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Weeklong trips in Northwest?

2K views 3 replies 4 participants last post by  The Mogur 
#1 ·
Hey all,

I'm just starting to block out vacation this summer, and realizing I've got enough time for some sweet longer river trips. I'm based out of NW Montana, so I've got Alberta and BC, as well as ID, WA, WY, and UT all within striking distance. Maybe even OR or CO if there was something worth it. I pulled up a whole lot of nothing on Selway, Salmon, and Grand lotteries, so I'm lookin for suggestions for other 4-7 day trips (or a couple 3 day trips close to eachother) that aren't that hard to get on. Gnarly whitewater's a plus, but a sweet laid back III trip would be much appreciated too. I've enjoyed the Jarbidge-Bruneau, and the wild and scenic Rogue in the past and would love something on that level of wilderness experience.

Thanks a ton,
Sam
 
#2 ·
Sam,
It’s really more of a spring trip than summer, but you may want to check out the Owyhee in S.W. OR. The wife and I did a 4 day trip on the lower section last April and loved it. You could definitely add the middle and upper sections for more mileage and serious whitewater.

Sean
 
#3 ·
Flathead River

the flathead river right up in your area has a variety of floats and really good fishing. There is a fly in wilderness section as well as a number of sections that you can drive to. we did 4 days on the middle fork last year, caught a lot of fish and saw a lot of wildlife. You can park the boat and do hikes into Glacier on river right
al
 
#4 ·
No permit is needed to float the lower 128 miles of the Salmon River in Idaho. There are roads nearby for the first half of the trip, and then near Whitebird you enter long roadless stretches. There are about 8 Class IV rapids in the section along the roads, and one more in the lower canyon. There are many access points along that stretch, starting at Vinegar Creek, where the permit section ends. Vinegar Creek Rapid, just below that launch ramp is worth the drive, about 20 miles on gravel east from Riggins. It is runnable from mid-July through the end of summer.

The only place that can be a problem is Slide Rapid in the lower canyon, which turns into an unrunnable waterfall at high water (20,000 cfs and up). And there is no way to portage or sneak it. At lower water it goes away completely.
 
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