The Main Salmon River

 The Main Salmon River, the River of No Return, offers excellent Idaho whitewater rafting intermingled with placid pools, magnificent mountain scenery and beautiful sand beaches. Most of the river gorge is timbered, reaching 5000 feet or more to the ridges above. Elevation is moderate, beginning at 3000 feet, so summer temperatures are warm. We float 80 miles in six days.

Prospectors began to penetrate this area in the 1860's and 70's, and rugged characters they were. Supply was infrequent, by wooden sweepboats or pack mules. Winters were long in the canyon, snow and ice-bound. We stop to examine their decaying cabins and sample fruit from the trees they planted and wonder at a way of life gone forever.

Our spring trips are on the Main Salmon because of a greater number and variety of big game. Even in summer, we see bighorn sheep and sometimes deer or bear. With a gradient of 12 feet per mile, rapids are moderate compared to other Idaho Whitewater Rafting Trips. less technical than the Middle Fork, and more frequent than on the Lower Salmon. Even in low water, the Main Salmon provides some of the best whitewater rafting in Idaho.

We usually stop at a hot spring. We do some fishing, but this is not primarily a fishing trip. Water temperature is warmer than the Middle Fork, with more sand beaches, so swimming is a more popular activity than on the Middle Fork.

Whitewater Rafting In Idaho

With more beaches, warmer water, and more moderate rapids than the Middle Fork, the Main Salmon is an excellent trip for families with grade school age kids. It is also more suitable for inflatable kayaks. Group size is usually 8-12 people, and charter trips can be arranged throughout the summer. Our nicest camps are on the Main Salmon, mostly on sandbars. We can also offer a trip on the Main Salmon with no camping, staying in lodges each night. Because of secure road access and adequate volume of flow, the Main provides the most dependable whitewater rafing in Idaho.