Welcome to the Lower Salmon River... and a rafting trip where dreams come true! This is the legendary Salmon River of No Return where beautiful white-sand beaches glisten in the warm sun. Where 70-degree water beckons swimmers of all ages (Check out our family only trips) and whitewater rapids splash and make everyone beam with big grins from ear to ear.

No other rafting river in the United States is like the Lower Salmon River. The river boasts a perfect combination of fun, intermediate rapids, awe-inspiring western scenery, and gigantic white sand beaches with idyllic camping conditions. Daytime temperatures are typically 85 to 95 degrees and this, coupled with the warm river water, makes for a rafting vacation like no other.

This lower section of the Salmon River flows over 50 miles through a series of four steep-walled gorges (thus, The Salmon River Canyons) the river has carved over the ages. Between these gorges, this Salmon River rafting trip opens up to a vast Western landscape. Because there are no dams on the Salmon, sand is carried downstream from high creeks and tributaries and deposited in the form of massive beaches where the river slows down and forms eddies. Some of the beaches are over an acre in size and make for the perfect playground for our Salmon River rafting. Guests play volleyball, Frisbee, and other games, or simply soak in the hot summer rays. During our rafting trips, we enjoy these beaches at lunch as well as at camp.

This rafting trip is on a classic "pool and drop" river meaning that at the end of each rapid is a slow-moving pool of water inviting you to jump in for a swim. In the places where the river flows quietly between the rapids, you gaze up to towering heights and are likely to see golden eagles soaring overhead. Other wildlife includes mule deer, river otter, an occasional bighorn sheep, and plenty of hawks and songbirds. The air is perfumed with the scent of pines and nature's wildflowers.

We stop during the day to explore historic sites such as Native American rock art, pioneer homesteads, and Chinese rock houses that dot the Salmon River Canyons. The Chinese came here in the late 1800s looking for gold and the rock houses they have left behind provide a rare glimpse into another chapter of American history.

Our camp boat rafts ahead of the group each day to set up camp replete with a kitchen, dining tables, chairs, and spacious tents to await your arrival. After a delicious dinner in the fresh coolness of the evening, a sunset of apricot and gold slowly turns into a dark indigo sky that is brilliant with stars. An evening campfire ends each perfect day of rafting. (*Note: In the rare case that we have less than 13 guests on a trip, we do not have a cargo raft travel ahead, but instead travel as a group, arrive at camp together, and guests set up their own tents with the help of guides if desired.)

Many of the trips we run on the Salmon River Canyons are designed for families and designated as Family Magic departures.  But this section of the Lower Salmon River is also the ideal rafting trip for couples, singles, adults-only, seniors, all-men, or women-only groups.  We offer regularly scheduled adult departures and also welcome you to bring your own group.  We can custom-design any sort of focus you might want and private charters are welcome for groups as small as 12 people.

Honoring Native People and Lands

Recognizing the significance of our travels through the 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.

Images & Videos

Overlooking a whitewater rafting campsite along the Lower Salmon River
Downstream view of rafters paddling through a rapid on the Lower Salmon River
Panoramic view up close of the Lower Salmon River at sunset
Group of guests on a raft getting splashed in the middle of a rapid
Couple smiling at camp while on a multi-day rafting trip in Idaho
Camping set up along a white sand beach on the Lower Salmon River
A red ROW branded raft on flat water with three people looking out at the geology surrounding the river
Someone holding a yellow plate of salmon, broccoli, and pesto tortellini
Guests paddling through a splashy rapid on the Lower Salmon River in Idaho
Bald eagle perched on a tree as spotted from the Lower Salmon River
Three tents set up on a white sand beach along the Salmon River during golden hour in Idaho
Woman smiling while paddling through a whitewater rapid on the Lower Salmon River
Beached whitewater rafts next to people sitting at a camping table enjoying the sunset along the river
Family smiling on a red whitewater raft in Idaho
Group of people around a campfire on a sandy beach along a river in Idaho
A mom and sun wearing sunglasses and smiling with each other while rafting with ROW Adventures in Idaho
A red raft with oars floating downstream on a moody morning in Idaho
Up close of a pictograph along the Salmon River in Idaho
Person standing on a green mountainside admiring the downstream view of the Salmon River
Birds eye view of a rapid on the Lower Salmon River with a red raft pulled over to scout
A man in a blue shirt with his arms open wide looking downstream onto the Lower Salmon River in Idaho
Overlooking a whitewater rafting campsite along the Lower Salmon River
Downstream view of rafters paddling through a rapid on the Lower Salmon River
Panoramic view up close of the Lower Salmon River at sunset
Group of guests on a raft getting splashed in the middle of a rapid
Couple smiling at camp while on a multi-day rafting trip in Idaho
Camping set up along a white sand beach on the Lower Salmon River
A red ROW branded raft on flat water with three people looking out at the geology surrounding the river
Someone holding a yellow plate of salmon, broccoli, and pesto tortellini
Guests paddling through a splashy rapid on the Lower Salmon River in Idaho
Bald eagle perched on a tree as spotted from the Lower Salmon River
Three tents set up on a white sand beach along the Salmon River during golden hour in Idaho
Woman smiling while paddling through a whitewater rapid on the Lower Salmon River
Beached whitewater rafts next to people sitting at a camping table enjoying the sunset along the river
Family smiling on a red whitewater raft in Idaho
Group of people around a campfire on a sandy beach along a river in Idaho
A mom and sun wearing sunglasses and smiling with each other while rafting with ROW Adventures in Idaho
A red raft with oars floating downstream on a moody morning in Idaho
Up close of a pictograph along the Salmon River in Idaho
Person standing on a green mountainside admiring the downstream view of the Salmon River
Birds eye view of a rapid on the Lower Salmon River with a red raft pulled over to scout
A man in a blue shirt with his arms open wide looking downstream onto the Lower Salmon River in Idaho

Itinerary

map of the lower salmon river in Idaho
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Day 0

See full itinerary trip details here

Arrive in Lewiston, ID, Orientation Meeting

Meet at the Hells Canyon Grand Hotel in Lewiston, Idaho, and be introduced to the Team Leader for your Salmon River rafting trip. There is a short, hour-long orientation at around 7:00 pm PST where any questions will be answered and you will receive waterproof bags for your personal items.

ACCOMMODATION : Hells Canyon Grand Hotel (Not Included in trip cost) - Make your reservations early

Day 1

Nez Perce National Historical Park

Let's get on the Lower Salmon River! At 7:30am you'll meet with your Salmon river rafting team leader and take a bus ride up to the launch close to Whitebird, Idaho. Bus ride is two hours. We'll make a quick stop on the way for a tour of the Nez Perce National Historical Park and receive a short talk about the native tribes who made their homes on Salmon River. Their rich heritage has been preserved in the Nez Perce Reservation near the Salmon and Clearwater Rivers. We'll get to the launch point mid-morning. The summers in this area are hot and dry; highs in the daytime can reach 90 degrees and nights can get down to the 60's.

Before we launch, ROW staff will give you a thorough rundown of all safety procedures while the gear is being loaded. Some main points will be the proper way to paddle and ride, how to swim safely in rapids and several other tips. After this you will choose between paddle or oar driven rafts and inflatable kayaks, and we all hop aboard.

The Lower Salmon River is a “pool and drop” style trip, which means that there will be a long stretch of calm river punctuated by periodic rapids. At first we'll have some great beginner rapids that will be a fun way to learn how to maneuver.

At lunchtime, we'll stop and have a quick orientation on how to lessen our impact on nature and on the river while the crew prepares lunch. ROW follows the ethical standards of “Leave No Trace,” and you'll learn the proper place to dispose of trash, how to use the bathroom and where you'll be able to wash. This will be followed by deli sandwiches in the beautiful open air.

At roughly 4:00pm we'll finish our first Salmon River rafting day and set up camp where you can hike, swim, fish, read or just relax.

At 6:00 we serve hors d'oeuvres and then dinner is at 7:30pm. We'll light a campfire and enjoy the evening with each other. We might have a little lesson in astronomy or share stories of the wild!

MEALS INCLUDED : L, D

Day 2

Green Canyon

Tea and coffee is available at 7:00am followed by a hearty breakfast at 7:30am. We'll clean up, pack the gear and set out for today's adventure at 9:30am. There will be gorgeous scenery, sunlight and exciting rapids on this day of the Salmon River rafting trip. We'll have a quick stop at a historic Native American rock art location made by the predecessors of the Nez Perce, who were once the largest tribe in the Northwest. They populated millions of acres and built settlements along the Clearwater, Snake, and Salmon Rivers.

These rivers fed the Native Americans with fish and provided spiritual inspiration for the tribe. In the cooler months they made their homes in “pit houses” that we'll be able to view on a short hike. Looking at these sites one can only imagine what their lives must have been like so many centuries ago.

Next, we'll pass into Green Canyon in the Lower Salmon which is home of the famous Demon's Drop and Wright Way rapids that will have you shouting with excitement. At lunch we'll stop at a large beach where you can swim and play some games. Then we'll pile back into the boats for an afternoon of mostly peaceful water and a few small Salmon river rapids. With luck we'll even see some eagles soaring high overhead. At night we'll make camp, have dinner and then gather around the campfire or do some stargazing!

MEALS INCLUDED : B, L, D

Day 3

Cougar Canyon, Snowhole Canyon 

On this thrill-packed whitewater rafting day on the Salmon River we'll make our way through Snowhole Canyon and Cougar Canyon. We'll hit some larger rapids like Snowhole, Bodacious Bounce, China, the Gobbler, Bunghole and Lorna's Lulu which are sure to give you some great stories to take back home.

An interesting bit of history about the Salmon River Canyons is the tale of the Chinese who came to mine gold in 1864. The discovery of gold happened in 1861 and soon the area was full of Chinese miners setting up camps. By 1870 Idaho's population was 25% Chinese. Through the use of manual labor and archaic hydraulic systems they moved hundreds of tons of rock and earth looking for gold. They built rock houses that still stand as a monument to the camps and the endurance of the miners.

As we get to camp the guides will have games for either kids or adults and we'll be able to play horseshoes, rig a volleyball net or just hike the nearby hills for breathtaking views of the Salmon River. Evenings are long and night won't fall until 9:30pm in the summer. You'll fall asleep to the comforting crackling of the campfire and the fresh summer breeze blowing across your face.

MEALS INCLUDED : B, L, D

Day 4

Cottonwood Creek, Blue Canyon

We'll have some more fun with Lower Salmon whitewater rapids and the gorgeous scenery and we might even see some river otters frolicking in the shallows. Adventurous explorers will have a chance to swim through a rapid as we go through Cottonwood Creek. We may take a hike to the Reeves' homestead near Wapshilla Creek for another intriguing history lesson about a Nez Perce named Jackson Sundown. He got married to Cecilia Wapshella while he worked in the Reeve's ranch and also won the Pendleton Round-Up, a famous rodeo, in 1916 when he was 53 years old.

By this time we'll be in tune with the rhythm of the river and home will seem millions of miles away.

After a filling lunch we'll get to Blue Canyon of the Salmon River, so named because of the dark bluish igneous rock covering the striking landscape. The river gets narrower at this point and turns into one long stretch of wild rapids. We'll tear through Eye of the Needle, Checkerboard, Sluice Box, and Devils Slide, ending your Salmon rafting trip in a wild finale of excitement. We'll camp where the Salmon merges with Snake River at another gorgeous sandy beach. Natural beaches like this are only seen on undammed rivers where sediment can freely travel down the river and finally come to rest to forming comfy white-sand beaches. Dammed rivers slowly lose their beaches because the sediment that would normally replenish them is trapped behind the walls of the dam.

MEALS INCLUDED : B, L, D

Day 5

Snake and Salmon Confluence

If we didn't make it this far yesterday, we'll see the confluence of the Snake and Salmon Rivers. There is a powerful energy here where the mighty Salmon, the “River of No Return,” joins with the Snake at the bottom of Hell's Canyon. After we get onto the Snake we'll be pushed by twice as much water. The Snake River flows as the boundary between states, so on the right side will be Idaho, and the left side will be Oregon followed by Washington. The river is bigger, so the rapids are grander and the calms are more serene.

We'll have a tasty final lunch on a beach and after several more miles of awe-inspiring river, we'll finally get to the stopping point of our river journey just below the confluence of the Snake and Grande Ronde Rivers. It'll be about 3:00 pm.

It’s a quick 45-minute ride back to the town of Lewiston, Idaho. Depart the next morning to head home, or continue on to your next adventure.

ACCOMMODATION : Hells Canyon Grand Hotel (Not Included in trip cost) - Make your reservations early
MEALS INCLUDED : B, L

Day 6

Departure

Your car will be waiting if you made the drive to Lewiston. If you came by plane the hotel can shuttle you to the Lewiston airport.

ROW Inc. is proud to be an Equal Opportunity recreation service provider under permit from the Bureau of Land Management. Our Lower Salmon River trips are operated under permit from the Cottonwood Resource Area of the BLM. ROW Inc. is bonded and fully licensed by the State of  Idaho Outfitters and Guides Licensing Board.

Dates & Rates

DatesAdult (USD)Child (USD)
Jul 08, 2024 to Jul 12, 2024
Open Enrollment - Recommended for kids 10+ in age
$1,990£0€0$0$0$1,860£0€0$0$0
Jul 15, 2024 to Jul 19, 2024
Open Enrollment
$1,990£0€0$0$0$1,860£0€0$0$0
Jul 22, 2024 to Jul 26, 2024
Open Enrollment
$1,990£0€0$0$0$1,860£0€0$0$0
Jul 29, 2024 to Aug 02, 2024
Open Enrollment
$1,990£0€0$0$0$1,860£0€0$0$0
Aug 05, 2024 to Aug 09, 2024
Open Enrollment
$1,990£0€0$0$0$1,860£0€0$0$0
Aug 12, 2024 to Aug 16, 2024
Open Enrollment
$1,990£0€0$0$0$1,860£0€0$0$0
Aug 19, 2024 to Aug 23, 2024
Open Enrollment
$1,990£0€0$0$0$1,860£0€0$0$0
Aug 26, 2024 to Aug 30, 2024
Open Enrollment
$1,990£0€0$0$0$1,860£0€0$0$0
Sep 02, 2024 to Sep 06, 2024
Open Enrollment
$1,990£0€0$0$0$1,860£0€0$0$0

Supplementary Information

5-Day Wilderness Rafting Trips
  • Open Enrollment Departures (family-friendly unless otherwise noted): Every Monday - prices listed above
4-Day Wilderness Rafting Trips
Departures: By request for a large group - Please Call
 
Private Charter Rates (Prices based on a trip exclusive for your group):
5-Day Private Trip
$41,790 for up to 23 guests
4-Day Private Trip
Please Call
 
Group Rates for 10+ guests (Prices for a group within a non-exclusive trip):
5-day = $100 off per person
 

TRIP INCLUDES: 

  • Services of our talented adventure consultants and professional guides
  • Hand-crafted itineraries
  • All meals/beverages as indicated in the itinerary (including beer and wine) 
  • Clean drinking water available at all times
  • All rafting/camping gear 
  • Specialized equipment needed for activities such as helmets, paddles, personal flotation devices, etc.
  • Private pre-tour orientation meeting
  • Transportation to/from river meeting points

DOES NOT INCLUDE: 

  • 6% Land and water access fee
  • Airfare/transportation to beginning and ending points
  • Shuttling your car from launch to take out point if driving 
  • Gratuities for guides
  • Travel protection plan
  • Pre & post-trip hotel reservations
  • Items of a personal nature

Reviews

5
Average: 5 (35 votes)

Reviews

5

Trip down Salmon Canyon

This was a simply amazing raft trip! The guides were fantastic and preformed above and beyond any required service! Since we were a small group (5) mostly of members of the Idaho rivers organization (I just joined!) which added to the enjoyment of the trip with information about the river and the area. We were fortunate to have Bill Sedivy as our lead guide who, with his long history of membership/leadership with the organization, really added to the enjoying of the trip....plus he was an excellent oarsman and fun to be with, courteous, positive, and helpful. The two ROW guides Kristine and Conner were some of the best oars folks I've ever been with and it was a joy to spend time with them. They provided amazing food, interest in us, navigated this rather difficult river expertly, and dealt with amazing skills of our challenge with Hurricane Hilary! Plus they were ALL just really wonderful humans! I loved the team spirit that we all ended up with and now fill the loneness of home without them or without the challenge that the river running can offer.! Thank you ROW for putting together such an amazing trip.

5

21 years and Counting

4 multi-day trips and several 1 day trips over the last 21 years shows my satisfaction with ROW Adventures. I am always impressed with the staff and guides over the trips taken. I always recommend to anyone ready for adventure. "Never a bad day on the river".

Google Review
5

We are already planning our next trip!

An unexpected amazing adventure. I cannot write enough positive words about the Salmon River Canyons 5 day trip. The office support, our excellent bus/shuttle driver, our river guides, the food, the patience, the education we received and the beauty of the river are unparalleled. We are already planning our next trip.

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