Program Details
DATES:
June 20 - June 27, 2010
COST: $1,435/person + $80/person R/T transportation from Boise, ID
AGE:16 - 18 years
RIVER RATING: Class III-IV
TRIP SUMMARY:
This trip will focus on the importance of watersheds and the impact of humans and the ways in which we manage our natural resources.
Explore the longest undammed river in the mainland U.S., the Main Salmon offers a rich river experience; free-flowing Class III whitewater with big sandy beaches perfect for camping and playing.
Join Idaho Rivers United along with a group of knowledgeable, experienced river guides for a week of collaborative teaching and learning on the Main Salmon. We will spend our days whitewater rafting, hiking, and discussing the issues surrounding the nation’s watersheds. As well each day will include in-depth conversation of the region’s geology, ecology, and the Salmon River’s declining fisheries. IRU along with the OARS Foundation team and program participants will explore the challenge of restoring our watersheds and its fisheries back to health and address simple ways you can make a difference.
Sample Itinerary at a Glance
- Meet at 8:00 PM at the Stagecoach Inn for a pre-trip meeting. This is an opportunity to meet your fellow travelers and trip leader and ask any last-minute questions. Your trip leader will give you a thorough trip orientation, then pass out your waterproof river bags so that you can pack your belongings that evening.
- Depart Salmon at 7 AM for the 2-hour drive to our put-in at Corn Creek. Reaching the river, you’ll feel the excitement level grow as we see the rafts waiting for us and meet the rest of our O.A.R.S. crew. After an informative safety talk and some brief paddle raft/inflatable kayak instruction, we’re off on our river adventure!
- The Salmon River canyon—the second deepest gorge in North America—and the 3.2 million-acre Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness will offer spectacular beauty. This broad canyon is heavily forested with towering pines and conifers and, early in the season, blanketed with vibrant wildflowers. We may be welcomed to the river by a family of otters swimming near our boats, a herd of bighorn sheep scaling a steep canyon wall, a giant elk or moose wading in the shallows, or if we’re lucky, a black bear standing sentinel on shore.
- Our first day generally sets the pace for our trip. Typically, we spend a few hours on the water in the morning, sometimes stopping for a great hike, a visit to a waterfall or an Indian pictograph, or a soak in a natural hot spring. Come lunchtime, we pull over to a sandy beach and enjoy a delicious picnic. After feasting and relaxing on the beach (or perhaps swimming, a game of Frisbee, a nature walk…), we get back in our boats for more exciting whitewater.
- As we journey into the pristine heart of the Frank Church Wilderness, each day brings new discoveries: exciting rapids like Salmon Falls, Big Mallard and Growler, historical sites such as Buckskin Bill’s homestead and Jim Moore’s place (maybe you’ll find the fortune he buried in the hillside!), and the much anticipated Barth Hot Springs.
- As the Salmon River begins to parallel the forest service road, we conclude our adventure. Bidding farewell to the river and our guides, we’ll take a two-hour drive to McCall, where a lovely resort town awaits us.
