Take Me to the River

Story by Tom Bie

Photo: Greg Von Doersten The Lunchcounter rapid in the Snake River Canyon splashes those daring rafters who take the big waves head-on.

     Get the front seat if you can. That’s the first advice, that’s where the action is. Rafting in the Greater Yellowstone region is not only recommended, it’s practically required. The area is so packed with burly white water and calm lakes that to return home without getting on the water is like taking a trip to Hawaii and never going to the beach.
     The eight-mile white-water stretch of the Snake River just below Jackson Hole may offer the finest one-day introduction to rapids in the country and visitors may often choose their choice of craft—from a self-guided, sit-on-top kayak to a kick-back-and-enjoy-the-view, let-the guide-do-the-work boat ride.
     As you load up to begin your trip, something changes. You realize just how different a raft feels from that desk chair you’ve become accustomed to. And as you peer out over a river carrying the collective weight of a long winter, you understand why this is still considered an adventure. Time on the water is time well spent.
     Learn to enjoy that twinge in your gut as you round a bend and hear a roar like the sound of ocean waves breaking on the beach. If you’re nervous, good! That’s the idea. The anxiety will soon be replaced by exuberance after you’ve pounded through some beefy waves and come through upright and alive.
     There is a golden moment, just as you enter the smooth, slick tongue of a big rapid, when time stands still and the world is quiet despite the chaos around you. These are the moments on a river trip that create memories you’ll take home with you.
     Most outfitters offer the choice of going in either an oar-frame boat, in which the guide does all the work, or a paddle raft, in which everyone aboard helps maneuver the boat downstream.
     Whatever option you choose, make sure to call early, especially during those hot summer afternoons when everybody is looking for a splash in the face.
     If you don’t think the splash-and-giggle scene is for you, you’ll still want to check out the possibility of going on a scenic trip. It is here where you are likely to encounter some of the larger mammals that inhabit the region.
     Moose, elk, deer, bison, pronghorn antelope, black and grizzly bear can all be seen along regional waterways. In addition, wolves have made their way into Grand Teton National Park, so it’s only a matter of time before these, too, are spotted along the banks of the Snake.
     Sometimes all you may want is silence, and a float through the park offers the perfect answer for a quiet, lazy afternoon.
     The scenic upper section of the Snake is much different than it’s white-water counterpart in that it is very braided, with many different routes and side channels. The shoreline varies greatly along these sections of river, with dense forests of spruce and lodgepole pine giving way to the deciduous stands of cottonwoods and aspen, where beavers like to make their home.
     Scenic floats also allow for more of an interpretive trip, with guests learning the history of the valley, including its fur trappers, and the opportunity to view its geography at eye level.

Photo: Bob Woodall/ FPI The Snake River Canyon provides many opportunities for kayakers to “surf the waves.”	Photo: Bob Woodall/ FPI Scenic float trips often glide past browsing moose but occasionally come upon surprises, like this cow and calf fording the river.

     Tom Bie, a former freelance writer and fishing guide in Wilson, Wyoming, worked on the editorial staffs of Paddler and Skiing, and recently made a move to Powder magazine.

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Copyright 2004 by FPI (Focus Productions, Inc)., P.O. Box 1930, Jackson, Wyoming 83001. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publishers.

Mountain Country is a free visitors’ guide published annually in May and distributed at hundreds of locations throughout Jackson Hole, Cody, and other regional communities. To receive a copy in the mail, send $5 to Mountain Country, P.O. Box 1930, Jackson, Wyoming 83001.

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Publishers: Bob Woodall & Wade McKoy, dba Focus Productions, Inc. (FPI)

Editors: Mike Calabrese, Wade McKoy, Bob Woodall

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