Among river runners, the Middle Fork of the Salmon is a legend. 105 miles of pure, clear, free-flowing river drop 3000 feet through the remote and spectacular River of No Return Wilderness. Natural and untamed, the Middle Fork has been protected by Congress as one of America’s first Wild and Scenic Rivers. As we drop in elevation, the river widens and the spruce forest opens to vistas of pine-studded mountains. Our rafts drift quietly over deep pools of transparent water, home to native cutthroat and rainbow trout. Along the shore we’re likely to see big horn sheep, mule deer and maybe a playful river otter. We stop often to visit Indian rock paintings and pioneer homesteads, and your guides, intimately familiar with the canyon, help draw the whispering stories of these special places from their rocks and timbers. Further downstream, we enter Impassable Canyon where vertical granite mountains of staggering dimensions slice into a cobalt sky. Hikes underneath Waterfall Creek and up to Veil Falls are highlights for many of our guests. As we near our take-out, having dropped 3000 feet in elevation and gained a lifetime of memories, it’s hard not to envy the Indians and pioneers who spent their whole lives here.
Your Itinerary
Day 0: Arrive Stanley, Idaho and check in at our recommended motel. Orientation meeting with your team Leader.
Day 1: Meet your team leader at 7:30 am. When water levels allow, usually until the end of July, we launch at Boundary Creek, a two-hour bus ride from Stanley. When water levels get too low to float the first 23 miles, we instead take a 25-minute flight aboard a local air taxi from Stanley to Indian Creek. Once at the river our staff prepares you with a thorough safety orientation while your personal gear is loaded onto our rafts. We launch on the river and travel a few miles before stopping for a delicious riverside lunch. Altogether we travel between 8 and 15 miles the first day. Around 4:00 pm we arrive at camp. After you carry your personal gear to the tent of your choice, enjoy free time for hiking, fishing, reading or just relaxing. Hors d’oeuvres are served around 6:00 and dinner around 7:30. After dinner a campfire is lit. Included: (L), (D).
Day 2: We wake you around 7:00 am with the smell of fresh-brewed coffee. Breakfast is served around 7:30 and while we clean up the kitchen you pack up your personal gear. The rafts are loaded and we depart from camp about 9:30 for an adventure-packed day of rapids, magnificent scenery and fun. Of historic interest, we make a point to visit one or two pioneer homesteads on these first few days. Another highlight of these first days is a visit to hot spring. We also try to make camp near one so everyone can enjoy soaking under a star-filled sky. Included: (B), (L), (D).
Day 3: Continuing as a fast-flowing, clear stream, the Middle Fork carries us though a dramatic canyon of pines, sagebrush and riparian hardwoods as the river channel widens and narrows according to the underlying geology. Along the way today, or another day, we stop to view pictographs left by the native peoples, the Tukudeka, or Sheepeaters who lived in this canyon until the 1870’s. We’ve dropped hundreds of feet in elevation and evening temperatures are warmer as we make camp. Included: (B), (L), (D).
Day 4: More fun rapids and incredible Rocky Mountain scenery. We’re likely to see big horn sheep on day 4 or 5 as we pass several mineral licks. Those fishing will continue to find bountiful trout and birdwatchers are likely to spot golden eagles and falcons. We run Haystack Rapid, the most dynamic rapid on the river since side canyon “blow outs” have changed its course twice in the last few years. Below this rapid the canyon narrows and deepens creating dozens of action-packed rapids. Included: (B), (L), (D).
Day 5: Today we pass the mouth of Big Creek and officially enter Impassable Canyon. Imagine Yosemite Valley for a comparison. Towering walls of granite loom above creating neck-bending panoramas. We stop and explore beneath Waterfall Creek and after lunch hike up to the base of Veil Falls, a soul-stirring cavern replete with pictographs and magic. The grand finales of the day are the challenging rapids named Porcupine, Red Side and Webber. Today’s scenery is among the most astounding on earth. Included: (B), (L), (D).
Day 6: More big, splashy rapids greet us in the morning and no matter which way you look you’ll find vistas of staggering dimensions. Knowing the trip is nearing its end perceptions become more acute. We stop to enjoy lunch on a sand beach a few miles above the confluence with the Main Salmon. After lunch we reach our take-out just below the confluence, carry personal gear to the waiting bus and settle back for a two hour ride to the town of Salmon. Enjoy a hot shower and change of cloths and then meet your guides for dinner at a local restaurant around 7:00 pm. Included: (B), (L), (D).
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
High and low season prices are offered. High season price listed.
Five day trips also available early and late season.
Also see tour packages in:
USA
Idaho
Canoeing/Kayaking/Rafting
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