My friend and I did a full day sport raft with lunch with our guide Ian. He was so great we decided to come back for a second time for a half day on a regular boat and our guide was Val.
We were running late because we had biked and received a call from the company checking up on us which was so sweet and the directions were appreciated. We signed waivers, got fitted for wetsuits, booties, and a splash top, grabbed a helmet and we were on our way. We took a bus up the river and had a fun and educational bus ride over before putting in. We started on very calm water and went over all the safety items- how to paddle, get back in if you fall out, etc.
Lunch was literally cooked over sticks we collected on the river bank and the rest was pulled out from coolers brought onto the rafts. Talk about cool! Our guides were excellent grill masters and food servers and the food was great. We had chips, guacamole, salsa, PB&J, pasta salad, apples and oranges, steak (other protein choices included chicken and veggie burger on our trip) and cookies. They also provided hand sanitizer, water, and Gatorade.
The rapids were so fun! It was interesting to see the difference between the sport boat and regular boat that we did the second day. I would highly recommend sitting in the front if you’re looking for some adventure. The front definitely gets soaked but the other seats are more of a large splash. We sat in the second row on the sport boat which was great but definitely did not feel like I was in danger of exiting the raft involuntarily. Someone in the front row nearly fell out but my superhero friend came to the rescue and no one went swimming. Honestly perfect for our first time white water rafting! Ian was great and entertaining the whole ride and told fun stories about his rafting experiences. It was nice to be able to talk with the smaller boat. We expertly maneuvered though the River and avoided all the bad things and had a great time. The weather was a little chilly so we decided not to jump in at a calm spot during the ride.
Our second day with Val was great! We volunteered to sit in the front and had a blast getting soaked by the rapids. I felt like we did more paddling in the bigger boat but that could be because of the size that we needed more momentum. We did our best to stay at the same pace and she did an amazing job directing us. I did jump in this time and it was so refreshing. Shout out to Val for pulling me back in. You’re the best.
Ian and Val were wonderful guides and if we were staying in Montana another day we would be booking a third trip! They were so friendly and even told us about the annual rafting company race on old bridge which we got to go and see. (Glacier raft co won!! Whooo!). This definitely was the highlight of our visit and I’d love to come back to do it again.