Whitewater rafting is simply a blast, pun intended. This brings us to the river of no return, an excellent challenge in Idaho.
Rafting The River of No Return
Idaho is an incredibly beautiful state, a place with no massive cities or the resulting urban sprawl that comes with them. It is a Rock Mountains state sitting on the border of Canada and part of Yellowstone National Park sits within its boundaries. With so much uninhibited nature, rafting opportunities are plentiful and all variety of categories of rapids can be found.
The Salmon River is located in the central area of Idaho and known as “The River of No Return.” If that doesn’t get your whitewater rafting juices flowing, nothing will!
The Salmon is 425 miles long and drains over 14,000 square miles of land. It drops a whopping 7,000 feet in elevation from its headwaters to its final merger with the Snake River. With an elevation drop like that, you just know the rafting is going to be good.
The top rafting area is on the middle fork of the Salmon River. The prime area is a 100 mile stretch running through the Frank Church – River of No Return wilderness area. This section cuts through the second deepest canyon in North America. It is makes for spectacular viewing and a hair raising adventure.
Constriction, elevation drops and plenty of obstructions make the middle fork a top rafting destination. Rapids fall in the category three and four range, making it an adrenaline rush without major risk. One and two day trips can be arranged for the middle fork and there are plenty of rafting companies offering services. Kayaking is also excellent, but you need to have mastered your rolling technique.
Taking on the river of no return is an absolutely blast that you will remember for years. Keep in mind it is a popular destination with over 10,000 people giving it a go each year. Enjoy!
Rafting down rapids is a good way to get the old ticker clicking over at a high rate. Here is an overview of the basics of rafting down the rapids.
Adrenaline Rafting Basics
In the last 30 years, rapids rafting has gained massive popularity. People tend to go in groups for a family gathering, friends reuniting and even corporate team building exercises. Rafting is massively fun and an undisputed adrenaline rush.
At its core, whitewater rafting is simply the act of taking a raft down through turbulent areas of a river. These turbulent areas are known as rapids. Rapids are formed by three factors – constriction, gradient and obstruction. Water naturally flows downhill because of gravity. When it is constricted, it pushes in from the sides, speeding up and getting turbulent. Speed also increases when the gradient get steeper and, of course, obstructions cause water to crash into them and swirl around as the flow tries to find the best way to follow gravity. Each of these events causes rapids and the resulting turbulence churns the water thus causing the froth. The goal of rafting is to surf these rapids without being flipped or dragged under.
Rapids are classified by six categories. Category 1 is a smooth river with no rapids. The categories climb from their too Category 6, which is either impassible or should only be attempted by experts. Most river rafting trips occur on Category 3 and 4 rapids, where the turbulence gives you an exciting ride, but with limited risk.
River rafts are typically big and sturdy. They hold between six and 12 people spread equally on each side. Although an expert guide controls the steering at the back, most rafting companies allow the passengers to paddle on each side of the raft in their corresponding spots.
River rafting has a certain risk factor and safety is paramount. All rafters absolutely should wear helmets and life jackets. Falling out of the raft can be a common occurrence depending on the river conditions. All rafters should be able to swim.
There are thousands of rivers that are perfect for rafting trips. Most people choose a rafting company for their trip since the company is already familiar with the river conditions and has the necessary equipment.