This review is for a full day trip on the Salmon River. Brenda, one of the owners of Mountain River Outfitters (MRO), was our first contact when scheduling the trip and she was courteous and helpful. She got us booked quickly and the check-in was done via internet forms, so when it was time to go we just showed up and signed in. I had wanted to come earlier in the season so the higher flows would make for a more exciting trip, but as it turned out, early August was a good trip to get my wife, who is mildly apprehensive with water activities, reacquainted with rafting. The rapids were exciting but not scary, and the water was warm, especially at Fiddle Creek Hot Springs :-), so we could get a wave in the face and not be too cold. Also, with the lower flow, I was allowed to get out of the boat and swim through one of the rapids. It was a fairly clean train of several 4-5 foot tall waves, but I was questioning my decision about halfway through. In the end, I was glad I did it.
We came the day before and stayed overnight in one of the rooms that MRO has behind their office. It was very clean, with kitchen and bath. I thought it was a good value for the money. We ate dinner at a dive (good sandwich, but dirty, loud, and slow), then walked across the street and down to the Seven Devils Steak house (where we should have eaten!) to listen to an excellent musician on the outdoor patio.
Next day, we loaded up our drinks in a small cooler (you can bring your own beverages as long as they are in aluminum cans) and loaded up on buses for the short trip upriver to the launch point. We sat up front and were able to get to know our guides, Ryan and Molly, a bit during the drive. They were both friendly, smiled a lot, and one was very sweet and one was a real character. They provided the right balance of both conversation and quiet to allow you to enjoy the rugged beauty of the canyons.
There were a few hours of rapids and floating, followed by a delicious lunch. My wife is a self proclaimed cookie snob and only tried one of the cookies because I had brought it to her. She ate it, mine, our friends' and went back for more. She even said Brenda's cookies rivaled her own!
After lunch, back on the water for a water fight (be sure you are in the raft that has "the weather gage" before you start anything) some larger rapids, fun floating, the swim through one of the rapids, and some practical jokes. At the take out point there was some funny smell, which a guide said was a group of people upwind, trying to agitate some type of "river skunk"; thus, they quickly hussled up the loading to get us out of there before the smell got on our clothes. I hope the skunk didn't hurt anybody. I heard someone say those skunks are more plentiful in Washington and Colorado, but they appear to have a foothold in other areas as well. Back into the van for a short trip back to town, a few goodbyes to the guides and it was over, but what a great day!