Outfitters expect ‘stellar’ rafting season

BOISE — A healthy snowpack this spring may portend robust whitewater this season.

“Rafters can expect a big start to the season with plenty of water and big waves,” said Hardy Bender, development and events manager at the Idaho Rafters & Guides Association.

However, despite prime conditions, economic uncertainty has meant that bookings are lower among outfitters, he said.

Bender stood in front of the Boise River wave at Esther Simplot Park on Tuesday morning to provide reporters with the whitewater season outlook. Unlike the river that was behind him, which is dam controlled, most of Idaho’s rivers rely on melting snowpack to determine their flow — which tends to mean big water as that snow starts melting in the spring. A large reserve in the basins that feed these rivers also can mean a longer season.

The Clearwater River Basin, which feeds the Lochsa and Selway rivers, is more than 95% of average snowpack, and the Payette basin is at nearly 130% of average. The North Fork of the Payette offers advanced rapids for more expert paddlers, while the Main Payette is more “family friendly,” Bender said.

The Banner Summit snowpack, which feeds the headwaters of the Middle Fork of the Salmon, is sitting at its 30-year average, Bender said. The Middle Fork section allows boaters to travel through the heart of the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness area.

The temperatures around the state this spring are also contributing to a more ideal start, with the warmer weather melting the snow, but it’s not so hot that too much melts at once, he said.

Last year saw a decent snowpack level that had guides predicting a typical season for 2024, Boise State Public Radio reported, but the northern areas were not in as good of shape as this year. The Clearwater basin was only at around 70% of its average last year.

The Gem State has 3,100 river miles, which according to Visit Idaho is more than any other state in the nation. Idaho is also home to the longest free-flowing river in the lower 48 states, with the 425-mile Salmon River that starts as a trickle in the Sawtooth and Whitecloud Mountains and eventually meets the Snake River.

The Snake River, which flows into Idaho from Wyoming, cuts into Hells Canyon — the deepest river gorge in North America.

Bender argued that the low bookings for rafting and jet boat trips for this point in the year gives Idaho residents a leg up, as they can look to book weekends that would normally be reserved up to a year in advance.

The Idaho Outfitters & Guides Associations is a statewide nonprofit trade association that’s been operating in the state since 1954. More information about the state’s whitewater outfitters can be found at raftidaho.org.

“Outfitters in Idaho are expecting another stellar season for the Whitewater State this year,” Bender said.

Guido covers Idaho politics for the Lewiston Tribune, Moscow-Pullman Daily News and Idaho Press of Nampa. She may be contacted at [email protected] and can be found on Twitter @EyeOnBoiseGuido.