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Rafting and Adventure Travel

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      • Grand Canyon Rafting Overview
      • 1 Day Trips
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      • Full Canyon (6 to 18 days)
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  • Destinations
      • Oregon
      • Rogue River Rafting

      • Illinois River Rafting

      • Idaho
      • Salmon River Rafting

      • Middle Fork Salmon Rafting

      • Selway River Rafting

      • Utah
      • Yampa River Rafting

      • Lodore Canyon Rafting, Green River

      • Westwater Canyon Rafting

      • Desolation Canyon Rafting

      • Cataract Canyon Rafting

      • Belize / Hawai’i / Baja, Mexico
      • Belize – Glover’s Reef & Mayan Mtns

      • Belize – Lighthouse Reef

      • Hawai’i Seascapes – Small Ship Cruise

      • Baja – Sea of Cortez Kayaking

      • Baja’s Bounty – Small Ship Cruise

      • Alaska
      • Alsek River Rafting

      • Tatshenshini River Rafting

      • Kongakut River Rafting

      • Glacier Bay Cruise

      • British Columbia, Canada
      • Broughton Archipelago Sea Kayaking

  • Activities
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      • Popular Trips
      • Glover’s Reef & Mayan Mtns: Belize
      • Lodore Canyon Rafting: Green River, Utah
      • Baja Small Ship Cruise: La Paz, Mexico
      • Rogue River Rafting: Oregon
  • Groups & Custom

Western Rafting Overview


Rogue River, Oregon

Family friendly
Length: 38 miles/4 days
Price: $1195/adult, $1095/child
includes sleeping bags, pads and tents
Season: May – September
Min. Age: 7 years
Class III Rafting & Inflatable Kayaking
Meeting: Galice, Oregon; 9 AM
Return: Galice, Oregon; 4 PM

Getting There

Nearest Airports:
Medford (45 min)
Portland (4 hours)

Driving times:
SF Bay Area (6 hrs)
Seattle (6.5 hrs)

Highlights

Lots of easy to see wildlife: osprey, bears, otters, deer, merganzer ducks.

Water is nice for swimming

good short side hikes up creeks and to old homesteads

oar and paddle rafts – Hybrid

Salmon River, Idaho

Family friendly
Length: 80 miles/6 days
Price: $1,499 per youth, $1,899 per adult
option to renting sleeping equipment
Season: June – September
Min. Age: 5 years during Low Water Levels; 12 years during High Water Levels (June – early July)
Class III/III+ Rafting and Inflatable Kayaking
Meeting: Salmon, Idaho
Ending: McCall, Idaho

Getting There

Nearest Airports
To Salmon, ID:
Boise (5 hr)
Salmon (5 min) – prop plane between Boise and Salmon

To McCall, ID:
Boise (2.25 hr)
McCall (5 min) prop plane Mcall to Boise, ***leaves in the morning after trip

Highlights

Beautiful beach camping, hot spring stop, second deepest canyon in the lower 48 states, good hiking, wilderness area, wild & scenic river

Good river swimming in late July and August.

Bighorn sheep

Hybrid trip – paddle and oar

Potential to stay in lodges some nights.

Challenge- shuttle, start and end in different spots. Best to fly to Boise than small plane to Salmon and at the other end fly McCall to Boise and then Boise home the day after their trip gets off the water.

Selway River, Idaho

Most Exclusive Rafting trip in the US
Length: 48 miles/5 to 6 days
Price: $2,650 to 3,300 per person
includes tents/pads/sleeping bags
Season: June – July
Min. Age: 12 years
Activity: Class IV/IV+ Whitewater Rafting
Meeting Place: Missoula, Montana
Ending Place: Missoula, Montana

Getting There

Nearest Airport:
Missoula (10 min)

Highlights

They are going to need to sign up years in advance. The Illinois is as good of a trip for those willing to deal with some weather (see below).

Only one launch per day with a maximum of 16 people total (guides and guests). Only 16 commercial launches per year (150 guests per year)

Not every trip but we’ve seen incredible wildlife on these trips: wolves, mountain lion, beaver, moose, deer.

Excellent fishing on second two trips when water drops and on Moose Creek during the layover.

One of the original 8 wild and scenic rivers as well as 1 million of the original 9 million acres designated as wilderness.

oar and paddle rafts – Hybrid

IMPORTANT – On 5 day trips there is typically a layover day. On 6 days there can be two layover days. A layover days is when two nights are spent at the same camp and no rafting is done. Typically there is a layover at Tony Point near the Moose Creek Ranger station. Here there is access to a web of hiking trails in the middle of the Selway Bitteroot Wilderness Area. There is also excellent fishing for cutthroat trout and a historic airstrip. Everyone decides there own adventure on a layover day.

Middle Fork Salmon, Idaho

One of the Top Multi-day trips in the World
Length: 80 to 100 miles/6 days
Price: $2,499 per youth, $2,699 per adult
option to renting sleeping equipment
Season: June – September
Min. Age: 7 years during Low Water Levels; 12 years during High Water Levels (June – early July)
Class III/IV Rafting and Inflatable Kayaking
Meeting: Stanley, Idaho
Ending: Stanley, Idaho

Getting There

Nearest Airports
To Stanley, ID:
Boise (3 hr)
Stanley (5 min) – prop plane from Boise

Highlights

Beautiful beach camping, hot springs, famous Impassable Canyon at the end of the trip, good hiking, wilderness area, wild & scenic river

Bighorn sheep, mountain goats, bears, fish

excellent fishing

Hybrid trip – paddle and oar

Luxury Safari style camping options available

No pools to paddle across, continual current throughout the run

IMPORTANT – Later in the season (around mid july depending upon snowpack) trips have to fly into Indian creek and land on a dirt airstrip in the wilderness area bypassing the first 20 miles of the rivers. It is an incredible flight! Included in the cost if necessary with some outfitters including our preferred outfitter.

Lodore Canyon, Utah/CO

Family friendly
Length: 4 days/45 miles
Price: $899 – $999/person
option to renting sleeping equipment
Season: May – September
Min. Age: 8 years during Low Water Levels; 10 years during High Water Levels
Class III/III+ Rafting and Inflatable Kayaking
Meet: Vernal, Utah
End: Vernal, Utah

Getting There

Nearest Airports:
Vernal (5 min)
Salt Lake City (3 hours)

Highlights

Similar geology and landscape to Grand Canyon. Nice camping.

Water is nice for swimming

good short side hikes up creeks and to old homesteads

oar and paddle rafts – Hybrid

Last day is below the confluence with the Yampa. Both Lodore and Yampa run same stretch on last day. During high water spring runoff can have huge waves.

Illinois River, Oregon

Most Remote Rafting trip in the US
Length: 31 miles/4 days
Price: $1199/person
Season: April – May
Min. Age: 14 years
Activity: Class IV+ (one V-)Whitewater Rafting
Meeting Place: Grants Pass, Oregon; 8 PM night before trip
Return: Grants Pass, Oregon; 6:30 PM

Getting There

Nearest Airport:
Medford (40 min)

Highlights

Only one commercial launch per day with a maximum of 12 people total (guides and guests). There can be additional private trips launching but it is rare.

Remote, harsh dramatic canyon. With continual fun rapids and a waterfall or cascading creek always in site. Guides who have worked it say it is their favorite river.

oar/paddle combo rafts supported with gear rafts

rent a drysuit!!! The canyon can be rainy and be cold but never disappointing.

The shuttle after the trip is long (5+ hours) but again scenic along the Oregon coast.

IMPORTANT – The main challenge with the Illinois is the elements. The river typically flows in April and May when there can be periods of rain and cold. Historically 20% of trips are cancelled for flows being outside the ideal window. Cancelled trips are offered a refund or an opportunity to raft the Rogue River instead.

Desolation – Green River, Utah

Scenic Trip with minimal Whitewater after spring runoff
Length: 6 days/84 miles
Price: $1,299 – $1,399 per person
Optional Rentals: sleeping bag + pad ($40/person), 2-person tent ($40/tent)Season: May – September
Min. Age: 5 years during Low Water Level; 12 years during High Water Level
Activity: Class II-III Whitewater Rafting and Inflatable Kayaking
Meeting Place: Green River, Utah
Ending Place: Green River, Utah

Getting There

Nearest Airports
Grand Junction (3 hrs)
Green River (5 min) – prop plane from Grand Junction

Highlights

Hybrid trip – paddle and oar

scenic minimal whitewater

Great desert river with good hiking

IMPORTANT – Small planes take everyone from Green River to the put-in.

Yampa River, Utah/CO

Family friendly in July, excellent hiking!
Length: 5 days/71 miles
Price: $999– $1,199 per person
Optional Rentals: sleeping bag + pad ($40/person), 2-person tent ($40/tent)
Season: May – July
Min. Age: 8 years during July; 12 years during May and June
Activity: Class III(one IV) Rafting and Inflatable Kayaking
Meeting Place: Vernal, Utah
Ending Place: Vernal, Utah

Getting There

Nearest Airports:
Vernal (5 min)
Salt Lake City (3 hours)

Highlights

Similar geology and landscape to Grand Canyon. Nice camping.

beautiful scenery

rapids can be big during highwater year

oar and paddle rafts – Hybrid

Last day is below the confluence with the Yampa. Both Lodore and Yampa run same stretch on last day. During high water spring runoff can have huge waves.

Cataract Canyon, Utah

Scenic Trip with two days of whitewater
Length: 2 – 8 days
Price: $564 – $3,350 per person (Other taxes & fees may apply)
Season: April – October
Min. Age:  8 years during Low Water Levels; 16 years during High Water Levels

Getting There

Nearest Airports

Highlights

oar and motor trips

great hiking

Similar geology and landscape to Grand Canyon. Nice camping.

beautiful scenery

Rapids can be big during highwater year in the spring.

1-Day Cataract Canyon River, Utah

Length: 1 day/ 96 miles
Price: $425 – $555 per person (Other taxes & fees may apply)
Season: April – June
Min. Age: 7 years (Age is subject to change based on water levels & the discretion of the outfitter)

Getting There

Nearest Airports:

Highlights

motor rafts

Similar geology and landscape to Grand Canyon.

Very long day, complicated logistics that cost extra.

rapids can be big during highwater year

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About Us!

Experts in wilderness travel, we have extensive connections within the industry through our 60+ combined years guiding most of the trips we offer including hundreds of rafting trips in Grand Canyon.

There is no fee for our service, ensuring the cost of your expedition is the same as booking directly with the outfitter (Learn more).

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info@riversandoceans.com
928-526-4575
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Flagstaff, AZ 86004

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