Wine and Food on the Lower Salmon Itinerary

Trip Logistics and Itinerary

4 days, 3 nights Wine & Food on the Lower Salmon River

Trip Starts: Holiday Inn Clarkston, WA
Trip Ends: Holiday Inn Clarkston, WA
Put-in: Pine Bar (near Cottonwood, ID)
Take-out: Heller Bar, WA (23 miles south of Asotin, WA)
Trip length: 61 miles
Class II-IV rapids

Each Trip varies slightly with size of group, interests of guests, etc. This is a “typical” trip itinerary that will vary.

Evening before Launch: At 6:00 pm attend the pre-trip meeting at The Holiday Inn in Clarkston Washington. Pick up your dry bag and go over the morning itinerary. If you are staying at the Holiday Inn, you can leave your vehicle here for the duration of the trip.

Day 1: At 7:30 am meet at the Holiday Inn in Clarkston, WA. Load up drybags into our shuttle vans and start the 1 hour & 45 minute drive to the put in at Pine Bar near Cottonwood, Idaho arriving a little before 10:00 am. Meet your guides, go over a short safety talk and begin the journey through the gorges of the Lower Salmon River. Lunch will be served riverside. Enjoy a great day on the river with fun class II rapids as we float Cougar Canyon. Arrive in camp between 3-4pm. Evening camp time: swim, hike, play games, relax! Approximately 6pm: Wine and Hor D’oevres. Approximately 7 pm dinner.

Day 2: Coffee is ready by 6 am. Leisurely breakfast between 7 and 8 am. Pack up camp and send the gear boat downstream. Launch on the river by 10 am. Today we enter Snowhole Canyon and have an action packed day running rapids such as Half & Half, upper and lower Bunghole, Bodacious Bounce, the Gobbler, and the main event . . . Snowhole Rapid. Arrive at camp between 3 and 4 pm to enjoy another evening riverside. Each evening will be a similar routine to the first.

Day 3: Repeat morning routine of coffee, breakfast, camp breakdown. Morning routine followed by another day of fun whitewater. Today we run Eagle Creek, China Bar, and Wapshilla Rapids before we enter Blue Canyon. Arrive at camp between 3 & 4 pm for another evening of merriment and insanely good food from the chef.

Day 4: Morning routine followed by a short float. Embark on rafts until we reach the mouth of the Salmon River where we will strap the rafts together and motor out to Heller Bar. Lunch will be served on the raft or riverside today. Arrive at Heller Bar between 1 and 2 pm. We will shuttle everyone back to Clarkston (45-55 minute drive) or if you had your vehicle shuttled to Heller Bar, you can begin your travels.

Shuttle Logistics: Transportation from The Holiday Inn to the put-in and from the take-out to the Holiday Inn are included in your trip cost. If you would like your car shuttled to the take out near Heller Bar (23 miles south of Asotin, WA) you will need to arrange that before the trip begins, cost will depend on the shuttle company used for your trip. If shuttling your own vehicle you will follow our shuttle van to Pine Bar leaving your vehicle at the put-in for the shuttle company to move. Please bring a spare key if you plan to shuttle your vehicle. Otherwise we will shuttle you back to Clarkston where your vehicle awaits arriving between 3-6 pm.