Lower Salmon River 5 Day Trip Itinerary

Day 0: Lower Salmon River »

Travel from your home to Lewiston, Idaho and meet ROW's Team Leader at the Hells Canyon Grand Hotel at 7:00 PM Mountain Standard Time (MST) for a one-hour orientation meeting to answer last-minute questions. You'll also receive your waterproof gear bags. Dinner on your own.

Day 1: Lower Salmon River »

Begin the day at 7:30 where you'll meet your trip leader and board the bus. Enjoy interpretation of the surrounding area's historical markers and mountain scenery as you make your way toward the river launch site. An orientation at the river's edge on safety will take place while personal gear is loaded from bus to boat. After a few miles of fun roller coaster style rapids a tasty lunch stop on a sandy beach will help you take in the Lower Salmon River. A camp spot will be located several miles downriver. Your tent will be ready for you as you arrive. Bring your personal gear from the beach to the "river home" of your choosing.

Day 2: Lower Salmon River »

Breakfast is served around 7:00 am, preceded by an earlier call of hot coffee or tea. Pack up your personal gear while the guides make the kitchen disappear into magical compartments on the boat. Enjoy a leisurely morning at camp, soaking in the morning sun as it cascades through the canyons. At about 9:30 am, the boats depart for a day of fun on the river. Learn about more historical sites, the geography of the river and enjoy several exciting rapids. Indian rock art is interpreted for you by the guides at a stop just before entering "Green Canyon." Enjoy the wildlife and scenery through the afternoon before camping for the night on one of the largest sandy beaches in the canyons. A campfire after dinner and an astronomy lesson are the perfect bedtime rituals to create the magic for which this trip is known.

Day 3: Lower Salmon River »

"Cougar Canyon" and "Snowhole Canyon" are filled with lofty waves and rapids with names like "Lorna's Lulu, Bunghole, the Gobbler, and Bodacious Bounce. The memories made on this day filled with rapids, will last you a lifetime. Add to it the prospect of seeing Bald Eagles soaring over the rustic cabins of early settlers set against the backdrop of mountain vistas and you've got your own little paradise. At camp, you'll see the familiar sandy beach set with tents as you arrive. You may have games on the beach like horseshoes, volleyball nets, baseballs and flying discs. Or you can choose to join a hike up a mountainside for another perspective of the river and canyon. Dinner, a crackling fire and alpine air will fill your senses in this unique setting for a family rafting vacation like no other.

Day 4: Lower Salmon River »

Wildlife along Idaho rivers include the playful river otter, reminding you to ask that kid inside of you if it wants to "come out and play." At Cottonwood Creek, you'll be asked if you want to play "otter" and swim a gentle rapid with the kids. After the swim, you'll enter Blue Canyon" where indigo colored igneous rock constricts the channel. The pace of the river picks up as it enters the "Devil's Slide", Sluice Box and Eye of the Needle. Nearing the Snake River confluence, camp is made on yet another wide sandy beach.

Day 5: Lower Salmon River »

The Salmon "River of No Return" you've been riding along joins itself with the mightier flow of the Snake River at the lower end of colossal Hell's Canyon. Riding on twice the flow, there are some big waves on the Snake River, but during the flat water flows, we lash the boats together and make a party barge. Oregon and Idaho share the Snake River as a boundary line between the two states. A final big lunch is shared, along with group photos. At about 3:00 pm the take-out point is reached, where personal gear is gathered for the 45-minute ride back to civilization.

Please Note »

This is a sample five-day itinerary. While this is a typical itinerary, every trip is unique. This is meant to give you a snapshot of the trip and examples of the things you'll see and do, but should not be considered an exact itinerary.

Permit Holder and Trip Operator: ROW Adventures