River Rafting Vacations - The Real All-Inclusive Family Trip

Here's a recent press release about our rafting trips. For the actual release, please visit it here: River Rafting Vacations

Boise City, ID - Those all-inclusive trips touted by cruise lines and beach resorts can sound too good to be true, and they often are. When the extra-fees for popular “not-included” activities are added to the bill, the tab for the family vacation can easily double or triple. Few all-inclusive vacations actually are, but a river rafting vacation is one that fulfills the promise.

Once a family boards the rafts, there are no add-ons or surprise charges. Today’s outfitters provide services rivaling high-end resorts. Guides pride themselves on serving Dutch Oven cuisine, teaching kayaking or fly fishing skills to guests, leading hikes, doing naturalist interpretations, sharing history and, of course, expertly navigating rapids. With a typical guest-to-guide ratio of only four-to-one, it’s like having a private instructor guiding you with each activity.

“The idea that a rafting trip is just about whitewater isn’t true anymore,” says Bob Volpert, owner of Idaho & Oregon River Journeys, an outfitter on Idaho’s Middle Fork of the Salmon and the Rogue River in Oregon. “People come for the rapids and scenery but it’s the complete experience that brings families back.”

Outfitters report that the market for their trips has changed in recent years. River rafting vacations have become popular with multi-generational family groups looking to vacation together and experience a variety of activities. Dave Mills, owner of Rocky Mountain River Tours, says that “Middle Fork of the Salmon trips have plenty of opportunities for kids to get their adrenaline pumping.” For those eager to simply relax, Mills adds, “Oar boats rowed by a guide provide a comfortable, safe ride for those who would rather take in the scenery or fly fish.”

Jerry Hughes runs Hughes River Expeditions and outfits on the Snake River, Salmon and Middle Fork in Idaho. He thinks that the ease of planning, the adventure, and the opportunity for families to spend time together without distractions attributes to the popularity of river rafting vacations. “Sitting around a campfire with your kids is an experience we once took for granted,” Hughes notes. “But in today’s techie world, it’s something wonderfully rejuvenating.”

The outfitters mentioned offer three to six-day river rafting trips on the most famous rivers in Idaho and Oregon. Prices vary but are generally $200 to $400 a day, per-person. Included are meals, river equipment, local shuttles, tents, sleeping bags, camp chairs, and just about everything else you might need, except personal items. Also included are the activities that make a rafting vacation more than just whitewater: hiking, fly fishing, interpretation and those ever-so-elusive family campfire moments.

Middle Fork of the Salmon FOOD

On all of our river trips, we tend to eat pretty darn well. Our specialty is using the Dutch Oven, which is essentially an outdoor oven. We fill it up with tasty food and dump hot coals on it. Once the food is done, it is simply delicious. One of August trips was recently featured on StarChefs.com. I got a photo CD in the mail yesterday and browsed through some of the photos. The photos made me really hungry, and also wish that I was on the Middle Fork of the Salmon, America's premier wilderness river.

Here are some of the shots from StarChefs.com:

Counting Down the Days

Are you counting down the days until summer? We certainly are. Native Americans along the Middle Fork of the Salmon and Main Salmon Rivers often kept track of events in a tally fashion. The pictures here show some typical pictographs one may find along the banks of either river.

On our Middle Fork of the Salmon and Main Salmon rafting vacations, we take pride in making our trips much more than just rafting trips: we offer hiking, fly fishing, and many other activities like historical and interpretive stops along the way. Time spent on the river is like no other.