How to sign up

Call us (at 503-563-1500, or toll-free at 1-800-827-1358), or use our web-based reservation system.

 

Trip includes

• The services of our professional guides and staff.
• Transportation to our launch point from Lewiston, and from our take-out back to Lewiston at trip’s end.
• 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.
• Durable, professional quality rafts and river running equipment, including U.S. Coast Guard Approved lifejackets. 
• Waterproof river bags and boxes for your personal gear.
• 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 while on the river

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, or online at outdoorcentral.us.

 

Gratuities

Our guests sometimes ask whether it is appropriate to tip the guides. Tipping is optional, but if your guides did a great job then feel free to thank them with a gratuity. The amount is up to you, but tips between 8% and 20% of trip cost are typical. Gratuities are customarily presented to the Lead Guide, and will be shared equally among all guides on your trip.

 

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.

 

Comment on your river trip

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