What is the difference between the four and five-day trip?
Our four and five-day trips float through the Lower Salmon River canyons, which is a different, more remote section of river from our shorter duration trips. These are Salmon Raft’s ultimate multi-day river excursions that cover dozens of miles of pristine wilderness. They are fully catered expeditions, with a super low guide-to-guest ratio, diverse cuisine, and impeccable service.
Our four-day trip covers 43 river Salmon River miles and our five-day trip covers 53 Salmon River miles. Both of these experiences end with a fun and safe 30-mile jet boat ride up the Snake River through Lower Hells Canyon.
Four & Five Day Itinerary
Click to the right to download detailed itineraries for both four and five-day trips.
All of our multi-day river excursions begin the night before you launch. Please plan to be in McCall no later than the evening prior to your trip for our 6:00pm Mountain Time meeting at our Boathouse. At the orientation, we’ll distribute dry bags and go over details for your time on the river with us. After the orientation, you’ll take the dry bags with you back to your hotel so that you can get organized before heading out the next morning.
We’ll depart from our Boathouse at about 7:30am on Day One. You can expect a 1.5 hour ride to the put-in for five-day trips and 2.5 hours to the put-in for four-day trips. Your vehicle will be safe in McCall for the duration of your trip. Round-trip transportation from McCall to the river and back is provided and included with your trip. On the last day, you can expect to be off the river by around 2pm after having our last river lunch together, followed by the jet boat ride, and then return to our McCall Boathouse by around 6:00pm.
Note: Round-trip transportation is always provided and included with McCall as your home base. However, for guests traveling north after the trip, you can leave your vehicle in White Bird to shave 1.5 hours off of your drive time. Please contact us for details.
Each day of your river trip will be a little different, as the Lower Salmon River is famous for its four distinct canyons. We raft from about 10am to 4 or 5pm, and the days are filled with a perfect mix of leisure and excitement. The rapids on the Lower Salmon are varied, dynamic, and exciting. Some of the smaller rapids are fun for the kids to “ride the bull” or try out the inflatable kayak, and the bigger ones will include a scout from shore before navigating the biggest waves. The fishing is excellent on these trips, too, and there is lots of time for swimming, cliff jumping, a hike for those who are interested, and plenty of time to get to know your guides and fellow guests. At camp, Salmon Raft provides beach games, shade, and steady stream of delicious cuisine, all prepared riverside by our guide staff. Your time at camp is yours – the beaches are huge, so there is lots of room to spread out. Read a book, take a river bath, nap in the shade, or play some bocce ball or horseshoes.
Our four and five-day river experiences are designed for all adventure levels, and rafters as young as 7. Every detail is taken care of by our crew, so you can enjoy your vacation without being in the driver’s seat. For detailed questions about what to expect, it’s often easiest to chat on the phone. Feel free to contact us, as we are always happy to walk you through the trip from start to finish.
We look forward to sharing the Lower Salmon River with you!
WHAT TO EXPECT
Salmon Raft has a variety of watercraft options to choose from. As you can probably imagine, there is a ton of gear that is required to pull off a fully catered multi-day trip. All of the kitchen equipment, your overnight bags, and most of the food will ride on our gear boat, while you (our guests) ride on a guest boat or inflatable kayak, your choice. Click on the photos below to expand.
