.All Trips / Idaho / North America / Pacific Northwest

Idaho’s Roaring Lochsa River

00 Lochsa River

Idaho has some outstanding whitewater experiences for rafters and kayakers, but few compare with the Lochsa (pronounced lock-saw) River, especially for those looking for a string of seemingly endless rapids.   Apparently the fishing is also great, but most people come to run the river, especially in late spring when the water is at its best.  At times of peak flow, many of the rapids are class VI (at the limits of navigation), with at least 60 being graded as class III – IV (medium to difficult).   The water passing through the river at peak flow is twice that going through the Grand Canyon.
The name Lochsa is a Nez Perce word meaning “rough water”, and rafting it is not for the …

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.All Trips / North America / Pacific Northwest / Washington

Rafting the Lower Spokane River

Rafting the Lower Spokane River

What’s more fun than going whitewater rafting 15 minutes from your front door on a beautiful summer day?  Not much — at least for me.  I’m lucky enough to live in Spokane, the heart of beautiful Inland Northwest, one of the great places in these United States.  Spokane is centered on it’s river and while long stretches of the river are urbanized, there are still miles of wilderness especially in the downriver portion beyond Riverfront Park.   The Spokane River drains lovely Lake Couer d’Alene in the Idaho Panhandle into the Columbia River  (the flooded Lake Roosevelt part upriver from the …

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.All Trips / Central USA / Montana / North America

Rafting the Clark Fork River

Rafting the Clark Fork River

The Clark Fork is the dominant river in western Montana, curving its way through the flat-lands, mountains, hills and forests from its headwaters near the Continental Divide towards Lake Pend Oreille in the Idaho panhandle.  Named after William Clark (of Lewis and Clark fame) the river is a popular venue for recreation — rafting, floating in inner tubes, some canoeing and, of course, lots of fly fishing opportunities.  The river has good flow throughout the summer and moves at a good pace.  There are a few impressive rapids (Class III — with such ominous names as Boateater and Fang) that offer a thrilling bucking ride, but mostly the river moves along smoothly and you can lean back and enjoy the fresh clean air, beautiful …

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