Details: White-water rafting on Idaho's Salmon River

My five-day, four-night guided wilderness adventure on the Main Salmon River covered 80 miles from the put-in at Corn Creek in Salmon, Idaho, to takeout at the Carey Creek boat landing near Riggins, Idaho. The river drops about 12 feet per mile on this stretch. It was a family-friendly adventure (children should be at least 6 years old). No rafting experience is necessary, though you should be comfortable in the water and capable of following the guide's directions. The guides bring along satellite phones for emergencies.

Since central Idaho is lonely country, the logistics of your arrival and departure trip might include a combination of scenic mountain roads, backcountry flights or even a thrilling jet boat ride. My group drove to Salmon for the start of our river adventure. We paid for our van to be shuttled to Riggins, about a nine-hour road jaunt, so it would be there for us at the end of the trip. Some group members chose to return to Salmon via jet boat powering upstream. Others were bused from our takeout at Carey Creek Boat Landing to the airport in McCall, Idaho.

My outfitter, Yellow Jacket River Guides, charges $1,500 for the trip, and offers discounts for children. The cost covers all on-river lodging, meals, equipment, guide services and transportation from the departure point in Salmon to the end point in Riggins or McCall. You can choose to bring alcohol, at your own expense, but no alcohol consumption was allowed during the day while rafting. Whitewater rafting is a service industry and tips, though not expected, are greatly appreciated; people in my group added a 10 to 20 percent tip (based on the trip cost) to be distributed among the crew.

For more information about traveling in Idaho, go to www.visitidaho.org. For information about Idaho guide services, go to the Idaho Outfitters and Guides Association site: www.ioga.org.

There are many fine outfitters on the Salmon River. To learn more about the outfitter I traveled with, Yellow Jacket River Guides, go to www.yjriverguides.com.