The Lower Salmon or Lower Gorge of the Salmon is another one of Idaho's great river trips. The Lower Salmon is the last 52 miles of the Salmon before it's confluence with the Snake River. The Lower is a great first time trip or an excellent trip for those who have already done the upper sections of the river and would like to see the unique character of the Lower Gorge. This section unlike other parts of the Salmon River is a desert river. The Lower Salmon flows through the basalt desert of the Columbia Plateau, an area with many bizzare and beautiful rock formations famous for millions of years worth of volcanic floods. The Lower Salmon flows through four distinct, sheer walled gorges. Within these four gorges we encounter most of the rapids. We float through class II-III rapids with names like Rollercoaster, Demons Drop, Bodacious Bounce and Eye of the Needle to name a few. At most flows Snowhole Rapid and China Bar rapids are rated as class IV. Between the rapids, we pause and examine pit houses, pictographs, and rock shelters left behind by ancient native peoples. The history of the Lower Salmon is also rich with stories of mining, ranching and homesteading in the late 1800's. The Lower Gorge boasts the best camping on the length of the Salmon River. In the afternoon, we set up camp on large sandy beaches with plenty of time for swimming or the ultimate game of sand-pit volley ball. The Lower Salmon is also home to smallmouth bass in such great abundance that it is not unusual to catch 30-50 fish per day! Kamloops and rainbow trout are also starting to come back due to Idaho Fish and Game stocking efforts.

We offer the Lower as either a 3, 4 or 5 day trip. Our three-day is a great quick getaway. You will spend 2 days and 2 nights on the Salmon. Our four-day trip offers a more relaxed pace, more river miles & more rapids. The four day gives us a better opportunity to fish or explore more of the history along the way. The five day allows more time for fishing, hiking or just relaxing. Half of the last day on all of regular raft trips is spent on the Snake River in Hells Canyon. Our takeout is near Asotin Washington. Any of our trips can also be combined with a thrilling jet boat ride back up the Snake to Pittsburg landing. This 1.5 hour boat ride eliminates all but the last 45 minutes of the land shuttle back to our office in Riggins. We run the jetback portion of the trip with another outfitter so call us for availabilty and pricing.

Combine this trip with the Main Salmon, and our exciting day trip section for the ultimate Idaho river trip: 10 days on the longest free-flowing river in the lower 48 states. See the entire length of the Salmon from its confluence with the Middle Fork of the Salmon to its end at the confluence of the Snake River. This trip includes charter flights from Boise to Salmon, lodging on the 7th night and your flight back to Boise at the end of the trip (4 person minimum).

In addition to our raft vacations, we offer a variety of combination trips that allow you to stay in wilderness lodges, venture into the hills on horseback, fish for trout and smallmouth bass, or perfect your kayaking skills. We offer 3-5 day trips on the Lower Salmon from July through the end of September. We also offer 2-6 day steelhead fishing trips by driftboat on the Lower Salmon from the end of September through October.

On all of our river vacations, you only need to provide your own clothing and toiletries. We provide all of the rafting and camping equipment to ensure your saety and comfort. We provide beer and wine with dinner and you can always bring additional drinks and spirits in plastic containers or cans. Our meals consist of a wide variety of flavors and dishes including grilled steak, BBQ chicken, and lime cilantro halibut to sizzling fajitas and our famous Dutch-oven lasagna. Each dinner is served with fresh salads and veggies, as well as warm breads and Dutch-oven desserts. We are more than happy to customize our menu to suit your appetite and specialize in vegetarian alternatives.

Our Lower Salmon River trip is well suited to any age and all abilities. We can comfortably accommodate up to 24 guests with our average trip size around 12. We are always willing to charter a trip for a group with a minimum of 10 passengers. Click on our Multi-day raft trip page to find info on pricing.

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