Idaho Rafting Vacations

I have started reading "River of No Return" by Johnny Carrey & Cort Conley.  The book is all about the early travels on the Main Salmon River in Idaho.  As I'm sitting there reading about the huge wooden boats they called "Scows" and how they required two boatmen to navigate the river using two huge wooden oars off each end, I think to myself WOW....whitewater rafting has come a long way! They used these boats in the early 1900's for exploratory trips when trying to map out railroad routes. It wasn't until the 1930's that they used inflatable rafts and braved the rivers for fun.


These days we love rafting the River of No Return in Idaho.  With the ever-changing technologies in adventure sports, we can now enjoy the rivers safely and with most of the luxuries of home.  Our guides are thoroughly trained and very familiar with the  river at all levels.  The river now makes for a great family vacation in Idaho.  With the large sandy beaches to play or relax on, the beautiful scenery, and the amazing whitewater fun how can you go wrong for your adventure vacation!

Dear Winter-

We wanted to thank you for such a great season! You provided us with many epic ski days, a little snowmobiling, beautiful trout caught ice fishing, and even some sledding.  That said, I wanted to make sure you realized it is now mid-May and you seem to still be sticking around.  We would appreciate if you might be on your way so that we can thaw out and transition into summer.

As a whitewater outfitter we appreciate what a stellar winter snow pack offers us.  For us it means a longer, better season in regards to water flow.  It can also mean we experience a less severe fire season.  A longer runoff season tends to leave us with gorgeous lush vegetation and raging tributaries that add to the beauty of our guests whitewater experience.  Whether our guests choose to float the Lower Salmon, the River of No Return, or through the Snake River Canyon this summer will be great for whitewater fun!

Winter, you have set us up with a great summer of family vacations in Idaho.   We thank you for all the water you have left us with for the summer and anticipate a great rafting season. We understand that in order to maintain decent water levels into late summer and to avoid flooding you must leave slowly, however, we think you might be dragging it out a little too much. 

Cheers, and we will see each other again very soon!

If you are thinking about a rafting vacation I'm sure you have a ton of questions!  Maybe you're trying to decide if it's even a good option...let's put that one to rest, it's a great option and an experience that will leave lasting memories for everyone. The next biggest question on your mind might be which river is right for me and my friends or family? Idaho Afloat offers multi-day whitewater adventures on 3 rivers; the Snake River through Hells Canyon, the Main Salmon River, and the Lower Salmon River.  We'll go over a brief description of each to help you decide which river is right for you.

Our Hells Canyon trip is our best seller, it's short and sweet! Usually run in 3 days, this trip is packed with excitement and easy to fit into a long weekend. Rapids in the Snake River Canyon range from class II-IV and are consistently spaced throughout the 32 miles.  Fishing is fantastic all summer, you'll be reeling in small mouth bass, trout, and possibly a 4-6 ft sturgeon!  We'll stop to look at historic homesteads, Indian pictographs, or maybe take a short hike. Steep, rocky canyon walls follow us down both sides of the river which is beautiful to look at, but don't provide the big sandy beaches you'll find on the other rivers.

The Main Salmon is my favorite trip! It's a longer trip at 4-6 days depending on water flows, but you'll enjoy every minute of it.  I love it for it's scenery, it runs through the beautiful Frank-Church wilderness and offers campers large sandy white beaches.  The beaches are great for bocce ball, horseshoes, or sand castles. The rapids are class II-VI, and the temperature tends to be a little cooler than the other two rivers. While the River of No Return offers lots of history with old homesteads and pictographs, the best stop is Barth Hot springs, a natural hot springs that will hold up to 15 people. 

For the best of both worlds you might consider the Lower Salmon.  I think the Lower Salmon is a diamond in the rough.  The river runs through four different canyons but offers great big beaches for camping.  The rapids are not as intense, but can be more technical than Hells Canyon which makes this river great for families with younger kiddos.  It offers great fishing for small mouth bass and trout, and if you're really lucky a sturgeon.  Last but not least, we're offering great discounts for the Lower Salmon to make your Family Vacation in Idaho a little more affordable. 

Basically, you can't really go wrong with an Idaho Afloat rafting trip once you figure out which one is right for you.  And, of course, if you need a little help with your decision give us a call and we'll answer any questions you have.

The season is upon us and our guides have hit the water!  Every year our guides take a spring break trip to start off their season. This season was Hells Canyon.  Early trips can be a little tricky in regards to water levels and weather, but the guides love the challenge and will do anything to get out of the "real world" for a few days. 

John, Simple, Grampa Dave, and Mike were able to spend four days enjoying the rain and snow in the Snake River Canyon.  Simple brought along his girlfriend for her first multi-day rafting trip; we were a little concerned that the weather would make or break multi-day rafting for her but she was an allstar and not deterred in the slightest!  Rafting in cold weather may seem nuts, but if you are dressed appropriately and know what you are in for it can offer more exciting water levels. In the summer it typically fluctuates between 8,000-20,000 CFS, but it was running at 25,000 CFS while they were on the river.  The increased water levels affect everything! Potential camping sites may be under water, rapids may need to be run differently, or some rapids may even be washed out. It adds a little excitement to the trip to see the river at higher levels.  The Green Room was in at Granite Rapid and Wild Sheep, well it was wild.

John has, once again, reminded us that Hells Canyon on the Snake River can offer great Idaho fishing vacations. The boys were able to bring in three sturgeon and a few steelhead...a great way to start out the season.  they didn't pull in any bass, but it's a little early for that.  When the weather, and water, gets a little warmer we'll be pulling in small mouth bass every other cast!

So if your sitting there reading this and it sounds like a blast, give us a call and we'll get a family vacation put together for you in Hells Canyon.

Unless you're living under a rock or somehow manage to veer away from t.v., newspapers, radio, and all other forms of social media you are well aware of the current state of our economy.  Some people are losing houses or retirement funds, or even their jobs.  What you cannot afford to lose during these tough times is the loved ones around you, your family and friends. 

Family and friends are what will support you through these tough times, and removing yourself from the day to day stresses is a great way to reconnect with them.  That is why Idaho Afloat is offering "Recession Adventure Discounts" to help you escape for a few days and spend quality time with those who love you the most.

Whitewater rafting is a great way to spend a family vacation in Idaho.  Once you hit that clean, clear, refreshing water everything else disappears.  You're able to escape from the hustle and bustle of your everyday life and spend some true quality time with your friends and family.  Your days will be spent on the water with our friendly and experienced guides, and your evenings are spent at camp talking about your days' experiences; heart-pounding rapids, old mining settlements, wild animals, or whatever else might have occurred that day. The next day you wake up and do it again...but maybe this time switch it up, ride with a different guide or get to know others on your trip better. Whatever you choose to do you're guaranteed to create lasting memories with the experiences Idaho's whitewater has to offer.

So give us a call, we can't wait to host your vacation. We'd love to share our families passion with you and yours!

Well, since we are all big skiers, we go skiing!!
Unless the company runs trips in warmer parts of the US or overseas, an Idaho rafting company all but shuts down daily operations. All the equipment is carefully stored over the winter, after any repairs were made in the past fall. The guides have long since moved on to their "winter" jobs. For some, this means working at ski areas out west, and for others of our staff it means going back to "real" jobs teaching, in medicine, trades, and professions, etc. For the Colbert family (that's us), the first and second generations run an electrical contracting business (Colbert Electric) in Anaconda, Montana. The third generation (Ty and his wife Kate), live in Missoula. We are still working on Idaho Afloat business though! During the late fall and winter is when all our new trip planning and marketing development happens. Reservations are always open as well. It's true that sometimes you really can book an Idaho Afloat rafting adenture vacation with Kate or Ty while they are on a cell phone at the mountain. That's the beauty of technology. But most of the time, Kate & Ty are leading our customer service side of our business- answering questions, sending out trip information, and helping you decide which river and which trip is best for your group this summer! We run 4 different rivers, the Main Salmon, Lower Salmon, Snake River through Hell's Canyon, and the Clearwater for incredible fishing trips. Each is unique!

The other day we received the following comment from a guest that joined us last summer. 

"My husband and I have been rafting with Dave Colbert for many years and have had some amazing trips. Last year we took a trip with Idaho Afloat down the Main Salmon and it was wonderful. Dave and his team of guides were lots of fun; we had themed days ie Pirate day where we made flags for the boats and tried all day to capture other boats flags. It was lots of fun and added some excitement to the flat stretches of river. I would recommend this company to anyone who wants a unique and exciting trip"
-Tim & Brandi Krum



It's always a treat to hear how much guests enjoy their trips with us and to know that we provided for a great family vacation in Idaho.  The thought of whitewater rafting may be a little daunting to those who have not tried it, but it's a great way to spend quality time with your friends and loved ones.  You get to escape from all the hustle and bustle of everyday life and just enjoy yourself and those around you.  For those of you who have not given it a shot,  I highly reccomend it.  You'll be hooked!