Raft or Kayak Middle Fork of Salmon River, Idaho

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Dropping more than 2,100 meters from its headwaters, the Salmon River’s Middle Fork is nirvana for aficionados of whitewater rafting as the river cuts its way through rocky gorges in high country inhabited by elk, black bear, moose and bighorn sheep. The unparalleled trip covers over 160 kilometers and more than 100 Class III and Class IV rapids in non-stop fashion as the river winds its way through magnificent alpine scenery. Some of the rapids can only be described as “huge” with names like Powerhouse, Impassable Canyon and Pistol Creek. Steaming natural hot springs are found along the journey as well as Native American pictographs decorating canyon walls. Golden Eagles, Peregrine Falcons and Red Tailed Hawks soar overhead competing with Kingfishers for prey. Trips down the Middle Fork of the Salmon River run in the range of 5 days and are very popular during the summertime in the Northern Hemisphere. Access is primarily through the town of Stanley, Idaho. Stanley is serviced by the Sun Valley and Boise airports with direct connections from many other airports in the western United States. Professional tour operators are limited to those licensed by the US Forest Service. Self-guided tours are possible with significant restrictions imposed by the Forest Service along with a challenging permit process. Apply for the lottery between December 1 and January 31 and wait for the announcement of winners in February (only one out of every 45 applicants got a permit in 2020). Perhaps your dream is to experience a classic American whitewater rafting trip through land that was important to the Native American culture. Test your endurance and courage by including a trip down the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho on your list. Start planning the details of that adventure today.

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