Itinerary Details
MT Sobek: Idaho Middle Fork of the Salmon River 75-Mile Rafting
Day 1 Arrive in Salmon, Idaho
2-hour flight
Arrive in Salmon Idaho, Idaho by 5:00 pm today and check in to the Stagecoach Inn. Meet your guides on the back lawn of the Stagecoach Inn for a 6:00 pm welcome orientation meeting followed by a casual picnic dinner. Head back to your hotel to pack up your provided waterproof river bags for the early start the next morning.
Accommodation: Stagecoach Inn
(D)
Day 2 Fly to the Put-in at Indian Creek
40-minute flight
6 hours/15 miles rafting Class II to Class IV rapids
Ride the bus to the Salmon Airport where you'll board a flight into the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness. Make a stop at the Indian Creek Guard Station to learn a bit about the history of the area, and then it is time to board the boats and traverse Pongo rapid! Tonight you pull in to our first camp knowing you have made it into the wilderness. Your riverside camps are thoughtfully appointed for relaxation, recreation, and comfortable slumber. Dine on a chef-designed menu prepared by your guides before gathering around the fire to get to know your trip mates.
Accommodation: MT Sobek Camp—Middle Fork of the Salmon River, Idaho
(B, L, D)
Day 3 Hot Springs and Exploration
6 hours/15 miles rafting Class II to Class IV rapids
While the Middle Fork is famous for non-stop rapids, this is typically the calmest stretch of the river, with many opportunities to play, fish, hike or swim. Relax in a hot spring and keep an eye out for mountain goats and bighorn sheep. We will be in and out of the rafts all day as we make steady progress downstream. Once oriented to the river, reading water, paddle techniques, and water level permitting, inflatable "ducky" kayaks are available for thrill-seekers looking to paddle through the rapids on their own (available on low-water trips only).
Accommodation: MT Sobek Camp—Middle Fork of the Salmon River, Idaho
(B, L, D)
Day 4 Pictographs and Play!
6 hours/15 miles rafting Class II to Class IV rapids
Sip a hot drink as the sun begins to peek over the canyon walls and camp comes alive. Refuel with a hearty breakfast and appreciate where you are, the wildest, healthiest and most pristine river system in the Lower 48 and one of the world's most important strongholds for salmon and steelhead fish. We'll continue to splash our way downstream, then after lunch, take a short hike to one of the cliffs along the river that showcases Sheepeater pictographs. Learn the history of these ancient people and wonder at what life was like here so long ago. This evening we arrive at another idyllic riverside campsite.
(B, L, D)
Day 5 Ride the River to Tappan Falls
6 hours/15 miles rafting Class II to Class IV rapids
The 15-20 miles you travel today offer some of the Middle Fork's most thrilling rapids, including Tappan I, Tappan Falls, New Tappan, and Aparajo. Look for bighorn sheep grazing along the shore as you paddle by, as well as bald eagles, osprey, herons, river otters, and black bears. You can also see shallow circular depressions in the ground on the riverbanks: the sites of Sheepeater pit dwellings. In the afternoon, pass by Kaufman's Cave, where the Scottish prospector Clarence Kaufman lived for four years.
(B, L, D)
Day 6 Coast into the Impassable Canyon
6 hours/15 miles rafting Class II to Class IV rapids
Today brings you into the Impassable Canyon, home to truly spectacular scenery: reddish-gray granite cliffs looming over the water, and sharp rock strata folds-the striking evidence of the canyon's geologically tumultuous past. Get ready to experience some serious whitewater through Driftwood, Haystack, Bernard Creek, Earthquake Jack Creek, and Goalpost rapids. After lunch, make the steep hike to Veil Falls, then back on the river, pass through Weber, Redside and Cliffside rapids and view the 1900s homestead of Earl Parrot. Back at camp, enjoy a special last-night dinner.
(B, L, D)
Day 7 Celebrate in Salmon, Idaho
2-3-hour bus transfer
3 hours/10 miles rafting Class II to Class IV rapids
We cap off our adventure by rafting 10 miles of the biggest rapids of the trip: Foreplay, Rubber, Rubber II, and Hancock. After a thrilling morning, reach the confluence of the Middle Fork and the Main Salmon River. Leave your boats behind and board a bus to Salmon for a late-afternoon arrival at the Stagecoach Inn. Enjoy a hot shower, attend a post trip toast and celebration on the back lawn of the hotel, and then the opportunity to dine out and explore Salmon on your own this evening.
Accommodation: Stagecoach Inn
(B, L)
