Salmon River: Logistics and Details
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Idaho
4 or 5
days
July 1 - September 15
Class III to IV |
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You'll find information here on the following topics:
| How to Sign Up |
What's included |
| Where and When to Meet |
Getting To and From the River |
| What to Bring |
Pre and Post Trip Lodging |
| Camping |
Fishing |
| River Shuttles |
Nearby Attractions |
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The services of our
professional guide staff.
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Transportation to our launch point from Lewiston,
and from our take-out back to Lewiston at trip’s end.
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All meals, from lunch on the first day
through lunch on the last. Our menu is delicious, varied, and hearty. Meals are
freshly prepared by our guides from the highest quality ingredients. Juice and
water are available at each meal. Coffee, tea, and cocoa are available at dinner
and breakfast, and complementary wine is served with some dinners. Special
dietary needs may be accommodated with advance notice. We also provide
cups, plates, and silverware.
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Durable, professional quality rafts and river
running equipment, including U.S. Coast Guard Approved lifejackets.
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Waterproof river bags and boxes for your
personal gear.
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Camp chairs. |
Where and when to meet
We will meet at 7:30
AM on the day your trip begins, in the lobby of the Red Lion Hotel, 621 21st St,
Lewiston, Idaho. Lewiston is roughly 325 miles east of Portland,
Oregon, and about 95 miles south of Spokane, Washington.
Getting to and from the river
Lewiston is at the crossroads of highways 12, 95, and 195, in
western Idaho, not far from the corner where Washington, Oregon, and Idaho meet.
From Portland take I-84 past Boardman to US-730. Take US-730 into Washington,
and turn right onto US-12. Follow US-12 through Walla Walla to Lewiston. Once in
Lewiston, US-12 becomes Main Street. Continue east then turn right on 21st
Street. Look for the hotel 1/10th of a mile further along, on your left. (If you
reach 7th street you've gone a bit too far.)
Lewiston is served by a regional airport, with connections
from Seattle and Boise. It is served by Alaska, Horizon, and Delta Airlines. Plan
your flight to arrive the day before your river trip begins. A shuttle bus
from the Red Lion meets all flights.
Car rentals are also available in Lewiston.
What to bring
When you sign up
for your river adventure we will send you a complete list of what to bring. This
list is also available online. In
general you'll need to bring only your own clothing and toiletries, plus a tent,
sleeping bag and sleeping pad. If you do not own or do not wish to transport
these last three items we have them available for rent. Follow the link above to
our checklist page for more information on rental gear, or call our office at
1-800-827-1358.
Pre and post trip lodging and camping
We recommend the Red Lion Hotel in Lewiston, which is our
meeting place for the trip. For reservations phone 800-232-6730. They offer a
discount to our customers, so be sure to tell them you're taking a river trip
with Oregon River Experiences. For a lower price (but fewer amenities) we
recommend Inn America (across the street from the Red Lion). Again, in order to
receive the best rate tell them you are taking a river trip with O.R.E..
For
camping try Hells Gate State Park, which is just south of Lewiston.
River shuttles
Your trip fare includes
transportation to and from the river. A chartered van or bus will transport us
from Lewiston to our put-in near Whitebird, Idaho, a 1.5 to 2 hour trip. At
trip's end we will be transported from our take-out at Heller Bar back to
Lewiston, a one hour ride.
Camping
We select beautiful beaches for our camp sites. Our guides
establish a central kitchen and social area, and trip members select spots in
the surrounding area to pitch a tent or roll out a sleeping bag. O.R.E. will set
up a portable toilet at each camp, which will be located with privacy and
convenience in mind.
O.R.E. practices minimum impact camping, and the crew will
instruct you on the simple steps we follow to protect the environment in the
Salmon River Canyon.
Fishing
Fishing on the Salmon is generally only fair for bass and
trout during the summer (although fishing improves in the fall). If you would
like to fish you’ll need an Idaho fishing license, which may be purchased at a
number of sporting goods stores in Lewiston.
Nearby attractions
While in the area consider a drive up Highway 12 along the
Lochsa River. Along the Lochsa you'll find many lovely trails, good camping, and
a number of excellent natural hot springs. Or pay a visit to nearby Hells Canyon
National Recreation Area, the deepest canyon in North America. For more
information on Hells Canyon contact the HCNRA at P.O. Box 699, Clarkston, WA
99403, (509) 758-1957. Also consider a visit to the Nez Perce National Historic
Park just east of Lewiston.
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