you’re an advanced beginner or intermediate boater, the warm water and ample recovery time make the Main Salmon a terrific learning river. Our guides and instructors will be there to give pointers on technique and lines, and we’ve added an extra day to our normal trip so give us more time to scout, surf, and play.

The Salmon is a class III river at August flow levels, and there is plenty of recovery time after each rapid. The rapids have some big waves and holes, but the lines are not complicated and there aren't too many rocks to worry about. All in all the Salmon is the perfect river for anyone interested in expanding their paddling experience and enjoying a great river trip.

Canoeing and kayaking on the Main Salmon River, Idaho.

Canoes on the Salmon River

Idaho Whitewater Rafting Home

When we aren’t on the water, the Salmon offers great hiking, soaking in a natural hot springs, fishing, exploring historic cabins, and Indian pictographs. The river winds through a spectacular canyon in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area, the largest wilderness in the lower 48. We’ll be camping on gorgeous sandy beaches that are great for afternoon naps.

The Salmon is great river for aggressive beginners. If you haven't ever canoed or kayaked before, come out several days early and spend some time with one of our instructors on flat water and you will be ready to go.

Sample Itinerary

Day before the trip: Arrive in Salmon, Idaho. We’ll get together in the evening to go over gear and answer any last minute questions.

Day 1: We’ll have a 2 1/2-hour drive to the river this morning. There will be several easy class II-III rapids for a warm up. Will have lunch on a sandy beach and then float on to camp.

Day 2-6: Our river schedule is flexible so we can customize each trip. We’ll be running rapids, playing and surfing, visiting historic homesteads, soaking in a hot springs, hiking, rock climbing, rappelling, and just relaxing by the river.

Day 7: We’ll have a quite morning float with one or two good rapids. We eat lunch on the river and then reach our take-out by early afternoon. We will provide transportation to Boise that afternoon where you should plan on spending the evening.

2008 Schedule and Prices