Dedicated Company Owners

From the moment you call Salmon Raft to book a trip, to the moment you drive away at the end of your adventure, you will have direct contact with the owners. Chris and Lauren have built the business around the goal of being a part of every trip. This personal touch is felt on each trip, big or small, and we are proud that this sets us apart from the rest. We love being a small, locally owned and operated business. We take pride in our work and it shows in even the smallest details. After over a decade in business, Chris still packs every cooler, grocery shops for your food, and maintains an exceptional level of organization that is frequently noted by our employees and guests alike. Lauren is still the one who answers every phone call and responds to each email! When you book a trip with Salmon Raft, you are booking with our family.

Based in McCall

Unlike many other rafting outfits, our company is based in a northwest vacation hot spot. We can’t think of a better place to call home and raise our family, and we love to share our home with others! Instead of going to a small town that’s nothing more than a starting place for your river trip, we invite you to come a few days early or stay late after your river trip — McCall is a place you will surely fall in love with. There is so much to do here!

Situated right on beautiful, high-alpine Payette Lake, McCall is is over a mile high in elevation. The weather during the summer is typically hot and dry (70s-90s) and the nights are cool (50s-60s). Payette Lake is a few hundred feet deep in spots, keeping it clean and crystal clear. We recommend hiking around the lake in Ponderosa State Park, renting a paddle board or kayak, or visiting one of the many lakeside parks for a picnic and a swim.

We’ve built our business to be based in this local gem, and while it can be a trek to get to McCall, it’s well worth it! As such, once you arrive, we make it easy. Round-trip transportation to the river and back is always provided and included for no extra charge. Your vehicles will be safe at our shop while you’re on the river, and we’ll take care of driving you to-and-from.

Superior Customer Service

You won’t find better customer service anywhere; we guarantee it. From start to finish, your satisfaction as a guest is our highest priority. Both owners have experience on and off the water, as well as being a guide and a guest. As a paying patron, you deserve what you paid for, and more. We strive with every trip to meet and far exceed all expectations. Whether you join us for a day trip or a multi-day expedition, you will be treated as a valued guest. Check out our testimonials page or our TripAdvisor page to see what our guests are saying about us.

Our trips, on average, have one guide for every three to four guests. This ensures that there is more than enough help to go around. We do not skimp on attentiveness or allow our guides to feel overwhelmed. We do our best to keep each trip intimate, so as to not distract from the reason we are all on the river: to unplug and immerse ourselves in the natural environment.

Flexibility

Being a smaller company allows us to offer flexibility to our guests. Trip dates, group sizes, and special requests can usually be accommodated. Planning a birthday party? Let us bring the cake and candles. Private trip for a wedding group? Give us a call, and we’ll bring the champagne.

Our Team

The staff at Salmon Raft is nothing short of incredible, and we are proud to have a spotless safety record. Above all, our guides are people that your kids will look up to and you will call friends by the end of the trip. Our guides have extensive experience and knowledge. They are certified in first aid and CPR, and many of our guides carry certification in higher-level training such as EMT, Wilderness First Responder, Wilderness EMT, and Swift Water Rescue Technician. Your safety and satisfaction is at the forefront of each trip.  Salmon Raft guides are professional and courteous. Alongside their safety training, they hold a deep knowledge and love for the environment in which they work. Whether you’d like to learn about the rich cultural or geological history of the Salmon River or Snake River through Hells Canyon, the conservation efforts we are involved in, or maybe you would like to learn a new constellation or perfect your fishing cast, they will be there to guide you.

Safety

Salmon Raft uses top-of-the line gear on all trips. Each trip is treated with the utmost importance, as are each of our guests. Our rafts, life jackets, paddles, helmets, and every other piece of equipment is thoroughly inspected before each trip to ensure that it’s in the best working order. Each guide has passed numerous tests that make him or her more than qualified to safely navigate whitewater and guide you through some of the country’s most beautiful landscape. Each trip also carries a satellite phone for emergencies. Our staff is conservative and carries rescue equipment at all times.

In addition to our gear being checked for safety, we also ensure each piece of gear you use is comfortable and new. We frequently replace our life jackets, dry bags, sleeping bags, and tents so that you aren’t using gear that has seen better days. We run a tight ship, and having good, new gear is part of that.

Multi-Day Camps

To complement the wonderful day spent on the river, we provide an all-inclusive camping experience that will knock your socks off! Every day on our multi-day adventures, our gear boatman floats ahead of the group and sets up camp. He or she will set up the tents, roll out thick sleeping pads, and have chairs ready to relax in the shade. Ice cold drinks and appetizers will be prepared, and the kitchen will be in full swing so you can take advantage or your “river time.” Go for a hike, grab a fishing rod, or just relax and let the beauty of Idaho’s river canyons captivate you.

Spacious four-person tents hold one or two guests on our multi-day trips. This way, there is room for your dry bags, as well as plenty of space to stretch out. We also provide freshly laundered sleeping bags, and thick comfortable self-inflating sleeping pads that will make your night’s sleep on the river divine. We also bring camp chairs for all of our guests, a deluxe private restroom system, family style dining tables, and a full kitchen that your guides will use to prepare deluxe riverside meals.

Riverside Menu

All of our meals will leave you satisfied and impressed. We use the highest quality ingredients and have designed our menu to ensure that the cuisine is well-rounded and appealing to all. Our guests enjoy delicious, healthy spreads that are prepared skillfully and thoughtfully by our river guides-turned chefs.

For our multi-day adventures, the menu goes above and beyond what you may think possible while camping. Some menu choices for dinner include juicy steak with cheesy Dutch oven scalloped potatoes, grilled shrimp and chicken street tacos with homemade pico de gallo and crema Mexicana lime slaw, or fresh Chinook salmon fillets from the Salmon River itself. Fresh produce and home crafted salads offer plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables as a complement to each meal. To top off dinner, you can expect a warm and delicious Dutch oven dessert, prepared fresh with seasonal fruits and toppings (some are even picked riverside while on your trip). Apple crisp, peach cobbler, or strawberry shortcake are just a few examples that you can expect to enjoy. A full breakfast with coffee and tea are freshly prepared each morning to give you the energy you need for a day on the water. We can accommodate dietary restrictions or specific preferences – just let us know in advance. The thought of going hungry will never cross your mind.

Local Knowledge

Your accommodations and vacation plans pre and post-river trip are important to us. Our river guests enjoy special discounts with local hotels with exceptional reputations. McCall is a destination for many other activities besides rafting. Call us for advice on where to go, where to eat, and some local secrets to enjoy.

Environmentally Conscious and Sustainable Practices

Our company has consistently placed a high value on the natural resources that makes our business thrive — Idaho’s Snake and Salmon Rivers. We view ourselves as stewards of these mighty waterways. We hope that with every trip, we can demonstrate the value of educating our guests and protecting this amazing piece of our country. Our children and grandchildren should be as privileged as us to experience North America’s two deepest river gorges. See our sustainability page to read more on what Salmon Raft does to ensure that we leave the river environment better than we found it.