Whitewater Raft the Snake River

Back in college I was a rafting guide for the daily section of the Green River in Utah. I spent many a weekend in the summer sleeping out under the stars by night and navigating the rapids by day. 

Naturally I've been anxious to introduce my kids to rafting and this summer we were able to do just that! While we *probably* could have rented gear and navigated this 8 mile section of the river ourselves, we chose to go with an outfitter. It was our first trip with the kids and we were unsure how they would respond. By the crazy smiles on their faces the entire time, I'm thinking next time we could branch out on our own. 

We chose to go with Lewis & Clark Expeditions based out of Jackson, WY. Its a smaller, family run company and they were a dream to work with. We signed up for the early bird 8:00 am trip which included a hot breakfast before leaving on the bus for the boat launch.

The bus ride is about 30 minutes up the canyon, and once you arrive there's a little bit of an orientation, we all went to the bathroom, donned our life jackets and were assigned a guide and a boat. 

Our guide was awesome - the right balance between keeping us safe and being chill about having quite a few people in his boat. He nailed all the rapids at great angles to soak all the teenagers sitting in the front of the boat and everyone had a great ride!

They provide free wet suits for the kids 12 and under which we gladly used. There's a flat water section of the river and after getting the thumbs up from our guide we all bailed out of the boat into the cold water. 

The rafting lasted about an hour and half and the rapid intensity will vary depending on the water level. Earlier in the season can be very different than a run later in the season. 

At the take out there's a short walk/hike up to the bus where there are restrooms and changing rooms if you don't want to drive back in your wet clothes. We had snacks waiting in our seats on the bus and were able to snack on the way back! 

If you are wanting to try rafting out but are nervous, we definitely recommend Lewis & Clark. Couldn't have been happier about our experience and the kids can't wait to get on the river again which was our primary goal!