We selected the late afternoon rafting trip (early August, four of us in a “small’ boat) and had a most excellent time. The rapids themselves were fun, we saw lots of wildlife, our guide was especially great. The entire boat was excited to see marmots, an otter, two beavers, at least two eagles. There were several opportunities to swim along the raft in the water. Our guide (Clare) is both fun and professional – she’s extremely knowledgeable about the river, fauna, and has recommendations for Jackson and the park. In addition she is very safety conscious, going over directions before and during the trip. Post rafting we changed into clothes we’d kept in the bus and took a quick ride back up to the dinner side up from the river.
Dinner was fantastic. Between us we had both steak and salmon and they were of great quality. The steak was large and cooked the way we like it (tell them what doneness you like when you are there and they’ll grill longer). The salmon was a smaller portion but cooked perfectly (moist - on a grill next to a river!), salad, ½ a corn on the cob, lemonade, a small cookie. (we had also brought some additional drinks which we had left on bus). We did not see a tip jar so we left one back at the office where we also left a tip for our guide.
You meet in town and rent any supplies you might need and take a scenic bus ride to Snake River (one can also arrange to meet directly at the River). At the river you can select a splash jacket (at no cost) which was perfectly fine for me (and I don’t like being cold). Wear water shoes/sneakers you don’t mind getting wet, shorts/shirt that are not cotton – they have recommendations posted on the site. The small boat takes up to 7 people, one is not a paddling position, plus the guide. All the companies take the same 8 mile stretch of river for rafting. The departure times will vary during the season but are posted on their site.
Check in staff was lovely, bus driver safe – overall a great experience and a highlight of our 13 day trip across several national parks.