Experience & Awards
ROW Adventures is a seven-time National Geographic award-winning company. We haven't only been "operating" since 1979, we've never changed ownership! And for over three decades we've been providing amazing adventures on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River.

Responsible Travel Ethics
We operate following the best in "responsible" or "eco" travel ethics including Leave No Trace camping and many other best practices that are sometimes forgotten about in the world of travel.

Rich Itinerary
One of the reasons that our Middle Fork trip is such a fabulous adventure is the incredible variety of things we do and see along the way. We don't have blinders on and simply chug guests down the river. Rather, we make sure to visit these incredible sites such as old pioneer homestead cabins, Indian rock art sites, hot springs, waterfalls and we also have a few other 'secret' surprises in store for you.

Full-Service Camping
We are one of very few outfitters who have a cargo boat travel ahead to set up camp, including your tent and a complete kitchen with tables and chairs. This means when you get to camp you're free to explore – hike, fish, relax under a tree, rather than worry about the cumbersome unloading of cargo each day and setting up tents each night.

Famous for Our Meals
The quality of our food reflects the quality of the wilderness environment of the river canyons. Sustainably harvested wild Alaskan Salmon served with a fresh garden salad; Prime Rib combined with a Chilean salad and Idaho mashed potatoes or made-on-the-river Lasagna are a few possible entrees. Desserts are made each evening in our Dutch ovens and range from authentic cobbler and pineapple upside-down cake. We serve juice each morning and moderate amounts of wine with dinner.

Guides Like No Other
Your trip is enriched by knowledgeable guides who share the canyon's cultural and natural history. No other company on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River trains guides like we do and most of our guides are also Certified Interpretive Guides through the National Association for Interpretation. Beyond the critical skills each of our guides are exceptional people willing to share, teach, listen, learn, laugh, play, discuss and above all work hard to provide you with an informative, relaxed spontaneous adventure.

Highly Personal Service
We staff our trips with one guide for every 3-4 guests providing you the ultimate in personal attention. ROW Adventures will happily accommodate food allergies or dietary needs with advance notice by completing the trip application. Our trip application allows you to personalize your river experience including which type of craft you would like ride in.

Carefully Orchestrated
Our guides are divided into a "guest crew" and a "kitchen crew." While the kitchen crew prepares dinner, our guest crew is available to spend time with you, lead a hike, show you how to cast a fishing line or simply sit in the shade and visit. This is a fundamental distinction between us and others.

All-Inclusive
Complimentary beer, wine, juice and soda, all in moderate quantities, is provided. We are proud to serve fine local Northwest wines. We always have plenty of ice! All rafting gear is also included to make things easy for you. We provide complimentary wetsuits & wetsuit booties early and late season to make sure you stay warm and comfortable on the river.

Choice of Craft
We offer you a choice of river craft including oar rafts or paddle rafts. We understand that it is important to be as active as you like or enjoy the scenery this is why we offer the two different types of crafts.

Your Security First
We carry satellite telephones on all trips - for emergency use only.Ideal Logistics

The date of your trip determines logistics. During higher flows we drive from Stanley to our put-in at Boundary Creek.  As water levels drop, the upper 23 miles becomes too low to float and the put-in moves downstream to Indian Creek, accessible only by small airplanes.  Because of the changing put-in points, and based on our 32+ years operating on the Middle Fork, our logistics are designed to be as convenient as possible.  While some companies start and end their trips in Stanley, this means that most of the last day is spent on a bus ride from the take-out to Stanley.  We prefer to give you a great last day on the river, reaching the take-out after lunch and then driving about 2 hours to Salmon.

--  Trips departing from May through July 22:  Meet in Stanley, Idaho. It's easy to drive to Stanley or, if you are flying commercially from home, you can take an air taxi service from Boise to Stanley and then at the end of the float, fly from Salmon back to Boise. If you drive to Stanley, you will need to have your car shuttled north to Salmon for an extra fee. 

--  Trips departing July 30 through September: Trips begin and end in Salmon. If you drive to Salmon, the only additional cost is the air taxi flight to the put-in at Indian Creek. If you fly from your home, fly to Missoula, Montana and then rent a car for the drive to Salmon.

Permits and Licenses
Permits and Licenses - ROW Inc., doing business as ROW Adventures, is proud to be an Equal Opportunity recreation service provider and employer under permit from Salmon, Payette, Boise and Challis National Forests. All our operation and facilities are operated on a non-discriminatory basis. ROW Inc. is bonded and licensed by the State of Idaho Outfitters & Guides Licensing Board. More on Responsible Travel
ROW Adventures is a strong advocate for wild rivers. We support many river conservation groups with both time and money. We also encourage our guests to help. When you receive your invoice from us, you will find a $1 per person per day voluntary donation included. For our Middle Fork of the Salmon River trips this money goes to Idaho Rivers United and American Rivers. Both are superb non-profit conservation groups working to protect wild rivers, fish and clean water for the communities that depend on them. If you choose not to donate simply delete this item from your invoice when you remit payment. Our trips support local hotels, we hire local guides, and buy all our trip provisions and food in local communities. This means our trips and the money you pay for them has a significant impact to our local area. Our trips offer an excellent opportunity for our guests to interact with locals, providing a cultural element that allows you to learn more about the American West. One of our core values is respecting the Earth and we practice this throughout our operation. At our office we work to minimize our footprint through wise energy use and practicing the four R's - recycling, reducing, re-purposing and reusing. We source as many products as we can locally and buy our coffee from "Seeds for Change" and use the "Save Our Salmon" blend, thus providing coffee that is Fair Trade and Shade Grown while supporting a worthy cause.

Because the Middle Fork has no dams, the water is highest when early-summer warmth melts the snow from the high mountain peaks. Winter snowpacks affect each season’s water levels. In general, the river peaks in mid-to-late June.

Early June to early July is the time to come if you want high water thrills.

Mid-July brings somewhat lower flows as the bulk of the snowmelt has already runoff and novice rafters may be more comfortable joining us at this time. The river gradually lowers as the summer passes, bringing incredible clarity to the crystal waters.

Late August and September are wonderful times to be on the river because few people are around and the colors of the hills become more radiant. This is also the best time to fish the Middle Fork.

ROW Adventures Middle Fork trips start in Stanley, Idaho from May to July 22. For trips from July 30 to September we meet and end in Salmon, Idaho.

Stanley:

If you fly, fly to Boise, Idaho. Air taxi transport to/from Boise is available. Or, drive to Stanley and set up a shuttle for your car to be transferred to the ending point in Salmon. If low or high water requires a flight into Indian Creek, there is an extra charge. Call 1-800-451-0841 for pricing.

Salmon:

If you fly, fly to Missoula, Montana.  Car rentals are available at the Missoula Montana airport. It is a beautiful 2.5-hour drive to Salmon, Idaho. 

On any river trips, the guides are the most important factor for your safety, enjoyment and the success of the trips. ROW guides are exceptional people with years of river experience.

We maintain a tobacco-free policy and most of our guides have taken interpretation courses from certified instructors. We look for guides who are willing and eager to share, teach, listen, learn, laugh, play, discuss and, above all, work hard to provide a safe, relaxed and spontaneous adventure.

While in camp two or three guides are preparing dinner while the others are free to spend time with you. They might show you the way to a nearby hot spring, give a fly-fishing lesson or just to sit and visit with the group. Our guides are the main reason many of our guests return to ROW time and time again. (References gladly provided.)

One of the reasons the Middle Fork is such a fabulous trip is due to the incredible variety of sites and activities along the way. ROW takes pride in historical interpretation and takes advantage of as many side excursions as possible.

We share stories of the early pioneers and hike to at least one old homestead cabin.

We explore at least three different Native American pictograph sites.

We stop to soak in hot springs along the way.

We plan hiking excursions when possible for guests looking to get on the trail. 

Our trip is planned so the fifth day doesn't have many river miles. We stop and explore Waterfall Creek and maybe lead a hike under the falls.

After lunch, we hike to see Veil Falls and we have a few other 'secret' surprises.

We strongly believe that understanding builds greater appreciation and we hope our love of this majestic canyon is contagious.

Forget those images of leaky tents and camp food out of a can. You’ll be amazed how comfortable camping can be when done the ROW way. On trips with 13 or more guests, we use a large 22-foot cargo raft to carry the bulk of the camping gear, food, etc. This allows our smaller oar-powered rafts to be lighter and more maneuverable.

The cargo raft, along with two- support crew, arrives at camp ahead of the group and gets the kitchen set up including dining tables and chairs. The crew also sets up the spacious two-person tents that ROW provides. When we arrive at camp all you have to do is carry your personal gear (stored in a ROW-provided easy-to-use waterproof bag) to the tent of your choice and roll out your sleeping bag, flannel liner, and thick, self-inflating foam sleeping pad (also provided by ROW). This gives you an extra half-hour of time for doing something you'd enjoy rather than setting up a tent. (Note: In rare circumstances, we may have a trip with less than 13 guests. In this case, due to economic and logistical reasons, we may not run our cargo raft. On these smaller trips guests and gear travel together down the river. Our guides are still happy to set up your tent if you like or you may enjoy doing it yourself.)   

ROW is firmly committed to the responsible stewardship of the rivers we run and the earth at large. In our office, at our warehouses, and on the river, we abide by the 3 R's - Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. On the river, we take every possible precaution to minimize our impact. Everything we carry in, we carry out. We build our fires in metal fire pans and carry out the ashes.

Find out More: Watch - Camping with ROW Adventures

On many of our summer trips, frequent swimming leaves you feeling clean. For those who want to soap up, we always do so well above the river's high water line (not even "bio-degradable" soap goes in the river). We also take sun-showers on many of our trips and the hot water is great for shampooing and taking a sponge bath. Buckets of river water help with the process.

At each camp we set up a special, private tent with a portable toilet inside, which works just like yours at home, without the flush. This is available from the time we get to camp until we leave the next morning. The views from our toilet locations are simply inspiring. Nearby we set up a handwashing system. During the day, liquid waste goes in the river by simply wading into the water or going for a swim. A day-use toilet is available too for solid waste. If you have any other questions or concerns please call our adventure consultants.

For feminine hygiene, come prepared with some small zip-lock bags. These are useful for disposal during the day while on the river and can be put into our trash containers at camp. Along with our toilet supplies, ROW will have extra pads and tampons available. Using portable toilets allows us to carry out all human waste.

Find Out More: Watch - Bathroom Facilities on the River

Full course meals from lunch the first day through lunch the last day. Trips lasting four or more days, except lodge-based trips, include a post-trip dinner as well. One-day trips include lunch only. Professional river equipment including rafts and their accessories, Coast Guard-approved life jackets, waterproof bags for personal gear, waterproof boxes for cameras, sleeping bags, sleeping bag liners, pillows, thick foam self-inflating mattresses, tents and ground cloths. Wetsuits and booties are provided on all cold water trips in May and June. Also, transportation to and from the river from a designated meeting place as indicated on the trips schedule. Prior to your trip, we'll send you a complete packing list of appropriate clothing and optional items such as cameras, water bottles, etc. 

On your 6-day Middle Fork trip, you can expect to experience both paddle rafts and oar rafts. In a paddle raft, four to six guests paddle together while the guide steers from the back. In an oar raft, two to three guests ride on a bench seat while the guide does all the rowing. We give guests the chance to enjoy both rafts, so you’ll rotate between paddle and oar rafts during the trip.

On the Middle Fork of the Salmon, if there are 13 or more guests, we have a cargo boat, called a Sweep Boat with 2 staff members who go ahead and set up camp.  On trips with 12 or fewer guests, we do not run a Sweep Boat ahead of the group. On these smaller trips guests and gear travel together down the river. Our guides are still happy to set up your tent if you like or you may enjoy doing it yourself.

Find out More: Read "What is a Sweep Boat?"

ROW provides camping gear such as tents, sleeping bags, pads, chairs and much more. You're only responsible for bringing your clothing and personal items such as toiletries, camera, etc. As for clothing, most people already have what they need. Some may need to purchase rain gear or other items. A complete list is provided along with suggested places to buy any gear you may not already own.

If you are interested in purchasing ROW gear in preparation for your upcoming trip, please shop the ROW store here!

For trips beginning in Stanley and ending in Salmon, please notify the trip leader at the orientation meeting to discuss transporting your extra luggage/items to Salmon in our gear truck.

For trips beginning and ending in Salmon (July 30th and afterwards), your items can be left at the Stagecoach Inn.