Detailed Itinerary for 6-day Camp with 2 Lodges
This is a great way to experience the river. Stay at the lodge the night before the trip launch and then camp on nights one, two, four, and five. Smack dab in the middle get a hot shower and soft bed which feels pretty special after a couple days out camping. Below is a rough description of the trip as where groups will camp exactly varies on available sites, water levels, weather, group size etc.
Day 1: Launch from corn creek and look forward to a GREAT DAY of warm up rapids. Floating away from Corn Creek into the rugged and foreboding landscape of the Salmon River Canyon one cannot help feeling the excitement of heading into the wilderness and away from civilization. There is something special about this canyon that overtakes people at this moment. Around the first couple corners brings the group to Killum Rapid and the first whitewater challenge of the Salmon River. This class III is mostly down the big waves in the middle and leads to lots of hooting and hollering. This will set the tone for the thrilling river challenges for the next couple of days. Day one continues with Alder Creek, Lance Bar, Devils teeth and a number of other thrilling whitewater challenges. Most trips break up the day with a stop at Lance bar to walk amongst the homesteader cabins and roam through the orchard. Try and picture living here, alone, 70 years ago. Look around and feel the isolation and the independence. It's an experience hard to picture in our modern world.
Sometime in the afternoon the group will float into a riverside camp on a big beach with opportunities for swimming, relaxing, and possibly hiking. Guides will show the group how to set up their tents and begin making appetizers and preparing dinner. Grab a beverage, kick back and enjoy just being away from your phone, your work, your tv. Enjoy being with your friends and family in the middle of the lower 48's largest wilderness area.
Day 2: Start off with some Native American pictographs and then more rapids and beautiful scenery. Probably just before lunch the group will arrive at Black Creek rapid in the heart of the black canyon of the Salmon River. This granite gorge is a beautiful part of the river that culminates in one of the premier rapids of the trip. Black Creek is a newer rapid created by a land slide in 2011 which damned the river and created what is now the steepest drop on the river. Shortly after everyone paddles this exciting rapid Barth Hotsprings arrives on river left and it's time to soak for a bit.
When everyone is done soaking in this scenic hotsprings it's down river towards camp. The afternoon likely includes a couple great rapids and maybe a few hikes if the group is up for it.
Day 3: Whitewater Day: Today may include a hike or two, but it's primarily about running rapids. Today will have some of the greats of the river including Bailey, Five Mile, Split Rock (A favorite rapid of numerous guides when asked for favorite rapid from any river) and the exciting Big Mallard. These rapids combine to make day three a highlight day on the Main Salmon combining great scenery with plenty of excitement. At the end of day three the group will float into Whitewater Ranch and our lodge for the night. A small tractor will be waiting to take all the gear up to the lodge and it's a short 1/4 mile walk up the property. When we arrive you can hop into a hot shower before you head out to explore historic cabins, walk down to the pelton wheel and see firsthand how they produce their electricity. Visit the garden and see where tonight's veggies are coming from or relax with good book. Whitewater Ranch is a special place where you will quickly feel at home. The owners are hosts in a way that only folks living in the backcountry can be and you will quickly fall in love with them and their beautiful home. After a delicious home cooked meal its out to relax around the bonfire and re-live the stories from the trip thus far. When you have seen enough stars and laughed enough with your trip-mates it's off to a soft bed for a great night's sleep.
Day 4: Today starts off with a bang. Another of the great rapids of the Salmon River is just around the corner. Elk Horn rapid is the longest rapid on the river at almost a mile in length. At any river flow this rapid is a highlight of the trip sure to challenge everyone in its 3 different sections. Pass the elephant rock and it's home free and onto more relaxing rapids for the rest of the day.
The afternoon brings the group into a favorite trip stopping point, Buckskin Bills. Buckskin was one of the last great American mountain men this was his homestead on the river. The group will watch the short documentary highlighting the weapons he made by hand before taking time to sit in his cabin and climb his turret which he made to fight off the government. It's also a great place to grab an ice cream, sit in the shade and watch the river float slowly past. After Buckskin Bills it's probably not far to another great riverside camp.
Day 5: Into the heart of the Grand Canyon of the Salmon River. The second deepest canyon in the United States, deeper than the Grand Canyon of the Colorado. The Salmon River canyon is an ideal place to put your feet up and float while taking in the steep rock walls and the mountain sheep climbing the pinnacles above you. Whitewater is reasonably mellow today but swimming holes are abundant as the group floats to a wonderful, white sand beach camp for the night. Tonight will be a delicious dinner to celebrate a wonderful trip down the beautiful Salmon River. Stay up late and take in the stars, because you won't see them anywhere else like you will see them on the Salmon River.
Day 6: End the trip with a bang. This morning is great! Rapids including Dried Meat, Chittum, Vinegar, and Carry Creek Falls to bring the group to the trip takeout sometime around mid-day for a late lunch. After transferring your gear from our drybags back to your suitcase it's into the van for the ride out to Boise. This ride takes a little over 5 hours, but the scenery is incredible. You will be returned to the Boise airport or a nearby hotel sometime typically between 6 and 7 pm.*
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