Among whitewater rafting rivers, the Middle Fork of the Salmon River 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 Frank Church-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!
We launch our boats into the Salmon River nearly 6,000 feet above sea level and immediately enter an enchanted forest of fir and spruce. The river is steep, shallow, and narrow and we careen through boulder-choked rapids. With each passing mile, side creeks tumble into the Middle Fork’s clear sparkling water and deepen the flow around our boats. The whitewater rapids are frequent and challenging on the Middle Fork. Guides speak their names with reverence – Velvet Falls, Ram’s Horn, the Chutes, Pistol Creek, Devil’s Tooth, and House Rock to name a few on this Idaho rafting trip.
Dropping in elevation, the Middle Fork Salmon River widens and the spruce forest opens up to vistas of pine-studded mountains. Rafts drift quietly over deep pools of transparent water—home to native cutthroat and rainbow trout. Guides stop the group often to visit nearby Native American pictographs and pioneer homesteads. ROW guides are intimately familiar with this majestic canyon and use their interpretive knowledge to help draw the silent stories from these historic places.
Further downstream, the trip enters Impassable Canyon. Granite mountains of staggering dimensions slice out of the clear Middle Fork water and into the cobalt blue Idaho sky. We’ll stop for hikes underneath Waterfall Creek and up to Veil Falls. Soaking in the many natural hot springs along the Middle Fork is a highlight for many of our guests.
As we near the end of our Idaho rafting journey, having dropped 3,000 feet in elevation and gained a lifetime of memories, it’s hard not to envy the Native Americans and pioneers who spent their whole lives in the vast wilderness along the Middle Fork of the Salmon River.
ROW also offers raft-supported hiking tours of this magnificent country. Load up a day pack with supplies to get you through the day, then hike to camp where you’re gear will be waiting, the tent will be set up and food will be cooking.
Honoring Native People and Lands
Recognizing the significance of our travels through Indigenous territory, we would like to recognize the communities whose lands we visit. It is our hope, in doing so, to honor their legacies, their lives, and their descendants. To learn more about territory acknowledgment and specific information about the Native communities of this region, please visit our Territory Acknowledgement page.
ROW Adventures Middle Fork Rafting Tour In The News
ROW Adventures Middle Fork Salmon trip was chosen as one of National Geographic Magazines “50 Tours of a Lifetime!” The editors say:
“The selection process was competitive and our editorial team worked long and hard to find…most authentic, most innovative, most immersive, best-guided, and most sustainable tours. Our theme this year was transformation. The outfitters we selected are experts at creating trips that have the power to change lives—the lives of the traveler as well as the residents of the destinations,” notes executive editor Norie Quintos. “The trip is usually just the beginning.”
Since 2006 this is the fifth time that one of ROW Adventures’ tours has been named to this exclusive list.
