Location: Western Idaho

A Snake River rafting trip begins at Hells Canyon Dam and flows through the deepest canyon in North America. The canyon formed more than a million years ago when water draining from Lake Idaho rapidly cut through rock, creating walls towering more than a mile above the river.

Level of Difficulty: Class III-IV / Intermediate

While the Snake River is considered Class III-IV, most of its rapids occur in the first 30 miles. This affords an excellent adrenaline surge at the start and a relaxing scenic journey towards the middle. The beginning stretches lead rafters over rapids such as Wild Sheep and Granite Creek– comparable to the bigger rapids of the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. River runners can raft the first 34 miles down to Pittsburgh Landing for an exciting three-day trip. Those interested in a longer excursion with ample time to explore the canyon may continue down to Heller Bar for a total of 82 miles in six days.

The Canyon: The Deepest Canyon in North America

Designated “Wild and Scenic,” the Snake River flows through Hells Canyon National Recreation Area and the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest during its entire course. Toward the end of the journey, the Salmon River joins the Snake, uniting the two largest rivers in Idaho.

Wildlife and History

Snake River rafters often see bighorn sheep, mountain goats and black bear. But wildlife isn’t the only riverside attraction– historic homesteads as well as ancient Native American ruins can be explored. Petroglyphs carved by the Nez Perce Indians decorate the canyon walls at Pittsburgh Landing.

Season: May – September

The Snake River is dam-controlled, so there is plenty of water in the river for rafting throughout the spring and summer. Water temperatures are warm, so even in the spring, the Snake is a great place for family rafting trips.

Location: Ohiopyle State Park, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh

Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania is the Mid-Atlantic region’s capital of whitewater rafting. The Youghiogheny River offers a section of whitewater for all experience levels. A short, 65 mile drive from Pittsburgh, and only 3.5 hours from Baltimore, Washington D.C, and Ohio makes it a perfect mountain getaway.

Upper Youghiogheny River Rafting: Class V+ / Advanced

Experience extreme whitewater on the Upper Yough as you thread your way between 22 continuous pulse-pounding rapids, narrow twists and turns, and heart-stopping drops. Small custom rafts and a 3:1 guest to guide ratio help solidify your team as the challenges of one of North America’s classic class V rivers will exhilarate you and your friends. The river drops an average of 120 feet per mile through the gorgeous backdrop of our mountains. As everyone is an active participant in this incredibly fun “steep creek”, we recommend all participants have previous whitewater experience.

Middle Youghiogheny River Rafting: Class I-II / Beginner

The Mild Middle Youghiogheny is the family experience in Ohiopyle. Everybody participates in the fun as you paddle, splash and swim your raft or inflatable kayak along the 11 mile, scenic Middle Youghiogheny and through 10 mild class I-II rapids. Nothing says togetherness like a day spent rafting as you discover the wonders of nature during this introduction to whitewater.

Lower Youghiogheny River Rafting: Class III-IV / Intermediate

Every year, over 100,000 people visit Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania to paddle the Youghiogheny River. The Lower Yough is our most popular section in the Ohiopyle area for whitewater rafting, and for good reason. The spectacular scenery, terrific wild life, and thrilling Class III-IV rapids of the Lower Yough invite everyone from the novice rafter to the veteran river-runner to see what lies beyond the next bend. Dam controlled releases ensure reliable water levels all summer long.

Season: March – October

Trips are available on the Middle and Lower Youghiogheny daily during the spring and summer. The Upper Youghiogheny has releases on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Saturdays from mid-April through mid-September.

Location: Fayetteville, West Virginia

Vigorous rapids, magnificent scenery and accessibility combine to make Gauley River rafting one of world’s top whitewater experiences. This unspoiled river canyon features more than 100 steep and technical rapids with huge waves. The Gauley River was the chosen site for the World Whitewater Rafting Championships in 2001.

Upper Gauley River: Class V / Advanced

The Upper Gauley flows through a narrow canyon, dropping at an average of 32 feet per mile. The level of difficulty ranges from beginner Class III to advanced/expert Class V+. The upper section provides intense rapids like Pillow Rock, Lost Paddle, Iron Ring and Sweet’s Falls. Gauley River rafting is not for inexperienced rafters. If you have not rafted before, it’s recommended you try another river before going on the Upper Gauley.

Lower Gauley River: Class IV / Intermediate

The Lower Gauley is a complete rafting experience featuring numerous advanced Class IV rapids. While the lower section provides intense rapids like Mash, Heaven Help You and Pure Screaming Hell, long pools follow, allowing rafters a chance to relax and appreciate the gorge’s solitude and beauty.

Season: September – October

Controlled by the US Army Corp of Engineers, the annual drawdown of Summersville Lake creates the Gauley River’s famous autumn rafting season. The Gauley runs from Labor Day weekend to mid October.

Location: Fayetteville, West Virginia

Contrary to its name, the New River is one of the oldest rivers in the world. Its varied level of difficulty makes New River rafting suitable for a wide range of whitewater rafting enthusiasts. The Upper New River is known for its friendly Class I-III rapids. However, the Lower New River is notorious for it’s advanced Class IV+ rapids with drenching waves. The New River offers remarkable scenery while passing abandoned mining towns and lush canyon walls rising 1400 feet.

Upper New River: Class I-III / Beginner

Class I and II rapids make this the easier of the two sections. The Upper New River is known for its friendly Class I-III rapids. It offers easy to moderate rapids, with long chutes dropping gently over ledges and expanses of calm water interspersed with stretches of waves. Opportunities to swim or go on a hike make Upper New River rafting ideal for family adventures or for scout and youth groups. Because little maneuvering is required to negotiate the rapids, the run can be enjoyable for children as young as six. This stretch of river is fifteen miles long and takes six to eight hours.

Lower New River: Class IV+ / Intermediate

The Lower New River drops 250-feet in sixteen miles, as it passes through what some call the “Grand Canyon of the East.” A trip on the Lower New is notorious for its big waves and advanced Class IV+ rapids such as The Keeneys, Double Z and Greyhound Bus Stopper. Towards the end of the run, rafters get a view of the imposing New River Gorge Bridge. At 876 feet, the New River Gorge Bridge is the Northern hemisphere’s longest single-span steel arch bridge.

Season: May – September

Although the New River is free-flowing, it is a high volume river and there is ample water to go rafting all spring and summer.

Flathead River rafting can be found on the North and Middle Forks of the Flathead River. Forming the western and southern borders of Glacier National Park, the Flathead River is a hidden gem of Montana with spectacular scenery, unsurpassed fishing and excellent wildlife viewing.

Middle Fork of the Flathead River (Class II-III):

Along the southwestern border of Glacier National Park, the Middle Fork of the Flathead offers beautiful and relaxing rafting rafting trips that are great for the whole family

North Fork of the Flathead River (Class I-II):

An easy, multi-day float trip, rafting on the North Fork of the Flathead River is a great way to experience Montana and Glacier National Park.

More About Rafting on the Flathead Rivers

The headwaters of the Flathead River are located in British Columbia and drain the western slope of the Rockie Mountains. The river’s namesake comes from the Flathead Indians who lived in the region and were named so by Lewis and Clark. The majority of the river is protected within the confines of Glacier National Park as well as Bob Marshall and Great Bear Wilderness areas. In 1976, US Congress designated 219 miles of the Flathead River as “National Wild and Scenic.” The Flathead River offers more than 275 miles of river rafting ranging from peaceful Class I float trips to Class III+ whitewater adventures on the North Fork and Middle Fork of the Flathead River.

Oregon river trips are one of the best ways to enjoy the state’s abundant wildlife, beautiful wilderness areas, and great summer weather.

Rogue River Rafting Trips (Class III):
The most coveted permit for the Rogue River is the 34-mile Wild and Scenic stretch beginning at Grave Creek and ending at Foster Bar. This run boasts some tough rapids but also allows plenty of time for swimming in its tepid waters, enjoying the plethora of fine campsites or the unique lodge-to-lodge accommodations, watching the region’s abundant wildlife, or fishing for steelhead and salmon.

More About Rafting in Oregon

Oregon is blessed with a little bit of everything in terms of landscape-broad golden hillsides, snow-capped mountain ranges, flat meadow lands and, of course, green landscapes of every imaginable sort. It’s this lush greenery which most visitors remember of Oregon. The verdant vegetation is a product of Oregon’s annual rainfall which can be quite generous in some areas of the state. This precipitation also creates some of the country’s loveliest rivers.

Location: Southeastern Utah, near Glen Canyon and Zion National Park.

Flowing eighty-four miles through lands the Anasazi Indians once inhabited, a San Juan River rafting trip has much to offer in the way of cultural and geologic history. Cliff dwellings hide in sandstone alcoves and petroglyphs still decorate the auburn canyon walls. In fact, the Butler Wash petroglyph panel features one of the largest concentrations of rock art in the Southwest. The Monument Upwarp provides rafters the opportunity to examine the rock strata and develop an appreciation for the immensity of geologic time surrounding them.

Level of Difficulty: Class I-II / Beginner

Because the river drops a gentle eight feet per mile, there are few rapids. However, the fun trade-off are the sand waves which occasionally surface out of nowhere. Caused by the water’s movement against the silted river bottom, sand waves can build in the middle of a section of flat water, providing a few moments of magical fun and disappear as mysteriously as they appeared. While the water moves quite swiftly past the 1,000-foot canyon walls, the rapids never exceed a gentle Class II, making a San Juan River rafting trip a great way to introduce multi-day trips to youngsters or the young at heart.

Hiking: Desert Scenery and Swimming Holes

Hikes up John’s, Slickhorn and Grand Gulch reveal pools, springs and hanging fern gardens sprinkled with springtime columbine. The Goosenecks section of the river gives new meaning to the phrase “just around the bend” as the river switchbacks in dramatic fashion for five river miles while only traveling one linear mile towards its confluence with the Colorado River.

Season: May – June

San Juan River Trips are available in the early part of the summer when the desert weather tends to be warm and dry.

Location: Dinosaur National Monument, Utah, near Vernal

The Yampa is the last free-flowing river in the Colorado River drainage system. While the majority of a Yampa river rafting trip is fairly mild, the canyon is majestic with its sheer walls looming hundreds of feet above the river. Natural interaction between microorganisms, the limestone and sandstone rock creates weeping black trails down the canyon’s smooth walls, eliciting a tiger stripe effect which has become a hallmark of the Yampa canyon. The Yampa river flows through the Dinosaur Nation Monument for the majority of its length.

Level of Difficulty: Class II-IV / Intermediate

Though a great deal of Yampa River rafting is spent floating lazily in calm waters, during high spring flows Warm Springs rapid becomes highly boisterous and is considered Class IV (intermediate). The last twelve miles of this forty-six-mile trip flows through the Class II-III rapids of Split Mountain, making for a festive end to this four or five-day river trip.

Wildlife and History

As the river meanders through the ancient rock formations of Dinosaur National Monument, it passes many archeological sites. At Mantle Cave, visitors view an abandoned Fremont Indian granary used to store food over the winter. At Jones Hole, a hike up the well-maintained trail offers incredible trout fishing in Jones Hole Creek and an opportunity to visit Native American pictographs. Just down from where the Yampa unites with the Green river at Steamboat Rock in Echo Park, visitors view the colossal Mitten Park Fault-its purples, reds and oranges mark time measured in millennia.

Season: May – June

River trips are offered on the undammed Yampa River in the springtime when the snow melts and the water is high enough for rafting.

Location: Eastern Utah

Taking a Green River rafting trip is akin to stepping back in time. The rock formations of its two most popular canyons–Lodore and Desolation–date back one billion years. Dusty purples, lime grays and burnt amber rock hues decorate the gorges. In 1869, Major John Wesley Powell and his companions became the first-known explorers of this river. Today, the Green River still offers the incredible scenery that so astounded Powell.

Lodore Canyon: Class II-III / Beginner

Named in Outside Magazine as one of the most coveted river trips in the United States, a Lodore Canyon rafting excursion is one of the more memorable experiences of a lifetime. The trip begins its forty-four-mile descent in the rolling hills of Browns Park. There, the towering auburn flanks of the Gates of Lodore mark the beginning of the canyon. A few miles downstream rafters encounter Disaster Falls, a Class III rapid named by Powell after his expedition suffered the loss of one of their boats there while attempting to navigate the river. The other major rapids of the trip–Triplet and Hell’s Half-Mile–are technically challenging, especially at low water levels.This four-day trip ends with a festive float through the Class III rapids of Spilt Mountain.

Wildlife and History of Lodore Canyon

At Echo Park, the Yampa River merges with the Green and floats past Mitten Park Fault and through a favorite habitat of the endangered Peregrine Falcon. Bighorn sheep are plentiful in the canyon as are mule deer and canyon wrens. A stop at Jones Hole offers a hike along Ely Creek to Indian pictographs and a refreshing dunk in the waters of “Butt Dam Falls.”

Desolation Canyon: Class II / Beginner

The beginning stretches of Desolation Canyon offer a reprieve from the rush of modern society. The water is languid and winds its way slowly through the tall canyon of gray-green limestone and pale orange-purple sandstone. Deeper into the eighty-four-mile trip the rapids get trickier but never exceed a mild Class III. Normal summer water flows render most of the rapids Class II.

Scenery in Desolation Canyon

It’s the scenery that lures most boaters to this section of the Green. Sunrises and sunsets can be epic in the canyon, which is deeper than the Grand Canyon in certain sections. A few hearty souls once tried to homestead in this area; the longer length of this trip allows for hikes up to see the remnants of these bungalows.

Season: May – September

Green River rafting trips are available on specific dates throughout the spring and summer

Location: Southern Utah

The Colorado River stretches through three states, creating some of the world’s most unique and invigorating whitewater along the way. But the Colorado isn’t only about rapids-the canyon’s geologic history is just as spectacular as its whitewater. Deep and robust, the canyon echoes our history in its walls. Two of the most popular Colorado River rafting trips flow through Westwater and Cataract canyons. Wild, immense rapids coupled with incredible canyon scenery pack a one-two punch, making a trip down the Colorado high on every river runner’s list. These trips vary in length from two to six days.

Westwater Canyon: Class II-IV / Intermediate

A trip through Westwater Canyon begins in the tranquil waters of Ruby Canyon. Through this section, you’ll have ample time to admire the contrasting colors of the canyon walls-slick black schist creates an inner canyon capped by smooth, red sandstone. As the trip progresses, the rapids seem to follow the lead of this inner canyon of ancient black rock-when this formation recedes or deepens, so does the intensity of the whitewater. The climax of the trip-where the inner walls rise 200-feet-is Class IV Skull Rapid. Skull Rapid throws every conceivable obstacle at boaters, including current-splitting cliffs and house-size boulders.

Wildlife and History in Westwater Canyon

Though the whitewater often demands most of the attention, it’s folly to not explore the landscape of the canyon. During a Westwater trip, it’s not uncommon to see bald eagles, snowy egrets and great blue heron. You’ll also have the chance to explore old cabins and hideouts where hardy homesteaders lived long ago.

Cataract Canyon: Class III-IV / Intermediate

A trip through Cataract Canyon offers both jaw-dropping rapids as well as hypnotic scenery. The river barrels through Canyonlands National Park, slicing through layers of orange and red sandstone. This is an especially isolated section of the Colorado River and nowhere else does the river drop so precipitously. This remote and feisty character is what makes a Cataract Canyon trip so celebrated.

The first part of a Cataract journey is mellow, allowing lots of time for side-hikes to ancient petroglyphs and waterfalls. After the confluence with the Green River, the rapids begin in earnest. Class III+ Mile Long Rapid is followed by a succession of Class III-IV drops known as Big Drop. During this section, the river descends an exciting 80 feet in four miles.

Season: May – September

Colorado River rafting trips on Cataract Canyon and Westwater Canyon are offered throughout the spring and summer.