Middle Fork Salmon Rafting

7 days
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Small Group Tour
Among whitewater rafting rivers, the Middle Fork of the Salmon in Idaho is a legend. The pure, clear, free-flowing river drops 3000 feet during its 105 mile Idaho rafting journey through Idaho's remote and spectacular River of No Return Wilderness, the largest wilderness area in the lower 48 states. Natural and untamed, Idaho's Middle Fork is protected by Con...
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Overview

Trip type
Small Group Tour
Lodging level
Camping
Physical level
Moderate
Trip pace
Balanced schedule

Highlights

    • Visit Stanley
    • Enjoy hiking and fishing
    • Enjoy casting a line into Loon Creek
    • Discover Glacier National Park

What's this trip about?

    Among whitewater rafting rivers, the Middle Fork of the Salmon in Idaho is a legend. The pure, clear, free-flowing river drops 3000 feet during its 105 mile Idaho rafting journey through Idaho's remote and spectacular River of No Return Wilderness, the largest wilderness area in the lower 48 states. Natural and untamed, Idaho's Middle Fork is protected by Congress as one of America’s first Wild and Scenic Rivers. It has shaped its course through a rugged and diverse landscape. There are no roads leading to its banks and little remains of man’s brief presence other than prehistoric pictographs and dilapidated log cabins. The whitewater rapids are fun for all ages and provide a certain excitement only Idaho's famous Middle Fork of the Salmon can!

Details

Itinerary focusActive and Outdoor Sports
Group sizePrivate - your group only
Age range7 years and up
Flights and transportAll internal ground transport included
Start CityStanley, Idaho
End CityStanley, Idaho

Travel Themes

  • Family Friendly
  • Hiking & Walking
  • National Parks
  • Nature & Wildlife
  • Rafting, Kayaking, Canoeing

Destinations

  • North America
  • United States

Attractions

  • Glacier National Park
  • Idaho
  • Montana

Activities

  • Adventure & Adrenaline
  • Cycling
  • Hiking
  • History
  • Horseback riding & Equestrian
  • Hot Springs
  • Nature
  • Rafting
  • Whitewater rafting

Trip includes

    • All meals as mentioned in the itinerary
    • All accommodations as mentioned in the itinerary
    • Complimentary beer, wine, juice and soda, all in moderate quantities, is provided.
    • We are proud to serve fine local Northwest wines.
    • We always have plenty of ice! All rafting gear is also included to make things easy for you.
    • We provide complimentary wetsuits & wetsuit booties early and late season to make sure you stay warm and comfortable on the river.

Popular Trips

Itinerary

Travel Map

Day 1:

Meals: Lunch and Dinner

Accommodations: Riverside Camping

Meet your group at 7:30am. We'll take a two-hour bus ride to Boundary Creek and start our trip. At 6,000 feet elevation, the air is crisp and the forest thick with fir and spruce. At the river we'...

Day 2:

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodations: Riverside Camping

We awake around 7:00am and enjoy fresh-brewed coffee. Breakfast is served and you pack up your personal gear. The rafts are loaded and we depart from camp around 9:30 for an adventure-p...

Day 3:

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodations: Riverside Camping

The river canyon opens now and we’ve dropped over 1,500 feet in elevation. Days and nights are warmer. The fir and spruce give way to ponderosa pines, sagebrush and riparian hardwoods. ...

Day 4:

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodations: Riverside Camping

Another day of fun rapids and incredible Rocky Mountain scenery. We’ll likely see big horn sheep as we pass several mineral licks. Those fishing will continue to find bountiful trout an...

Day 5:

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodations: Riverside Camping

Today we run Haystack Rapid, the most dynamic rapid on the river. Side canyon “blow outs” have changed its course twice in the last few years. This is the official start of Impassable C...

Day 6:

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodations: Stagecoach Inn (Not Included in trip cost)

As we push off from shore the river takes us past the former hideout of Earl Parrot, Hermit of Impassable Canyon. His story is as big as the canyon and adds jus...

Day: 7

If you drove to Stanley and had your car shuttled, it is waiting for you at the hotel. If you are flying home, you'll board an air taxi for the one-hour flight back to Boise to connect home. You may consider visiting our own River Dance Lodge, a beautiful log cabin adven...

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Dates & Availability

Price From $1,715
Price per day$245
Last Updated: 10/21/2019

Check Current Availability, prices, specials with ROW Adventures.

The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.

Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.

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ROW Adventures Reviews & Ratings

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Andrew

Mar 2020

Provided byROW Adventures

Great trips--great company

I have travelled with ROW numerous times, including four trips on the Rogue River. Every trip has been wonderful and every person associated with ROW has been nice, ...

P

Pip

Mar 2020

Provided byROW Adventures

most memorable holiday

Wow, wow, wow, wow. As a family group of six adults we have just returned from four day Whale Camp at Magdalena Bay. We were so well looked after by Monica, ‘Sherman...

J

Jackie

Dec 2019

Provided byROW Adventures

My dad and I had a wonderful time, and would not hesitate to recommend ROW!

My dad and I booked this trip as a special experience to share together, and we knew we wanted to go with ROW because we had taken a family rafting trip with ROW 20 ...

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Tour Operator

ROW Adventures

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Connecting people to culture, wildlife, and nature

If there is water, there is ROW Adventures! While we started out as a Northwest whitewater rafting company in 1979, we have since expanded our reach to include tours on five continents and over 25 countries. Our ultimate focus is providing life-enriching journeys around the world that not only benefit you, but also our guides, and the people and places we visit. Rated by National Geographic Adventure as one of the “Best Adventure Travel Companies on Earth,” and voted “World’s Best Tour Operator” by Travel & Leisure magazine readers, we continue to pioneer new trips and ways of adventuring in both popular and remote places of the world.

ROW offers a wide variety of trips that cater to many different activities - rafting, kayaking, hiking, biking, fishing, multisport, etc. – interests – family-focused vacations, lodge-based tours, wildlife viewing, custom itineraries – and locations – camping in the Galapagos Islands, hiking in Machu Picchu, ecolodges in the Amazon, safaris in Africa, yachting in Europe, wildlife viewing in Antarctica, sea kayaking in Baja, kayaking with orcas in British Columbia, and more.

At our core, we are all about “sharing nature, enriching lives.” We strives to connect you to the places we visit in a meaningful and personally relevant way, inspiring you to be a part of the culture and lifestyle, and creating a safe-space for you to grow and gain new insight through your travel experiences.

The driving force behind our company is a team of people passionate about travel and customer service. Setting the pace and tone are the original ROW owners and founders Peter Grubb and his life partner Betsy Bowen. With our superlative team who have an average of eight years of guiding experience, many with extensive wilderness medical training, and natural and cultural history interpretation training in order to share a deeper understanding and appreciation for the incredible places you visit, we continue to set the high watermark in adventure and guest service.

ROW has a high guide-to-guest ratio, allowing our guides to be more involved with you – joining in on meals, ensuring your comfort, answering questions, telling stories, entertaining, and sharing in on the fun and adventure. And not only are our guides there to lead the adventure, they also do all of the heavy lifting, food preparation, gear transfers, camp setup, and more, so that you can focus on your vacation.

Our guides prepare each meal for you using fresh, healthy ingredients, and there is beer and wine to boot. Luxury camping, with spacious tents, dining tables, chairs and sun showers, provides a high level of comfort even when you’re exploring remote wilderness areas. ROW provides all camping gear including tents, sleeping bags, and thick foam mattresses, and watercraft for our trips; you just need to bring clothes, yourself, and enjoy being on your adventure! And of course, we are passionately dedicated to “Leave No Trace” camping ethics and supporting a variety of conservation efforts around the world. 

We have it all covered, and we are here to provide you with the best travel experience out there. But don’t take our word for it; check out our reviews, join us for an adventure, and go home with incredible experiences and lifelong memories!

Tweets by ROWadventures

Why we love this operator
They’ve been recognized by major travel publications for their pioneering adventure travel expertise that spans back to their founding in 1979.
What they’re known for
Industry-leading adventures for outdoor enthusiasts that want a comfortable but exciting experience and all equipment included.

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Logistics

What's excluded

    • International / domestic airfare
    • Passport and visa fees
    • Personal expenses
Guides
On any river trip, the guides are the most important factor for your safety, enjoyment and the success of the trip. ROW guides are exceptional people with years of river experience. We maintain a tobacco-free policy and most of our guides have taken interpretation courses from certified instructors. We look for guides who are willing and eager to share, teach, listen, learn, laugh, play, discuss and, above all, work hard to provide a safe, relaxed and spontaneous adventure. While in camp, two or three guides are preparing dinner while the others are free to spend time with you. They might show you the way to a nearby hot spring, give a fly-fishing lesson, or just to sit and visit with the group. Our guides are the main reason many of our guests return to ROW time and time again. (References gladly provided.)
Cancellation policy

Cancellations And Refunds

If you find it necessary to cancel your trip, you should notify ROW Adventures in writing, by e-mail or fax immediately.  If written cancellation is received (call to verify) before the final balance is due, you will be given a refund less the amount of the deposit.  Deposits are not refundable.  If cancellations are made on or after the final due date, no money will be refunded.  If you are unable to go on the trip, you are welcome to find a replacement for yourself.  Please understand that once you’ve signed up, we lose the right to sell your reserved space to other individuals or groups.  Therefore, we regret that we cannot make exceptions for personal emergencies.  For this reason we strongly recommend you consider purchasing the Travel Protection Plan ROW offers.

Travel Insurance
We strongly recommend purchasing travel insurance alongside your travel package to safeguard against unforeseen circumstances such as medical expenses, trip cancellations, and other contingencies. It offers you peace of mind and ensures you are prepared for unexpected events that may occur before or during your journey
Visa requirements
Visa requirements vary depending on your country of origin and your country of destination. It is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with the relevant requirements. For a handy tool that can help you quickly find the requirements, please visit this link .
Meals Included

5 Breakfasts, 6 Lunches and 6 Dinners

Age Requirements
7 years and up
Minimum age: 7 (12 at high water)
Additional Information

Typical meals on the river

The quality of our food reflects the quality of the wilderness environment in the Middle Fork canyon. We hand-select the freshest fruits and vegetables we can find and pack them carefully in huge ice-coolers. Likewise, these coolers carry fresh dairy products and meats. From these ingredients we prepare bountiful, healthy meals. Sustainably harvested wild Alaskan Salmon served with a fresh garden salad; Prime Rib combined with a fresh Chilean salad and Idaho mashed potatoes or made-on-the-river lasagna are a few possible entrees. Big salads of vegetables and fruit add color and variety to every meal. Desserts are made each evening in our Dutch ovens and range from authentic cobbler and pineapple upside-down cake. We serve juice each morning and moderate amounts of bottled wine with dinner. We also provide two beers and two sodas or juices per person per day. There's always plenty of cold water, lemonade mix, tea, coffee and cocoa. You're welcome to bring your own beverages or alcohol as well. We always have plenty of ice to keep your drinks cold.

Best time to go

Because the Middle Fork has no dams, the water is highest when early-summer warmth melts the snow from the high mountain peaks. Winter snowpacks affect each season’s water levels. In general, the river peaks in mid-to-late June. Early June to early July is the time to come if you want high water thrills. Mid-July brings somewhat lower flows as the bulk of the snowmelt has already runoff and novice rafters may be more comfortable joining us at this time. The river gradually lowers as the summer passes, bringing incredible clarity to the crystal waters. Late August and September are wonderful times to be on the river because few people are around and the colors of the hills become more radiant. This is also the best time to fish the Middle Fork.

Trip ID
rowadv-MidForRow

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