Kayaking in Asia

Presently most guided canoe and kayak trips on the Grand River serve the purpose of getting customers safely down the river from start to finish. This is excellent for the beginner focused on navigating the river. But the guided day trips are weak in the hands-on interpretive wilderness experience.

Grand River Rafting has recognized a need to change the guiding services for the returning visitor. Returning customers often express a desire for a bigger wilderness learning experience; the guided “a” to “b” day trip lacks content depth. Unfortunately daytrip guides have specified traveling time frames, and the distance required restricts the time for content and teaching.

Grand River Rafting has chosen to shorten their canoe and kayak guided trips, the paddling time hour glass has been cut in half. The guided paddling day trips travel 8 kilometers or less in three to four hours. In replacement of the distance, the customer receives an enriched wilderness interpretative experience… a true learning adventure. These learning adventures not offer a river trip, but include a well rounded understanding of the Grand River Valley section they are paddling.

Hiring and recruiting of guiding staff is critical. Summer students are often limited in knowledge, there is not enough time to train and going beyond company recited scripts can be uncomfortable for students. Grand River Rafting has chosen to hire and work with knowledgeable local historian/interpretative staff with good communication skills as guides. They have created a true floating classroom with a solid teachers; one in which customers can return numerous times to paddle different section with different lessons.

The learning adventures offered cover native and settlement history in the Grand River Valley. Talks are given on birds, fish and wildlife, as well as visiting points of natural interest. There is the opportunity to learn tree identification as well as experience edible and medicinal plants. The trip is blended with history, science and geography as well as life stories and life values.

This new approach of using floating classrooms in lieu of the usual guided “a” to “b” day trips has branded Grand River Rafting as one of the best learning adventures presently offered in the Grand River Valley.

When you think about Nepal, whitewater Rafting and Kayaking are not the first things that spring into mind, well at least it wasn’t for me. More likely images of Kathmandu, rice paddies, Everest and the mysterious Himalaya pop into your head. So you can imagine my surprise when I got to Nepal and ended up rafting and kayaking in excess of 10 times!

When you arrive in Thamel or Pokhara (the main touristy area’s in Nepal) there are travel agents all over the place, and I immediately decided rafting was something I had to do in my time in Nepal. The first decision to make is which river to go on. Nepal offers many of the worlds best rivers, ranging from a gently flowing river to some of the fiercest whitewater in the world. So depending on your experience and thirst for adrenaline, there’s most certainly something for anyone! The best times to go are between March-June or September-October; although trips will run all year round the water will be at its highest, fastest, and most exhilarating during these months.

Choosing a company to go with can prove a bit tricky though! There are plenty of travel agents lining the streets, however, choosing one between the other is almost impossible…They all offer virtually the same prices, nearly exactly the same trips and promise the best time of your life! However there are a lot of companies out there, it’s a shame to say that are just after your money. It is important to find a registered company that have safety procedures in place. I ended up going with GRG’s Adventure Kayaking. Having met Maila, the company owner, a few times around Thamel I trusted that he would deliver what he promised, and after doing a bit of research I discovered that he is currently the best Kayaker in Nepal, having just won the Himalayan Championship for the second time, I felt I had made the right decision and would be in safe hands.

The journey to the river was amazing in itself. Coming out of the valley you are greeted by a more traditional way of life. Women working hard in the rice paddies in their saris, looking more glamorous than I could ever achieve! Children carrying their books on their heads walking along the highway to school; Gorgeous mountains in the background; Random Buffalo dotted all over the scene to name but a few things we saw on our journey to the river. After 2 hours of staring hypnotised out the window we arrived at a small village geared up for all your rafting needs. There was a small shed (a bit like the one you can imagine Mary and Joseph stumbling upon! ) for you to get changed in, toilets, tea, biscuits, water, all you need before you start a day on the river!

When arriving at the start point, I realised I had made the best decision in going with GRG’s. There were about 20 rafts lined up and waiting to go with various companies and ours was the only one with any safety kayakers. You can see where GRG’s got their logo ‘SAFETY FIRST’ from!

And this was it, Maila and the team got us all suited and booted in life jackets, helmets, (depending on the weather, splash jackets were available) and after a very informative safety talk we were off! Immediately greeted by our first rapid, aptly named ‘Good Morning’ as that first splash in your face and down your T-Shirt definitely wakes you up!

As soon as we set off, I was hooked, the exhilaration of the rapids and not knowing what was coming round the next corner was so exciting! The team of raft guides and safety kayakers we had with us were amazing, they put us all al ease, and at the first sight of flat water they had us all doing back flips of the raft, playing games and swimming away in the water. With the safety kayakers always near by at all times, not once did I feel unsafe, they were very professional but great fun at the same time and made the kayaks look like extended parts of their bodies. Seeing them in the river would make any one not to give it ago (and I have to say after trying kayaking several times, I have even more respect for the guys as it is no where near as easy as it looks!)

The Trisuli, the first river I rafted in Nepal was the best choice for a first timer. It gives you the confidence in the river and the enthusiasm to tackle something a bit more challenging.

Working our way down the river you could hear shouts of ‘ALL FORWARD’ and ‘BACK PADDLE’ filling the valley. When the water was flat and we had a change to take in our surrounding you suddenly realise the scenery was simple stunning. There were eagles, monkeys, and gorgeous hills all around us, heaven!

After one of the best days of my life, laughing, screaming, holding on for dear life the whole way down the river, I had had a very good work out. I was so surprised when we arrived at the beach to see tents already set up and tea waiting for us. The GRG’s team had literally thought of everything. I don’t know how they did it, but the food was the best I’ve ever had, and I promise I’m not exaggerating! It was great that everyone working for GRG’s came and sat with us around the campfire and joined in the party, then we all camped out under the up-turned rafts and admired the stars, the Milky Way even graced us with its presence. (Tents were available for those not up for staying outdoors all night.)

It felt really nice to see that GRG’s used all local produce to cook the food, and only used wood that had already fallen, rather than buying wood from the villages and therefore not encouraging deforestation. It was also nice to see that every thing that came with us came all the way back again and was disposed of properly. They only employ local staff and that is worth more than you can ever know. The knowledge these guys have to the river is beyond belief, having grown up on the river, they know its every turn and every hole like the back of their hand.

After a great nights sleep we set off for the second day which was as much of an adrenaline rush as the day before. And the safety kayakers proved their worth after a few off us popped out the side of the raft when the ‘S Bend’ rapid caught a few of us off guard! GRG’s were so professional, they got us back in the raft and safe within seconds and with minimal fuss, keeping our confidence and making us feel safe.

Unfortunately the trip had to come to an end. We pulled up, had some more lunch (ate more than was strictly necessary because the food was so good!) and jumped on the bus back.

After one of the best weekends of my life, I was hooked; I ended up spending my Christmas with GRG’s learning to kayak and going on more trips than I can remember with them on several rivers. Whitewater Kayaking and Rafting certainly made my trip to Nepal, and I would urge anyone heading out that way to give it a go. Whether you have two days to spare or two weeks, there’s something there for everyone. Just make sure you choose a reliable company.

For more information have a look at GRG’s Adventure Kayaking’s website on http://www.grgadventurekayaking.com and get you whitewater adventure started!

Some rivers to think about when you go to Nepal are the Trisuli (class 3+/4), Kali-Gandaki (class 4/+4), Karnali (class 4+), Seti River, Sun Kosi (class 4-/5), Bhote Kosi (4-/5), Marsyandi and The Tamur (class 4-/4+).

Racing is now underway in the early stages of the Louis Vuitton Cup, and unfortunately my crystal ball wasn’t working as I write this in late March, so I can’t promise you that what I foresaw was going to happen, actually has happened! However, what I do know is that to a large extent, all the months of speculation that have been leading up to the event will have been settled very quickly. It’s inevitable that any team which has been working every hour of every day for the past few months will fool itself into believing that it has been time and effort well spent, that the boat will match up to expectations, that the crew will gel in competition exactly as it did in pre-season training.

The reality is that the frailties and weaknesses of each team will soon become apparent. They always do. In past America’s Cups it has taken little more than a few hundred metres of sailing for a yawning performance gap to become very obvious even to the most uneducated of observers, such were the inherent boatspeed differences. The differences are unlikely to be so clear cut this time, with the limited design scope of the Version 5 rule which governs the new generation of boats. But it won’t take too long before some sort of pecking order emerges.

It’s likely the pecking order will bear strong similarities to the Louis Vuitton Ranking which has been constructed from all the match races from the 2005 and 2006 seasons. However if the pre-season gossip is to be believed, Luna Rossa has been struggling for pace. The Spanish on the other hand are likely to have been building on an already strong package with the help of Paul Cayard, so will Desafio Espanol 2007 be able to take advantage of the Italians’ rumoured weakness? Or were the Italians employing that time-honoured America’s Cup tradition of ‘sandbagging’, the art of sailing ever so slightly slowly in training or in races that don’t really matter, only to reveal the full extent of your devastating boatspeed in the later and more important stages of the regatta?

There is also the possibility that some teams will develop their boatspeed throughout the regatta and discover new things along the way. This seemed to be the case for Oracle last time in Auckland four years ago, when the Americans were off the pace in the early round robins but reconfigured the yacht sufficiently to reach the Louis Vuitton Cup final where they fell to Alinghi. Another American syndicate OneWorld, on the other hand, came out of the blocks very fast and then seemed to run out of steam in the latter stages of the competition. However, of all the teams that did the least reconfiguring of their boat, it was Alinghi’s SUI-64 which remained pretty much the same configuration throughout. Some take the view that Russell Coutts and the crew had got so used to understanding how to change gear for different wind conditions in their tried and tested boat that they coped better than anyone with the changeable conditions on the Hauraki Gulf. So experience suggests that those who have been sailing their new boats the longest are most likely to succeed, which speaks well of the Kiwis’ preparations.

It’s quite likely that the same feeling of being at home with your boat will play a significant part in whether or not a team succeeds in Valencia. Inherent boatspeed differences will be minimal for the reasons stated earlier; what will be more important is how well the crew works as a unit. In other words, straightline speed is not just down to inherent boatspeed from a well-designed boat. Nor is it purely down to the precision of the helmsman’ steering. It’s also down to the trimmers and the grinders moving the sails in and out with a telepathic, second-to-second understanding of what the helmsman is sensing through the wheel. If the helmsman needs to call for the jib trimmer to ease the sheet two clicks, the trimmer has reacted too late, he should have already done it. This level of telepathy does not come easily, and getting used to an unfamiliar boat makes a hard task even harder.

Add to this the vagaries of Valencia. Adam Beashel, the windspotter who spends much of his working day up the top of Emirates Team New Zealand’s mast, says there is a random element to the breeze even on days when you’d expect a good deal of stability and predictability. Not only will this call for cool heads from the decision makers at the back of the boat, but the boys in the engine room will have to be tuned into the changeable conditions. Again, teams will have to rely on a good deal more than raw boatspeed from the designer, and far more on the empathy that the 17 sailing crew have developed for each other and their boat.

If the past two and a half years of experience in Valencia are anything to go by, the 32nd America’s Cup will be a predominantly light-wind affair. Not exactly what was written in the brochure when Valencia was first awarded the right to host the event. On my first visit to the city back in 2001 for an IMS World Championship, I saw brochure-perfect conditions, with the sea breeze blowing in beautifully at about 16 to 18 knots for a whole week. But that was in August, by which time the mountains inland of the city have really had a chance to heat up in the summer sun. This event is over by early July, and Principal Race Officer Peter ‘Luigi Reggio from Connecticut is predicting more light and fickle conditions, particularly in the early weeks.

This poses a problem for the challengers that Alinghi the defender doesn’t have to worry about. Whereas the challengers’ boats must be sufficiently fast to get them through the expected light airs of the round robins, the America’s Cup Match is taking place late June/ early July, by which time the conditions might have strengthened. Knowing where to pitch the ‘sweet spot’ for your boat is a tough call. Back in 1987, Dennis Conner pitched the design of his 12 Metre Stars & Stripes squarely at the top of the wind range. That was in the very predictable and reliable conditions of Fremantle – 20 knots-plus virtually every day, along with lumpy seas on the Indian Ocean.

Knowing what to expect for Valencia is altogether more difficult. Alinghi will be mindful of the fact that they won with a good all-rounder last time in Auckland, while it was the Kiwis who on that occasion put all their eggs in one basket – optimizing the radical NZL-82 for light airs, only for their boat to disintegrate spectacularly in the strong winds that arrived in March 2003. Valencia could spring similar surprises in the 32nd America’s Cup this summer.

Guided Grand River canoe and kayak trips have been attracting many families new to the experience of river paddling. Over 30,000 paddlers visit the Grand River in Southern Ontario yearly. Many paddlers brush through the valley totally unaware of what is there.

This river is rich in native history steeped in the wars of the Mohawks, Huron and other Iroquoian nations. It contains the largest selection of plants, wildlife and trees in Canada. There are fresh springs to taste and many historical points of interest. The fishing is excellent with over 80 species of recorded fish. And the return of rare species such as ospreys, eagles and beaver have given the valley bragging rights.

For the novice new to the Grand River… a guided trip is a unique way of opening the door. Guided trips not only insure safety between point A and B, but offer instructional teaching on river paddling techniques. But the highlight of every trip is the rich enhancement of experiencing the plants, wildlife and native history of the valley.

Most of the Grand River outfitting companies are located along the picturesque section of the Grand River between Kitchener and Brantford. There are presently six companies offering guiding services. They are open from April until November, seven days a week with variable hours of operation. All the companies have websites and can be easily located by googling “Grand River guided canoe trips”.

The cost of guiding services between outfitters is basically the same. Small exclusive groups vary from $60 to $100 per person excluding tax. Large groups cost around $25 to $40 per person excluding tax. These prices include all equipment, guide, upstream shuttle service and sometimes lunch.

The guided “trip” works as follows… the customer parks their vehicle at the trip exit point and then shuttled upstream to paddle back to their vehicle with the guide. Most trips are 3 to 5 hours of leisure paddling depending on which section of the watershed is chosen.

The prettiest wilderness section to paddle on the Grand River is a 3 hour trip between Glen Morris and Paris. For a unique 6-7 hour paddle which can be broken into a relaxing weekend trip, there is the Glen Morris to Brant Park… offering the best of the Grand River. If new to the Grand River ask the outfitter to recommend a suitable trip to match paddling skills.

Guiding services can vary and it is always wise to inquire. Some guides basically deliver customers from point A to B on the river with a set time schedule. Other guides are certified instructors which can teach proper strokes and steering techniques. The best guides not only instruct paddling techniques but teach and explore the river valley.

Many customers upon arrival expect their own exclusive guide only to discover that they have been batched with other groups. These “one-guide-batch” trips are often a unpleasant experience. The slowest paddler holds up the entire group and diverts most of the guide’s attention. When booking a guided trip inquire whether it is a batch or exclusive service being provided. Exclusive guided services costs more but the learning experience is worth it.

After a guided trip, many have gained the “river smarts” and confidence to explore on their own… and are encouraged to do so. The Grand River offers lots of opportunity. It is the largest watershed in Southern Ontario with over 300 kilometers of nearby wilderness paddling from the Bruce Highlands to the shores of Lake Erie.

But the best thing about the Grand River is that it is one of the few pristine rivers where a family can drive one hour from Toronto… experience a day’s wilderness paddle… and still be in their own bed at night.

You don’t have to travel miles to get a wilderness experience. You can get up in the morning… drive an hour or so… and then there you are… out on a river doing it! But best of all… you can be in your own bed at night. This is an inexpensive day trip with minimum traveling… what could be better?

Take a guided rafting trip on the Grand River near Paris, Ontario to experience one of the best learning adventures around. You can travel down the river in total safety… paddling skills aren’t required… size and age doesn’t matter… and you can be right in the middle of it all… without getting wet!

On these rafting trips you can shoot the splash of swifts or leisurely float across pools. Everyone can jump out and swim when they want, even drink from freshwater springs.

Or you can do guided platform-raft fishing for smallmouth bass and rainbow trout. And there is wildlife to see… deer, beaver, mink, muskrats, blue herons, wild turkey and osprey.

Add a guide that takes you for short hikes to taste wild edible plants, see natural features and teaches native history… and everyone ends up with a full rounded day of everything.

The Grand River Rafting Company in Paris, Ontario offers these unique learning adventures. The theme of the company is “Experiencing Everything Together” and that’s what they specialize in doing.

There is a camaraderie that occurs in the 8 person rafts that does not happen in canoes or kayaks. When you are done, you have been together in everything… and for most people that does not happen today. It leaves a good community feeling.

On the Grand River you can choose to do day trips or overnights. Overnight visitors can stay at the local River Ridge Bed & Breakfast accommodates groups & families of up to 12 people. This rustic countryside setting even has an outdoor hot tub & pool overlooking the valley…and the complimentary breakfast is gourmet! There is also camping nearby at the Brant Park and Pinehurst Conservation Areas.

Either way whether you come or stay… you will have a great time on the Grand River in Southern Ontario.

White Water Rafting is one of the most thrilling and sensational adventure sports known to humans. Those who have had the thrill of water rafting expeditions can guarantee this. Rafting in turbulent waters is an experience that you will treasure the rest of your life. The foot-hills of the Himalayas serve as the perfect playground for white water rafting in India. If you haven’t had the experience of river rafting in India yet, plan your next adventure holidays here to get pulled out of your everyday existence and be thrown into a world of thrills, chills and spills.

Whether it is the Brahmaputra valley or the Ganga valley, the excitement of river rafting expeditions never goes down in India in any of these stretches. All of the rivers in Northern India originate in the icy Himalayas before passing through deep gorges bursting into silvery white rapids. This then serves as the perfect backdrop for some exciting water rafting expeditions in India. Sikkim, Ladakh, stretches between Devprayag & Rishikesh, and stretches between Alaknanda & Mandakini Rivers act as good white water rafting adventure travel destinations in India.

The best time for river rafting in India is from March to April or from September to November. River rafting as an adventure sport can be tempting but it can also be highly risky at times. It is therefore very important that you pay enough attention to your gear before venturing on any white water rafting expedition. Always remember to put your life jacket properly around your body, as it will secure you and prevent any mishap. Also you should wear a head gear so that it saves you from any kind of injury.

You can opt for one day or weekend water rafting adventure tour on some of the best white water rivers present in India. There are several professional tour operators in India who organize camps along the popular white water rivers of India. They offer customized river rafting rafting expedition packages that include personalized services from experienced life guards as well as renting of safety gear and other rafting equipments. Go for a reputed adventure tour operator so that you can completely enjoy a unique river rafting expedition in India.

The purpose of this article is to give a cursory look at boat construction, not so that you would be able to build one, but to show some of the reasons why sailboats look as they do. Although there is a huge range of designs for boats they are basically the same whether they are a racing dinghy, a fishing smack, or an ocean racer or cruiser. They are as cars are — the design changes only with the purpose of the machine, and after that for cosmetic effect.

So boats, generally, are sharp at the end that goes through the water first, they have varying degrees of width (beam) and they are blunt at the trailing end. They will have a mast, either tall or short, and they will have sails. Because they have sails, they must have a keel. If the boat is a fishing smack it will be slow, it will have a short mast, and it will be made of enormously strong timbers because it has to survive heavy weather, it has to carry a heavy catch, and it has to have great power to drag its nets.

If the boat is a racing dinghy, it will hold two, sometimes three people. It will be light enough to carry to the beach and trail home, and it will have a dish-shaped bottom and a centreboard. This is because it usually sails in sheltered waters, the weight of the crew keeps it upright, and it wants as little wetted surface as possible so that it can travel as fast as possible. An ocean racer won’t have a doghouse (the bit of the cabin that sticks up above the deck), it will have a mast that seems ridiculously light for such a powerful vessel and it will have a wide range of sails to choose from.

The ocean cruiser will have a solid mast, often with steps up the side. It will have a big cockpit, and a big doghouse. The boat will tend to have more beam than the racer, although not necessarily so, and it will have sails that furl into the mast, or around themselves, with the controls running back to the cockpit. The point I am making is that, however the special purpose of a boat affects the design, it will still be within broad controlling factors.

Materials used to make hulls

In the same way that design can change for special purposes, so has it changed in the last few decades, especially because new materials have become available. In fact materials from which hulls are made have changed dramatically. Designers have moved from wood, fibreglass, aluminium and steel to specify foam and Kevlar sandwiches, end-grain balsa held by thin wooden skins inside and out, carbon fibre and other space-age materials. Also, instead of being constructed in a style which had not changed much since Biblical times, hulls are now moulded, and are even baked in giant ovens to cook the exotic materials into a lightweight shape that is lighter than alloy and stronger than steel.

Hull shapes

Hull shapes have changed, too. The fat, shallow, modern boat sails to windward far better than the traditional styles by utilising lift from the keel. And, because they are light, the modern boats run far faster. The only advantage the older, heavier boat has over the modern boat is that it is not thrown sideways as much in big, breaking seas.

But, however much shape and materials have altered, the skeleton of a boat is still much the same. To understand the structure of a hull is to understand the strain on it and to know when to take that strain off. It is outside the scope of this article to discuss design in the sense of which is the latest or which is the best. Every boat buyer decides that personal equation himself. We only want to understand enough about boat construction to see how the design and building absorb the stresses handed out by the sea.

White water rafting is quite popular these days. People of all age groups love the adventure, fun and complete excitement. But at times when we are on our trip we forget the basic safety tips.

1. White water rafting trips are available at different level – basic, medium and advanced. According to your needs or the group choose the most appropriate one for you. If you know rafting it’s good… but keep in mind the age factor also. Too young or people above 50 find rafting difficult or a strenuous activity. So they should be avoided at the advanced level.

2. Listen to your guide. Don’t under estimate the guide. They have the experience of dealing the tough situations, which you might not. Follow his instructions. Don’t show off that bravely you can overcome any hurdle. It’s better to be on the safer side of the road.

3. Eat light meals before you start river rafting.

4. Take mini safety lessons from the guide and strictly follow the do’s and do not’s.

5. Wear the right clothes for white river water rafting, as you will get wet during rafting. Wear life jackets, helmets and right size oar.

6. Do not wear the funky flip-flops, as one tends to slip because they get wet. It is advisable to wear tennis shoes. This will help you in easy walking and protect feet from cuts and scratches.

7. Never go on for water rafting all alone, especially in the remote rivers. Sometimes we need aid and that’s not possible to obtain.

These are just the simple tips that surely anyone can follow. Have a Happy White Water Rafting trip ahead.

White Water Rafting usually refers to rafting that happens at the foot- hills of a mountain range when a river falls southwards through steep gorges and bursts into silvery rapids that serve as the perfect backdrop for some exciting water adventure. In my opinion, the best time for river rafting in Northern India is from September to November or from March to April and there is enough water in the upper reaches of the river to enjoy rafting.

White water rafting is a popular sport and with the entry of organized players; tourists have gained immensely as they no longer need to scout for food, equipments, life jackets, helmets, accommodation and the help of an expert guide at nominal costs. Stiff competition in this sector has kept the costs down and averted the possibility of monopoly by any company in this sector.

Young children below the age of 14 are forbidden from such tours and some tours, which are conducted on dangerous stretches of a river, require tourists to know swimming before they are admitted for such tours. Pregnant women and those who suffer from serious ailments like high blood pressure, epilepsy are not allowed for white water rafting tours as this sport can be very risky for their lives.

The pleasure associated with this sport far outweighs the risks associated with it and those who have enjoyed white water rafting admit that the entertainment and enjoyment far exceeds the expenditure incurred. The adrenalin rush, which one gets by maneuvering your boat through gushing rapids, is simply exhilarating. The thrill of meandering through overflowing rapids that hit your face with unceasing regularity is an experience that you will cherish for the rest of your life.

White water rafting also serves as an efficient stress buster and a welcome break from the monotony of every day life. Such an invigorating experience helps tourists to de-stress and return to their homes with renewed vigor and strength. While embarking on any white water rafting trip tourists should carry with themselves sunglasses, sunscreen lotions, shorts, T-shirts, sneakers etc. Rest of the equipment like life jackets is usually provided by the tour operator, as it is mandatory by law.

It would be a great idea if you can obtain some accommodation in one of the riverside camps. Unlike city hotels these camps may be short on amenities but they provide a once -in-a-lifetime experience of life in a jungle. City bred tourists rarely get such an experience and if you are one of those lucky ones to get such an opportunity then you should grab it with both hands.

Whitewater rafting is simply a blast, pun intended. This brings us to the river of no return, an excellent challenge in Idaho.

Idaho is an incredibly beautiful state, a place with no massive cities or the resulting urban sprawl that comes with them. It is a Rock Mountains state sitting on the border of Canada and part of Yellowstone National Park sits within its boundaries. With so much uninhibited nature, rafting opportunities are plentiful and all variety of categories of rapids can be found.

The Salmon River is located in the central area of Idaho and known as “The River of No Return.” If that doesn’t get your whitewater rafting juices flowing, nothing will!

The Salmon is 425 miles long and drains over 14,000 square miles of land. It drops a whopping 7,000 feet in elevation from its headwaters to its final merger with the Snake River. With an elevation drop like that, you just know the rafting is going to be good.

The top rafting area is on the middle fork of the Salmon River. The prime area is a 100 mile stretch running through the Frank Church – River of No Return wilderness area. This section cuts through the second deepest canyon in North America. It is makes for spectacular viewing and a hair raising adventure.

Constriction, elevation drops and plenty of obstructions make the middle fork a top rafting destination. Rapids fall in the category three and four range, making it an adrenaline rush without major risk. One and two day trips can be arranged for the middle fork and there are plenty of rafting companies offering services. Kayaking is also excellent, but you need to have mastered your rolling technique.

Taking on the river of no return is an absolutely blast that you will remember for years. Keep in mind it is a popular destination with over 10,000 people giving it a go each year. Enjoy!