Rich Geography of the Land
A hundred million years ago an intrusion of granite produced a range of mountains that covers most of central Idaho. The Salmon River has carved a gorge deeper than the Grand Canyon through these mountains. Their jagged peaks, carved by ancient glaciers, tower above evergreen forests that shelter deer, elk, bear and mountain lion. Mountain goats and bighorn sheep scramble among the crags above the river. The Shoshoni Indians called this river Aggipah ("big fish water") for the Pacific Salmon which migrate 800 miles to spawn at its’ headwaters.
The "River of No Return"
Early prospectors called it the "River of No Return" because boats leaving the trail and-rail-head at Salmon City with supplies for the canyon down river could not come back. Now the area is the largest wilderness area in the continental United States.
We want your wilderness rafting trip to be outstanding. Our groups are small. We run only the Salmon, so we know it better. We feel that it is important that the outfitter is on the river throughout the season rather than on the desk. River trips are pretty special to us, too. We have lived in the Salmon Valley for 30 years, learning local Idaho conditions and issues. Our boatmen are licensed, experienced, mature, courteous, familiar with the environment and history of the area - and they enjoy their job.
Come to the Salmon River and renew yourself in wilderness solitude. Learn the thrill of whitewater. Drift through quiet pools. Sleep under the stars and wake up to the smell of coffee and bacon frying beneath the pines. Catch trout. Watch eagles soar on canyon thermals. Swim, get a tan and wonder at the agility of bighorn sheep. Poke around abandoned prospector's cabins. Pan for gold or hike under immense ponderosa pines. Study Indian pictographs. Soak in hot springs. Relax around the campfire, where the West is still the West.
