Gallery

Whitewater

Reading rivers, choosing lines, reacting to currents, and coming out of rapids upright. The forks of the Salmon (South Fork, Middle Fork, Main, and Lower) give Idaho hundreds of miles of wild water, and the Green, Owyhee, and Bruneau fill in the rest of this gallery.

South Fork of the Salmon. Matt Leidecker takes a drop in his AIRE raft with the river at 2.5 feet. — South Fork of the Salmonfrom $25

Owyhee River Kayaking. Jeff Ford drops a chute on the Owyhee as the river rises with the spring thaw. — Owyhee River Kayakingfrom $25

Middle Owyhee Kayaking. Time it right and high water on the Middle Owyhee makes for an amazing trip through a seldom-visited corner of the West. — Middle Owyhee Kayakingfrom $25

Big Splash = Big Fun. The front row of a whitewater raft gets the biggest splashes, and the most fun. — Big Splash = Big Funfrom $25

Growing Up Fishing. River trips, kids, and fishing go hand in hand. You just hope the fish land in your hand too. — Growing Up Fishingfrom $25

Après Whitewater. Nothing beats a cold beverage after a great day on the river. — Après Whitewaterfrom $25

South Fork Salmon Kayaking. The South Fork packs a serious punch at high water. At 2.5 feet, the rock gardens are the biggest challenge. — South Fork Salmon Kayakingfrom $25

Fall Kayaking. Once the kids are back in school and the summer crowds are back at work, solitude returns to multi-day river trips. — Fall Kayakingfrom $25

Get 'em Hooked. "Kids, grab some rope and stinky cheese, and let's see if we can handline a fish with these hooks I just found!" — Get 'em Hookedfrom $25

Juxtaposition. Sliding into a world of churning chaos, we find pleasure in the thrill of the ride. — Juxtapositionfrom $25

Chittum Rapid, Main Salmon. Kat Vandenheuvel carves through Chittum and avoids the wall. — Chittum Rapid, Main Salmonfrom $25

Raft Surgery. With a gash that bad, it's time for needle and thread. A repair during a low-water Middle Fork run. — Raft Surgeryfrom $25

Green River Rafting. A rafting party floats past spires at the end of Gray Canyon on the Green River, Utah. — Green River Raftingfrom $25

Riverside Camp. After a day on the river, two rafters enjoy the warmth of a fire and the spinning of the universe. — Riverside Campfrom $25

Kayaking Tappan Falls. A kayaker exits Tappan Falls at low water at the end of summer. — Kayaking Tappan Fallsfrom $25

North Fork Payette. I've run the North Fork of the Payette, the Cabarton section that is. If you've run the North Fork with no qualifier, you're a badass. — North Fork Payettefrom $25

Relax Between Rapids. Nothin' to do but relax between rapids. — Relax Between Rapidsfrom $25

Boundary Creek Launch. Even with a permit lottery, the Boundary Creek launch on the upper Middle Fork is a hectic scene in summer. — Boundary Creek Launchfrom $25

South Fork Holes. At 2.5 feet the South Fork still has holes and waves that will eat your kayak for lunch. — South Fork Holesfrom $25

Upper Owyhee Backcountry. Getting to the Upper Owyhee put-in can be harder than the kayaking. Mark Sachs enjoys a lazy stretch on day two. — Upper Owyhee Backcountryfrom $25

Middle Fork Blowout. Matt Leidecker is first to drop the new entry to Five Mile Rapid after landslides rerouted the upper Middle Fork. — Middle Fork Blowoutfrom $25

Desert Silhouettes. Backlit spires and kayakers on an afternoon on the Middle Owyhee. — Desert Silhouettesfrom $25

Bighorn Drysuit. A rafter who found a bighorn sheep skull lays out his NRS drysuit to air after a day on the river. — Bighorn Drysuitfrom $25

Kids and Dog Are Hungry. The youngsters wait patiently, droolingly, for dinner. — Kids and Dog Are Hungryfrom $25

South Fork Scouting. The crew scouts one of the first rapids of the day on the South Fork of the Salmon. — South Fork Scoutingfrom $25

Portaging Velvet Falls. On the first Middle Fork run after the historic blowouts, the crew portages log-jammed Velvet Falls. — Portaging Velvet Fallsfrom $25

1, 2, 3... Dropping!. What's a river trip without a cliff jump? Albert goes off the top on the Green through Desolation and Gray Canyons. — 1, 2, 3... Dropping!from $25

Scouting Five Mile Rapid. After the 2023 blowouts changed everything, even veterans scouted nearly every rapid on the Middle Fork. — Scouting Five Mile Rapidfrom $25

Log Jam, Middle Fork Salmon. After the 2023 blowouts, Bird Lew works through the log soup to reach shore and portage a newly blocked rapid. — Log Jam, Middle Fork Salmonfrom $25

Sulphur Slide Rapid. The early-August run of Sulphur Slide was class II/V: two for the moves, five for the consequences. — Sulphur Slide Rapidfrom $25

Kayaking the South Fork, photograph by Craig Wolfrom — Kayaking the South Forkfrom $25

Rafting the South Fork. Matt Leidecker takes his AIRE raft through the final moves of a South Fork rapid. — Rafting the South Forkfrom $25

Kids and Toads. Toads come out at night on river trips and kids are keen to catch them. Lucy gives one a ride around camp in her PJs. — Kids and Toadsfrom $25

Green River Petroglyphs, photograph by Craig Wolfrom — Green River Petroglyphsfrom $25

Christ Pose Cliff Jump. Mykelti Blackburn styles a cliff jump. — Christ Pose Cliff Jumpfrom $25

Scenic South Fork, photograph by Craig Wolfrom — Scenic South Forkfrom $25

Five Mile Log Jam. A log jam nearly the size of a football field blocked the Middle Fork. The crew moves the raft over the last obstacle. — Five Mile Log Jamfrom $25

Limbo. An impromptu game of limbo just after the rafts are tied up for the night. — Limbofrom $25

Kids Will Be Kids. Bottoms up! Raft diapers are all the rage on the Middle Fork. — Kids Will Be Kidsfrom $25

Holy Sheep!. The true locals on the river are the wildlife. — Holy Sheep!from $25

Lunch Time. Oh, the places you'll have lunch on the Middle Fork of the Salmon. — Lunch Timefrom $25

Snow Hole Rapid. Snow Hole on the Salmon River can be quite the drop. — Snow Hole Rapidfrom $25