Some rivers are big and slow, some rivers are small and technical, and one river is the Lochsa.
Its name means "rough water" in the Nez Perce language and the 40
major rapids it holds bear equally intimidating titles. Rapids such as
Bloody Mary, the Grim Reaper, and Lochsa Falls hit one after the other for 40
miles of heart pounding adrenaline flowing whitewater. I asked our guide the
odds of staying in the raft on the Lochsa. About 50/50 they said. Not my
favorite odds but at least it's a nice warm swim right? Of course not.
The mighty Lochsa is a free flowing river, no dams control it. The water
churning in the Lochsa is fresh from the tap, ice-cold runoff of melting winter snow.
Are you wondering why anyone would run this river?
Are you wondering why anyone is even allowed to run this river?
Well we're here to tell you that not only do they
allow people to run the Lochsa, but you absolutely want to run the Lochsa.
There's a reason it was one of the original six rivers protected by
Congress in 1968 as part of the Wild and Scenic Rivers act. This is one of the
world's greatest rafting trips. The Lochsa is crazy accessible. Other famous
rivers like the Middle Fork of the Salmon require five days to get through
and rightfully cost what it takes for you to go to Disney World for a week. But
a 20-mile stretch of the Lochsa can be run in a single day for roughly $120 a
person. You'll need to book your trip with an outfitter like our friends at
ROW adventures. They will provide you wetsuits, wet suit jackets, fleece jackets,
booties, helmets and PFDs for your trip. So you will survive if you go for a swim.
And the guides for ROW are no slouches, they are world class outfitters that run
this river year after year. They will keep you safe, and they will make sure
you have fun. The Lochsa isn't for everyone though. In fact, ROW adventures
requires you to be at least 17 to ride this ride
and besides the age limitations and intensity of the float, the Lochsa has
a very limited season. Because it's float isn't controlled by a dam, you have to go
when the water is available so around mid-may to mid-june is when you can run it.
Obviously check with ROW when planning your trip. Some years the river runs into
July and if it does, the later into the season you get, the less water there is
and not by much, but the rapids will be smaller. All right enough of this
voiceover let's get into the adventure, and where this adventure begins is
River Dance Lodge in Syringa Idaho along Highway 12. So after a long day of road
tripping we've finally made it to River Dance Lodge along the Clearwater River.
Tomorrow we're gonna be hitting the Lochsa. This is a beautiful spot though.
This might be the entire vacation if you just wanted to do this. Equipped
with hot tubs, lounge area, a restaurant, you don't have to rough it out here.
I think a lot of people tend to think of Idaho outdoors as roughing it, but you
can get out into adventure with all the amenities of home if you really wanted to.
I opened this standard hotel book up and out comes
this list, and they're all yoga moves. Do you know what any of that means?
Very little but I know some of the words on here and we should definitely do it
tomorrow morning before the Lochsa.
Today we're running the Lochsa River. This is the most gear I've ever worn to
run a river, and the reason we're doing that is because we're gonna get wet.
The waves are punchy, we're gonna see some big water.
The Lochsa is pretty unique in that it is high gradient, high volume. We have good big
open lines here where you can crash through those giant waves and we have
forty some rapids in a 30-mile stretch. Okay and from the back of the boat was
it clear to you that I am the better paddler.
Oh yeah. Far superior than Chad right? Clearly.
Idaho has the most recreational river miles
of any state in the country, so there's something for everyone. You can take your
kids, your grandparents, there's all levels of water on these rivers which
makes it a great place to come. I'm still envisioning myself there, going through
the Grim Reaper, this giant wave just washing up over us. It was pretty rad.
Check out more adventures from in and around Idaho and start planning your next trip today.
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watching, and we'll see you next time.