Questions to Ask Before Booking a Middle Fork Rafting Trip

If you've run other rivers, you already know a trip is only as good as the crew running it. The canyon is the same for everyone who floats it. What changes is the size of the group, the people on the oars, what lands on your plate, and how camp feels at the end of the day.

Before booking a Middle Fork rafting trip, it's worth asking any outfitter the same handful of questions. Here are the ones we'd ask, and how we answer them.

How Many People Will Be on the River With Me?

Group size shapes nearly everything about a multi-day trip: how long mornings take, how crowded camp feels, and how much time you get with the guides. Ask for the actual cap on guests and guides for the dates you're considering.

We run 11 trips a season on the Middle Fork, each with a capped group. They often book fully, largely through returning guests and referrals. Call us for exact numbers on any date.

Who Are the Guides, and What Training Do They Have?

Ask what certifications the guides hold, and ask how the company thinks about safety day to day. Safety on a wilderness river is a practice, not a promise, and how an outfitter talks about it tells you a lot.

Every one of our guides is trained in CPR and First Aid and holds Swift Water Rescue certification. We're a locally owned outfitter based in Salmon. Our guides are skilled boatmen and women who also cook, tell stories around the fire, and know the history of this country well.

What's Included, and What Costs Extra?

"All-inclusive" means different things to different companies. Ask for the list in writing. Here's ours:

• Included: the backcountry flight to launch on our listed trips, all meals and drinking water, two-person tents, cots, self-inflating pads, freshly laundered sleeping bags with a clean sheet and pillow, three waterproof bags, Coast Guard-approved life jackets, and camp tables and chairs.
• Weather gear: dry suits are provided on high-water trips and available on request through the rest of the season.
• Not included: travel to Salmon, lodging the night before launch, a dedicated fishing boat (an optional upgrade), personal beverages beyond what's served, and guide gratuities.

Our equipment and packing page has the full list.

Where Does the Trip Launch, and Why Would It Change?

Launch points on the Middle Fork depend on water. At higher flows, we fly into the Bruce Meadows airstrip and take a short shuttle to Boundary Creek. As the river drops later in the season, we fly into Indian Creek instead.

Ask any outfitter how they handle the switch and whether the flight is in the price. With us, it's built into the listed trip rate.

What Boats Can I Ride?

Some trips put you in one boat for the whole week. Ask whether you can choose. On our trips, you can ride in an oar boat for sightseeing or fishing, join the paddle crew, or take an inflatable kayak when river conditions allow. If you're torn, read oar raft, paddle raft, or inflatable kayak.

What Is Camp Like?

Ask who sets camp and when you'll get there. Our gear boat runs ahead each morning, so tents are up and appetizers are out soon after you land, usually in the late afternoon. Private tents are available on request, and so are solar showers.

Dinner is cooked on site, much of it in Dutch ovens: grilled salmon, Dutch oven lasagna, our fried chicken, fresh salads, apple crisp. More on that in the MFWO experience.

How Do You Handle Special Requests?

Ask about dietary needs, private tents, and custom group trips before you book rather than after. Special dietary needs are something we work through with guests ahead of time, so call us with specifics and we'll tell you honestly what we can do.

Before Booking a Middle Fork Rafting Trip: The Short Version

Compare Dates for Next Season

Once you have your answers, the next step is picking dates. See our dates and rates, browse the FAQ, or call (208) 221-7935 and ask us anything on this list.