Trip Details for Salmon River Rafting Trips

Destination Wilderness as a booking agent proudly offers Salmon River whitewater rafting journeys through Idaho outfitter River Time Guide Service. River Time Guide Service is owned by Terry Hughes a former trip leader and guide for Destination Wilderness and operated by Terry and his guides who for years have led trips on the Salmon River.

Find all the details you need to prepare for your Main Salmon River rafting trip... details like; what to bring on your trip, where to meet the day of your trip, driving directions and lodging options. We've added an overview of what they provide to make sure you have an enjoyable experience. If you have any additional questions please call 1-800-423-8868.

- The Rendezvous:

All Main Salmon River whitewater rafting trips meet at the airport in Salmon, Idaho at 1 p.m. the afternoon before your trip start date.

Trip Departure:1:30 the afternoon before your trip launch date, from the Salmon airport for the 2.5 hour drive to the Salmon River Lodge.

Trip Conclusion:Depends on trip style and length. Either from McCall or Mackay Bar Lodge on the last afternoon of your trip.

Quick Links

Rendezvous Time and Place Getting to the Salmon River Pre-Trip Meet and Departure What to Bring and Wear Nearby Accommodations What they Provide Natural History Request a Free Color Catalog Subscribe to the DW eNews!

Additional Salmon River Information

Salmon River Homepage Salmon Trip Dates and Prices Salmon River Trip Options Rafting Trip Itinerary Salmon River Photo Guide More DW Adventure Travel Trips

- Getting to the Salmon River:

By Air: Boise, Idaho has the nearest commercial airport with services by major airlines. Please plan your flight to arrive in Boise 11:00 am the day before your trip and depart Boise the morning after your trip ends.

By Car:
From the South: From Twin Falls, Idaho, follow Route 75 north through Sun Valley/Ketchum and Stanley to Highway 93. Follow 93 north to Salmon.
From the West: Take Highway 21 to route 75. Follow 75 north to Highway 93, and 93 north into Salmon.
From the North and East: Take Highway 93 south from Missoula into Salmon.

- Pre-Trip Meet and Departure

River Time Guide Service's Main Salmon River rafting trips begin in Salmon, Idaho, and end near McCall, Idaho. Salmon, Idaho is a small town in eastern Idaho. It has several hotels, restaurants, and other services.

  Trip Rendezvous: Guests will be met at 1:00 pm the aftenoon before your launch date. RTGS will meet you at the Salmon airport at that time. At 1:30 you will depart in the shuttle vehicle for the 2.5 hour drive to the Salmon River Lodge. The overnight at the Salmon River Lodge, including dinner and breakfast, are included in the trip.

Pre Trip Meeting The pre trip meeting is at 7:00 pm the night before your launch date. While this pre-trip meeting is a great time to ask questions or address any last-minute concerns you may have it is important to communicate in advance with the Destination Wilderness office about any special needs or wishes you have for your trip.

Trip Departure: You depart Salmon River Lodge at 9:00 am on the trip launch date.

- What to Bring and Wear

Salmon River rafting trips begins at an elevation of approximately 3,000 feet. May and early June can be cool with temperatures in the 50's to 80's during the day and colder at night. Temperatures in July, August and early September are typically in the 80's and 90's during the day with warm evenings in the 60's. Of course, mountain storms can occur any time and weather in any river canyon can be unpredictable.

Packing List: It's important to follow the packing list provided below, especially as it relates to protective gear/clothing. Please remember that Salmon River trips are wilderness trips and thus, each person can be exposed to the shifting moods of mother nature. It's possible that it will rain, be very cold, be very hot and everything in between.

- Nearby Accommodations:

A handful of lodging opportunities are available to you before and after your trip.

In Salmon: Stagecoach Inn, (208) 756-4251
In McCall: Super 8, (208) 634-4637 or American Inn, (298) 543-6922
In Boise: Best Western Vista Inn, (208) 727-5006

- What They Provide On Salmon River Trips

Professional River Guides: Professional, skilled, experienced and licensed river guides (and yes, they are really friendly, too!).

Top Notch Equipment:The best river gear available, including self-bailing rafts, safety equipment, and Coast Guard approved rafting life jackets. All personal and camping gear is carried down river with them on oar-powered gear boats.

Gourmet Meals: All trips include healthy and nutritious breakfasts, filling, gourmet deli-style lunches, snacks and beverages, and gourmet dinner feasts with dessert.

Shuttles: Shuttle between the rendezvous and river. They also accommodate shuttle options from Boise, Idaho to Salmon, Idaho.

Personal Camping Equipment: On Salmon River rafting trips sleeping bags, sleeping pads, tents and camp chairs are provided by River Time Guide Service.

- Additional Information

Weather
The Salmon River Journey begins at an elevation of approximately 3,000 feet. May and early June can be cool with temperatures in the 50's to 80's during the day and colder at night. Temperatures in July, August and early September are typically in the 80's and 90's during the day with warm evenings in the 60's. Of course, mountain storms can occur any time and weather in any river canyon can be unpredictable. Therefore, it is important to closely follow the gear packing list that they provide in the trip confirmation packet.

Camps
They camp along the river in pristine wilderness, usually on expansive sandy beaches or isolated forest glades. In the case of rain, tarps are set up over communal eating and sitting areas. They also carry EZ-Up shade tents that they quickly set up for comfort at lunch on hot summer days. They proudly practice minimum-impact camping and carry out all trash.

Bathrooms and Showers
River Time Guide Service is proud to provide private bathroom and shower cabanas (they call them "huts") on all of their Salmon trips. These huts are set up in convenient and private locations. The shower hut features hot water that pours from a thermal bag that is securely nestled above your head. Soap holders and towel racks compliment this incredibly sophisticated camp shower system. For the toilet hut they carry a portable metal box chemical toilet (similar to motorhome toilets) that is set up each evening in a private and scenic spot away from the heart of the camping area. A system that will be explained by your guides allows for all campers to know when the shower and toilet is in use. Our guests are consistently impressed with and appreciative of the deluxe hygiene systems.

Fishing
Fishing on the Salmon river is generally good. They will gladly carry on the gear rafts any personal fishing gear you want to bring. Depending on the season, anglers may land whitefish, rainbow trout, and steelhead (which must be released during the summer months). Although salmon are spotted on the river during the summer, they are considered endangered. Therefore, it is against the law to fish for Sockeye or Chinook salmon. Idaho requires you to have a fishing license if you intend to fish during your visit. Your guide can help you obtain a license at the rendezvous.

Suggested Salmon River Reading
John Carey and Cort Conley, River of No Return, Backeddy Books.
Cort Conley, ed., Gathered Waters: An Anthology of River Poems, Backeddy Books.
Bernard DeVoto, editor, Journals of Lewis and Clark, Houghton Mifflin.
Mark Herbert Brown, The Flight of the Nez Perce, G.P. Putnam & Sons.

- Natural History

The Main Salmon combines all the elements that bring people to wilderness river travel. Legendary whitewater, pristine scenery, abundant wildlife, sandy beaches and hot springs are samples of what this magnificent place has to offer. Grandeur is the word that best describes the River of No Return.

At over 6,000 feet from rim to river, the Salmon has carved the second deepest canyon in North America. It is deeper than the Grand Canyon. It is the longest undammed river in the lower 48 states, running a zig-zag course over 400 miles long. In addition, the stretch they run flows through the largest designated wilderness area outside Alaska. Add peak flows over 50,000 cubic feet per second and you have a wilderness river of legendary proportions.

The Main Salmon truly is a river of special character. Its forested canyon and pristine quality separate the Main from the Lower branch. Only a couple of rough dirt roads reach the river and the Main Salmon is little changed from the time of its earliest visitors. The sheer size, depth, and remoteness of the Salmon River canyon, as well as its classic rapids, establish this river trip as one of North America's premier wilderness whitewater adventures. Most rapids on the Main are "big-water" or "hydraulic" rapids. These are characterized by big curling waves that offer a thrilling roller coaster ride for all skill levels. Bailey Falls, Devil's Toe and Dried Meat are examples of these rapids where the trick is to enter correctly and paddle forward! The Main's legendary "technical" rapids, like Salmon Falls and Big Mallard, have narrow chutes with exposed rocks on either side. These rapids require more precision and they offer a different kind of thrill.

The Douglas Fir and Ponderosa Pine forest of the Main Salmon is home to spectacular wildlife. Bighorn sheep wander near camp. A lone moose is sometimes seen drinking from a side creek. Bear are common along the river, though they avoid camps. Bald eagles are also common. The natives called this river "Tom-Agit-Pah," which means Big Fish Water, because of its large Salmon and Steelhead trout. Although significantly reduced in number over the last few decades, with a little patience you may still sight salmon spawning in one of the Main's many side creeks.

Human history in the Main Salmon area dates back over 8,000 years and Native American pictographs can still be seen along the river. The earliest inhabitants may have been ancestors of the Northern Shoshone and Nez Perce tribes encountered by the Lewis and Clark expedition. In 1805, despite warnings from the Shoshone, Clark spent several days looking for a route through the canyon on horseback. His attempt stopped about 25 miles short of their Corn Creek launch site.

Over the last century the Salmon has seen many visitors with a variety of interests. Homesteaders and miners, mountain men and loners all passed through the canyon. Rafters still eat fruit off the trees near Jim Moore's abandoned homestead. The old buildings left by Buckskin Bill still stand as a monument to "the last of the Mountain Men." These days, though, it's mostly just rafters who come through here, you become a part of this history on the Main Salmon River.

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