Mile 11.3: Staring hopefully down the Colorado River at Soap Creek camp – the first night spent on our epic 25 day trip down the Grand Canyon. Here, the rock formation is the red Hermit Shale, a crumbly terrace-forming unit that would later be thousands of feet above us. Mile 33: A view from […]
Grand Canyon Permit Process – Noncommercial Trips The current procedure for obtaining a much-coveted noncommercial permit to raft the Grand Canyon is in the form of a weighted lottery. This system began in 2006, when the previous “wait-list” system became an impractical method for hopeful rafters. The first-come, first-serve waiting list had grown to over […]
Heading down Goat Creek (IV) at the start of the trip. Photo: USFS / Flickr The Selway River is a very technical 4-day river that is not for the amateur boater. It is fast paced and can be downright treacherous at high water. But for the adventurous, the scenery is stunning, the fishing is even […]
Everything about the Rogue looks amazing The Rogue River is located in southwestern Oregon and flows between Crater Lake and the Pacific Ocean. It was designated as one of the 8 rivers included in the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968. The main attraction for boaters is a 34 mile stretch between the Grave […]
USFS putting in some cold early-season hours on the Smith River. Photo: FSNR / Flickr The run on the Smith River is a mellow 4-day float through a beautiful, remote canyon in western Montana. It runs through the edge of the Lewis and Clark National Forest, where the highlight is the wildlife viewing and fly fishing. […]
Rafting through Hells Canyon along the Oregon-Idaho border 8,000 feet below the rim, the Snake River flows through the deepest canyon in North America – Hells Canyon – and is one of the easier permits to pull. It holds a Wild and Scenic River designation, with the “wild” section of the river running from Hells […]
Rafts running Pistol Creek (IV). Photo: Zachary Collier @ NWRC The Middle Fork of the Salmon is a breathtaking 7-8 day trip through Idaho’s Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness. Unlike desert rivers, the water here is clear and the fishing is world class. There are also a myriad of hot springs along the river […]
Pine Creek Rapids on a beautiful section of the Main The Main Salmon is a 6-day float through seriously scenic country in central Idaho. The Salmon River is the longest free-flowing river in the lower 48 and covers almost 7,000 feet of vertical by the time it reaches the Snake River. The permitted section of […]
Gates of Lodore take-out near steamboat rock The Gates of the Lodore is a fun river that is great for families. The biggest rapid is Hell’s Half Mile (which can be up to class IV depending on the flows), but otherwise, there isn’t much whitewater until Split Mountain Canyon. The beaches are sandy and the […]
The end of the Yampa River trip at the confluence with the Green The Yampa River is a 5 day trip through some amazing canyon country with great hikes. Echo Park, at the confluence of the Yampa and the Green River, has some scenic opportunities to look at petroglyphs, admire the massive nature of Steamboat […]
