White Water Rafting Idaho With Kids - With The River Company

If you are reading this, you are probably a mom or dad looking to have the time of your life on the water! If you are visiting the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho, you are in luck! We went on a white water rafting trip with our kids in Stanley, Idaho, and had an amazing experience. Let me tell you why The River Company is exceptional and why you should white water raft the Salmon River with them!

Middle Fork Of The Salmon River

There are many places to go white water rafting in Idaho, but none quite like the Middle Fork of the Salmon River.

The River Company is located in Stanley, Idaho – one of the most charming town we have ever seen in the U.S. With less than 70 year-round inhabitants, the town has a jaw-dropping backdrop of spiky peaks and the Salmon River floating right through it. It is located just over an hour from tourists’ favorite Sun Valley!

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The Middle Fork of the Salmon River is The River Company’s playground. From floating waters to class 4 rapids, it is sure to please all water fans. If you are a family with younger kids, or not too keen on getting wet, experience the slower waters on a Scenic Float. If you feel more adventurous, there are several adventures to pick from. Let’s look at each one of them!

The River Company – Scenic Float

The Scenic Float is a 2-hour mellow float down the Salmon River. You will be enjoying views of the Sawtooth Mountains and will not encounter any white water.

If you have kids under the age of 4, this is the perfect introduction to floating on a raft down the river. The views are stunning, the waters are calm, and on a sunny day, this is an idyllic float!

If some in your party enjoy more than rafting, you can also book some stand-up paddle boards and/or kayaks to go along with the raft.

White Water Rafting Down The Middle Fork Of The Salmon River

If your family feels a little more adventurous and your kids are ages 4+, the white water rafting outing with The River Company are second to none!

We partook in the Family Trip With Lunch, which lasted nearly 5 hours and was a real treat!

Our guide was everything and gave us so much information on the river and the area in general – from salmon to geology and history of the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, she was an incredible resource! We all learned so much and that definitely counted towards our homeschooling for the day 🙂

The River Company’s Family Trip With Lunch goes through class 2 and 3 rapids and is perfectly safe for young children ages 4 and up. We got moderately wet and all loved the two larger rapids.

The rest of the time, we gently floated down the river, stopped quickly to jump in the river, and I loved that The River Company had packed fleece jackets for the kids to wear in case they’d get cold. We white water rafted with The River Company in late June and it was nice for the kids to have an extra layer to wear when they got a little cold.

The lunch was incredible! In fact, The River Company is the only white water rafting company in the Middle Fork of the Salmon River to offer a hot lunch!

We couldn’t believe we were served hot chicken and rice, a yummy salad, and even dessert (a nice upgrade from the regular cold sandwiches you get on white rafting trips in Idaho)! It was an incredible stop along the Salmon River bank in a beautiful setting, and a nice break before hitting a couple more rapids! And if you have any dietary restrictions, The River Company will be happy to accommodate for them, just make sure to let them know ahead of time!

The River Company – Other White River Rafting Experiences In Idaho

I can’t recommend traveling with The River Company enough, and love that they have so many experiences available.

If you are not interested in lunch, you can book they Stanley Idaho Rafting – Straight Shot trip. Similar to the Family Trip With Lunch, it works well for families with kids 4+ and is a shorter experience if you are pressed with time, since you won’t stop for lunch.

The Class 4 trips down the Middle Fork of the Salmon River are targeting families with kids 14+. You will actually be fitted with full-body neoprene suits and be required to paddle as you make your way down thrilling class 4 rapids. If you love the water and a bit of an adrenaline rush, this is for you!

The River Company also offers fishing trips, private tours, and swiftwater rescue courses for professional rescuers!

White Water Rafting Idaho With Kids – With The River Company

We were so impressed with our experience white water rafting the Salmon River with The River Company.

Our guide was extraordinary, even teaching basic steering skills to our 7-year old.

The lunch we were given was top notch, especially if you consider the backdrop of the Salmon River and being in no-cell-phone-reception forest!

The river was beautiful and the rapids were exactly what a family is looking for when white water rafting in Idaho – safe, refreshing, and fun. We only got moderately wet and had just the right amount of adrenaline, while feeling really safe on board the raft and enjoying learning from our guide.