Whitewater Rafting Trip Itineraries

Sample trip itineraries for the following rivers:

Itineraries are samples and your specific trip might be modified or slightly different depending on weather, water levels, etc.

• Snake River through Hells Canyon
• Salmon River
• Grande Ronde River

5 Day Snake River in Hells Canyon Adventure Itinerary :

Day 0 - Arrival Day: Arrive at the Chandlers Bed and Breakfast in Joseph, OR (lodging is included in your trip cost). Pre-Trip Meeting with Winding Waters at Chandlers at 6pm.

Day 1 - Launch Day: Breakfast served at Chandlers by 6:45am and departure at 7:30am. Travel in the Winding Waters' van to Hells Canyon Dam through the beautiful Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. Stop at Scotty’'s Market near the Dam and purchase an Oregon fishing license if needed. Meet your guide crew at the Dam. Launch by 11am following a brief risk management discussion. Lunch will be served riverside. Encounter rapids such as Wild Sheep and Granite on this first day with time to relax, fish, explore archeological sites and take in the breathtaking views. Plan to be in camp by 4:00pm today. Expect an evening beginning with a delicious meal, followed by good conversation, campfire, games and music. Feel free to bring a musical instrument.

Day 2 - River Day: The morning routine: hot drinks and fruit juice served by about 7am and breakfast by 8am. The guide crew will break camp and after a brief discussion of the day's plan, begin the day’'s float by 10am. Today's rapids include Bernard, Water Spout, and Rush Creek. Visit ancient pictograph sites, not so ancient homestead cabins, and jump from Sturgeon Rock. Lunch will again be served riverside today with camp arrival around 4pm. Expect another wonderful evening beginning with a delicious meal followed up with good conversation, campfire, games and music.

Day 3 - River Day: Morning routine. Today will be spent hiking to the overlook at Suicide Point, floating, scanning the slopes for wildlife, spotting the birds responsible for those beautiful songs, exploring historic Kirkwood Ranch, laughing and playing in the river. Lunch will again be served riverside with camp arrival being around 4pm. There is always time in camp to take a swim, go on a short hike, read a book, catch a fish, play Bocce Ball, or simply lay in a hammock. Expect another wonderful evening beginning with a delicious meal followed up with good conversation, campfire, games and music.

Day 4 - River Day: Morning routine. Today pass Pittsburg Landing, the take out for our 3 day trips. Enter the lower canyon, where the canyon walls appear to crowd in, rising as far as the eye can see. The landscape changes every minute as our perspective changes. Big Horn Sheep, Bald and Golden Eagles are often spotted in these tight canyons. Lunch will be served riverside with camp arrival by 4pm. You can expect an evening beginning with a delicious meal followed up with good conversation, campfire, games and music.

Day 5 - River/Take Out Day: Morning routine. Today we will pass the confluence of the Salmon and Snake Rivers. This spectacular location marks the end of the Salmon, the longest free flowing river in the lower 48. A short hike at this conluence affords a magnificent 360 degree view of both rivers. Down-river, explore Cherry Creek Falls and Cache Creek Visitor Center and Museum, a former homestead site. Lunch riverside with an expected take out time to be around 2pm. The Winding Waters' van will transport you back to Joseph and the Chandler's Inn typically by 5pm. If you plan on staying the night at Chandlers, we recommend scheduling this ahead of time.

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4 Day Salmon River Itinerary :

Day 0 - Arrival Day: Arrive in Clarkston, Washington and check in to the Quality Inn & Suites, where lodging is included in your trip cost. If flying into Lewiston, the airport will provide a free shuttle service to the hotel. Meet at 6pm at the Quality Inn for the pre-trip meeting to discuss the trip, receive personal dry-bags, and answer any remaining questions. During the trip you can leave your vehicle at the Quality Inn, as well as store valuable items in a safe.

Day 1 - Launch/River Day: Breakfast at the Quality Inn, followed by departure at 8am to the river launch in the Winding Waters' van (1.5-2 hour drive). Meet your Winding Waters' guide crew at the launch. Launch on the beautiful Salmon by 10am, following a brief risk management talk. A delicious lunch will be served riverside shortly after the launch. Encounter rapids such as Pipeline and Lorna’'s Lulu on this first day with time to swim, fish, explore archeological sites and take in the breathtaking views. Arrive in camp by 4pm. Expect a fun evening beginning with a beach game followed up by a show-stopper meal, good conversation, tales around the campfire and music. Feel free to bring a musical instrument.

Day 2 - River Day: The morning routine: hot drinks and fruit juice will be served by 7am and breakfast by 8am. The guide crew will break camp and after a brief discussion of the day's plan, begin the day’'s float by 10am. Today we will enter Snow Hole Canyon and see more exciting whitewater, including Half and Half, the infamous Snow Hole, the Gobbler, Bodacious Bounce and the Bungholes. Also take time to visit a Chinese rock house, swim, fish, scan for wildlife and chat with friends. Lunch will again be served riverside today with camp arrival by 4pm. Expect another fun evening of beach games followed up by a fantastic meal, good conversation, tales around the campfire and music.

Day 3 - River Day: Morning routine. Run more rapids such as China Bar, Eagle Creek, Wapshilla, Eye of the Needle and the Slide. Enter our favorite river canyon, Blue Canyon. Lunch will again be served riverside with camp arrival being around 4pm. Camp will be near the confluence with the Snake River. In camp take a swim, go on a short hike, read a book, catch a fish, play Bocce Ball, or simply lay in a hammock. You can expect an evening beginning with a delicious meal followed up with good conversation, campfire, games and music.

Day 4 - River/Take Out Day: Today we will pass the confluence of the Salmon and Snake Rivers. This spectacular location marks the end of the Salmon, the longest free flowing river in the lower 48. A short hike at this conluence affords a 360 degree view of both rivers. Down-river, explore Cherry Creek Falls and Cache Creek Visitor Center and Museum, a former homestead site. Lunch riverside with an expected take out time to be around 2pm. The Winding Waters van will be waiting for us to transport you back to the Quality Inn by 3:30pm. Be sure to reserve a room if you plan on staying at the Quality Inn on this night. If time permits, we highly recommend a trip over to our home town of Joseph, Oregon. This is about a 2 hour drive. Give the Chandler's Inn Bed and Breakfast in Joseph a call to reserve a room for the night.

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3 Day Grande Ronde River Itinerary :

Day 0 Arrival Day: Arrive in Joseph, Oregon and check in to the Chandler's Inn Bed and Breakfast, where lodging is included in your trip cost. Take a stroll down the quaint main street, viewing the fine bronze statues on each corner, visiting an art gallery, or simply taking in the impressive view of Mount Joseph. We plan on meeting the group at 6pm for our pre-trip meeting at Chandlers. During the meeting, we will discuss trip logistics, check out trip gear, and handle any last minute details. You will be able to park your vehicle at Chandlers, during the trip as well as store valuable items that you do not want to take on the river.

Day 1 Launch Date: WWRE will provide transportation to the river launch in Minam, Oregon. We will depart after a delicious Chandler’s breakfast at 8:30am. We expect to leave the boat ramp by 10:30am. The first half of the day will be on the Wallowa River. Lunch will be on the river near the confluence of the Wallowa and Grande Ronde Rivers. We will plan to be in camp by 4:00pm today. You can expect an evening beginning with a delicious meal, followed up by good conversation, campfire, games and music. Feel free to bring a musical instrument.

Day 2: The morning routine: hot drinks and fruit juice served by 7:00 a.m. Breakfast served by 8:00 a.m. We will break camp and begin the day’s float by 10:00 a.m. During the day, we will make stops to explore, swim, take a short hike and relax in the shade. Be sure to ask your guide for a turn at the oars, as we love giving interested people this unique opportunity to learn. Lunch is on the river. Plan to arrive in camp by about 4:00 p.m. You can expect an evening beginning with a delicious meal followed up with good conversation, campfire, games and music.

Day 3 Take Out Day: Morning routine. Today will be spent floating, scanning the slopes for wildlife, spotting the birds responsible for those beautiful songs, exploring an old homestead site, taking a short hike in the wildflowers, laughing and playing in the river. Lunch will be on the river today with the take-out planned after lunch by 2:00pm. Our journey will end in Troy, Oregon where the WWRE van will meet us for the drive back to Joseph and the Chandlers Inn. You can expect to be back in Joseph by 4pm today. If you would like to stay another night at Chandlers please arrange for this in advance.

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