If your goal is to see the outdoors at their wild extreme, a Salmon River white water rafting trip is Idaho’s answer to your need. If you’ve got the drive to feel your pulse pounding in every part of your body as you pit yourself against some of nature’s best worst, you’ll find it here. Whether your passion is for kayaks, rafts, or the more dangerous whitewater dories, Idaho can accommodate — and do it in some of the most starkly beautiful natural settings on Earth.

Of course, if Idaho whitewater rafting is on your agenda, you’ll soon end up at the Salmon River. With two different locations featuring different levels of difficulty and intensity, the Salmon River can fit any whitewater agenda. The main fork of the Salmon is known as the River of No Return — if you’re not already an experienced whitewater rafter, the main fork probably isn’t the place for you. The middle fork, on the other hand, is a much more family-friendly environment where people as young as five years old can participate freely in the rafting trips.

It’s important to stress that the main fork of the Salmon is for experienced rafters with top-notch equipment. If you don’t have a few years of whitewater rafting under your belt, all the right gear, and a guide, the River of No Return may just live up to its name. The middle fork is only available for family trips from July through September, but there are several 5-day and 6-day trips that will bring you through some of the most intensely beautiful natural settings you will ever experience.

The best part about the middle river rafting trips is that each day will take you not just down the river, but also past other natural tourist attractions that are worth stopping at and enjoying on their own. The trips are the perfect way to enjoy the outdoors in a variety of ways. Whichever part of the river you choose, you’re sure to bring back memories of Idaho’s beauty which will last you for your entire life.

May your new year be full of happiness and Joy and health in Abundance.

Yours for rivers, James

In terms of the sheer variety of outdoor recreational activities like hiking and fishing Idaho is one of the most diverse places in America. The locals tend to take these everyday pleasures for granted as part of their live here in the Gem State, but visitors to our neck of the woods will find it beckons them to return again and again.

To Idaho’s natives, fishing is a way of life. No one asks if an Idaho man fishes, but rather when, and where. With thousands of miles of rivers and creeks — more than in any other state except maybe Alaska — and more than two thousand lakes and reservoirs, you can fish your whole life away and never stand in the same place twice.

Idaho’s fishermen, both native and migrant, quest out every spring to Lake Pend Oreille, Lake Coeur d’Alene, and Priest Lake up north, on the lookout for the Kamloops Trout, the Mackinaw Trout, and the fresh-water Chinook Salmon. Some of them chase down the elusive White Sturgeon, a magnificent creature that can live for a century and weighs as much as a small car. The Snake and Salmon Rivers are the best places to hunt down that unique game fish — but it’s best to bring a licensed professional with you; they’re not easy prey.

The rivers here in the Gem State are packed with all kinds of Salmon and Sturgeon and a giant mess of Steelhead, probably the most popular game fish in the state. Fishermen after those fish should head to the Clearwater, the Little Salmon, the Lower Salmon, the Upper Salmon, and the Snake Rivers.

Of course, it’s Trout fishing that made Idaho famous. Every creek, river, and lake in the state seems to be teeming with all manner of Trout. Trout can be snagged on bait spinners, flies, and just about any kind of lure. You can go trout fishing on a drift boat, from a kayak, an innertube, or a dock, or even just standing on the shore.

And no mention of all the fishing Idaho has to offer would be complete without mentioning the Whitefish, Perch, Walleye, Northern Pike, Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass, Bluegills, Crappies, Catfish, and other warm-water fish that await the fishermen in the southern part of the state.

Yeah, there’s pretty much every kind of sport fishing, vacation fishing, and even occasionally survival fishing here in the Gem State, and the friendly folks here will be happy to help you find that perfect spot to have a perfect afternoon catching the perfect fish. That’s why the locals call Idaho the Fisherman’s Paradise.