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The Selway River
Northern Idaho
Class lV |
Paradise Launch to Race
Creek Camp- ground; 47 miles, four days |
Sixty-two noncommercial
permits available for around 3,000 applicants; one launch allowed per day. |
Go early in May, before
permit season (May 15-July 31). By August, the Selway is usually too
low to run. |
West Fork Ranger District,
Bitterroot National Forest, 406-821-3269 |
Idaho's Class III-IV
Lochsa River. Looks and feels like the Selway--but with U.S. 12 running
alongside it. No permits required. Call the Lochsa Ranger District, 208-926-4275. |
The Grand Canyon, Colorado
River
Northern Arizona
Class II-V |
Lees Ferry to Lake Mead;
277 miles, 18-21 days |
The average wait is--gulp--more
than 12 years. |
Persistence and a flexible
schedule. Once you're on the waiting list, program your speed-dial to call
in weekly for cancellations. |
Grand Canyon River Trip
Information Center, 800-959-9164 |
The Colorado through
Utah's Cataract Canyon, a 98-mile stretch with Class III-V rapids similar
to those found downstream in the Grand Canyon. Permits are required year-round
on a first-come, first-served basis. Call Canyonlands National Park, 435-719-2313. |
The Middle Fork of the Salmon River
Central Idaho
Class lll-IV |
Boundary Creek to the main Salmon
River; 104 miles, six days |
9,406 applicants for 371 permits.
Toughest in July. |
Aim for autumn. Though permits are
required year-round, the lottery only runs from June 1 to September 3. After
that, it's first-come, first-served. |
Middle Fork Ranger District, Salmon-Challis
National Forest, 208-879-4101 |
Idaho's Lower Salmon--53 Class III-IV
miles, relatively little river traffic, and permits that are yours for the
asking. Call the BLM office in Cottonwood, Idaho, 208-962-3245. |
Gates of Lodore, Green River
Northwest
Colorado/ Northeast Utah
Class lll |
Through Dinosaur National Monument,
from Colorado's Lodore Ranger Station to the Split Mountain boat ramp in
Arizona; 44 miles, four days |
About 4,500 applicants vie for the
300 permits available for both the Green and Yampa Rivers. Toughest in May
and June. |
One-third of all permit holders cancel
their launch dates. Call regularly; you might pick up a canceled date. |
Dinosaur National Monument River Office,
970-374-2468 |
Desolation and Gray Canyons on the
Green--84 miles of mostly Class II water and permits that are much easier
to land. Call the BLM office in Price, Utah, 435-636-3460. |
Yampa Canyon, Yampa and Green Rivers
Northwest Colorado/ Northeast Utah
Class III |
Through Dinosaur National Monument,
from Deerlodge Park in Colorado to the Split Mountain boat ramp in Arizona;
71 miles (46 on the Yampa, 25 on the Green), five days |
See above--4,500 applicants, 300
permits. |
Aim for the low-use seasons--April,
late July, and August--and pray for a runoff that coincides with your permit
dates. |
Dinosaur National Monument River Office,
970-374-2468 |
Westwater Canyon on the Colorado,
a 17-mile, Class IIIIV desert run just north of Moab, Utah. Permits
are required and tough to get, but apply for a weekday launch in May, June,
or October and you just might get lucky. Call the BLM office in Moab, 435-259-7012.
--Tom Bie |
