Wild & Scenic Raft Highlights
A wild and scenic river awaits, don’t miss the boat on this trip, it’s a water and nature lovers dream!
Dates
Jul 31 - Aug 11, 2024Ages
12-14 (rising 7th-9th)Tuition
$4295 (airfare not incl.)Destination
Status
Open- 5-day Main Salmon River Trip
- Lavender farm stay activities
- Intro to inflatable kayaking
- Hike and SUP in central Idaho
- Horseback ride in Sawtooths
- Swim in rivers, lakes, streams
- Soaking in natural hot springs
Looking out to the snow capped glaciers trapped in the mist of clouds we momentarily forgot the weight of our packs and took in the beauty of the mountains knowing few people would have the opportunity to witness nature in such a pure and powerful way. The 4 day backpacking trip...
Trip Description
A Whitewater Rafting Teen Summer Adventure Camp in Idaho and Montana
An adventure summer camp for those water lovin' campers who want to splash around in rivers, lakes, and streams and do anything and everything that has to do with being in cool, clear, fresh water! In addition to a multi-day wilderness rafting trip, campers will enjoy hiking, stand-up paddle boarding, kayaking, hot spring soaking, and horseback riding.
This camp features a 5-day class III raft trip on the Main Salmon River in Idaho. The Salmon River flows through the second-deepest gorge in North America, and this 80-mile wilderness river stretch features forested canyons, pictographs, large sandy beaches, historic cabins, natural hot springs, and exciting rapids throughout! As we bust through the Gunbarrel, Little Stinker, Growler, and Whiplash rapids, it’ll be a trip to remember!
Trip Itinerary
Day 1: Welcome to Alpengirl!
Arriving at Bozeman-Yellowstone International Airport, your Alpenguides will greet you and introduce you to the rest of your camp group. Name games and icebreakers abound before we all hop into the van and drive to our first campsite at a private, organic lavender farm near Salmon, ID. Once we learn how to set up our tents, we’ll continue to get to know each other and enjoy the first of many delicious and fresh camp meals.
Day 2: Prep day!
Rise and shine Alpengirls! Bring your sleeping mats from your tents and gather in a forest clearing for an introduction to our daily Alpenyoga. Our camp hosts will provide us with a 1-hour, hands-on cooking class – we’ll learn chopping and whipping and other new cooking skills as we make homemade whipped cream, hand spun butter, value added pancakes (chia seeds, cinnamon, flax, nuts, berries), and learn to set fun table scapes from recycled items. After breakfast, we'll learn how to cut lavender from our camp hosts and make our own soap and beeswax lip balm to use on our upcoming river trip!
We’ll spend the afternoon getting ready for our rafting trip – we’ll meet our raft guides tonight and learn more about our route and what to expect from our time on the river. We’ll snuggle into our sleeping bags for some down time in the tent with friends and get a good night’s rest tonight, dreaming of the trip to come!
Days 3-7: Launch time!
And so it begins, our awesome and much anticipated 5-day, 80-mile whitewater rafting trip, where we raft 15-25 miles every day and camp on a sandy beach every night! Guided by our professional rafting outfitters, we’ll explore the Frank Church Wilderness as we experience one of Idaho's most popular whitewater rafting rivers – the Main Salmon River, the River of No Return.
Our raft trip is the ultimate adventure travel camping experience and offers exciting and exhilarating rapids for the thrill-seekers – just wait until Salmon Falls, Big Mallard, and Growler! Meanwhile, we’ll be captivated by the many white sandy beaches and heavily forested canyons while we search for wildlife.
Alpengirls will delight in soaking in a natural hot spring, trying out tasty dutch oven cooking, enjoying s'mores and pocket stew over a charcoal pit, and more. We may even get to check out Buckskin Bill’s riverside homestead and stop for an ice cream cone, ham it up in the Alpenolympic Talent Show, play beach volleyball, or try out inflatable kayaking in your own boat – so much FUN!
Day 8: Ahh…relaxation
It’s time for a hot shower and some clean laundry! Today it’s mostly about freshening up as we leave the river and the Frank Church Wilderness and travel back to the front country. We’ll have showers, do laundry, re-supply groceries, and explore downtown McCall, ID.
Tonight we'll enjoy relaxing at camp, where we’ll browse the Alpengirl camp store items for sale and perhaps even have time for our Alpenolympic Talent Show underneath the ponderosa forest canopy!
Day 9: Splish splash, it’s hot spring time!
We’ll wake up this morning and stretch out with our Alpenyogi guide, before filling our bellies with a tasty breakfast – breakfast quesadillas, anyone? We’ll begin traveling south to the Boise National Forest, where we’ll get the chance to continue to rejuvenate as we soak in the area’s natural thermal mineral hot springs. As our tired bodies refresh, we’ll splash around in the fresh, free-flowing, silky water and leave our worries behind! We’ll continue to the Sawtooth National Forest where we'll make camp for the evening, and snuggle up around the campfire to write our Alpenessays.
Day 10: Saddle up, cowgirls!
This morning we're going to Redfish Lake, where we’ll meet our horseback riding outfitters, saddle up and ride out on our steeds for a western-style trail ride in the Sawtooth National Forest. On the ride, we'll traverse trails in mountainous pine forests and across cold, clear water creeks.
Just as the afternoon is warming up, we're ready to jump into some fresh cold water! It’s Ladies Choice Day – a watercraft day where you can select from a smorgasbord of kayaking, canoeing, and stand-up paddle boarding. Today is all about lake life – enjoy a swim, learn basic paddle strokes and watercraft handling skills, and compete in fun Alpenolympic water events.
Day 11: Back to Bozeman!
An unforgettable trip so far, it’s hard to believe all the adventures we've had. We’ll pack up and begin the trek east back to Bozeman, stopping en route at the Big Hole National Battlefield to explore and have a picnic lunch. We’ll spend the afternoon exploring downtown Bozeman, and perhaps even stop at the ice cream stand for a scoop of local huckleberry ice cream! This evening we'll have our End of Session Awards ceremony, pizza party, and exchange contact information with our new friends.
Day 12: It’s time to go home!
Exchanging hugs with your friends, you’ll depart from Bozeman-Yellowstone International Airport, knowing that you’ve had a ton of fun and accomplished great things as an Alpengirl and will be a part of our fantastic community for life. See you next summer!
PLEASE NOTE: Alpengirl reserves the right to cancel or alter any aspect of a program, before or during the session, including program itinerary, activities, or location for reasons including but not limited to weather, environment, logistics, or health hazards. If itinerary changes occur, we will substitute comparable alternatives, if possible. If there are significant itinerary changes, parents will be notified by email.
Trip Campsites & Amenities
Seven nights are spent in tents in public “front country” campgrounds where we have pre-assigned campsites with neighbors and campground hosts nearby, running potable water, and private outhouses or flushing toilets.
Four nights are spent in tents in wilderness “backcountry” areas where we will purify our water before drinking and learn to practice basic Leave No Trace camping skills such as how to select a campsite, how to go to the bathroom, and how to keep clean outdoors.
Why Choose This Trip
Our Wild and Scenic Raft Trip is perfect for water-loving campers who want to be immersed in a wilderness expedition without backpacking. It’s totally amazing to be on a wild and scenic designated river – the Main Salmon is on many peoples' lifetime bucket list! There's beach camping, hot springs, hiking, horseback riding, inflatable kayaking, and more. This trip offers lots of group time on the river, and is great for girls who love socializing and making lasting memories with new friends in the wilderness backcountry. Limited to 13 campers in the group.
