Spokane Whitewater Rafting
The most extreme and best whitewater in the Inland Northwest is probably the Lochsa River, but for those of us who enjoy life but don’t want to die….there is the Clark Fork. Beautiful and majestic, this river is the largest river by volume traveling through Montana and then pouring into Lake Pend Oreille in North Idaho.
Spokanites and visitors would agree that the world class whitewater offered just over the border and a 2.5 hour gorgeous drive away is ….well worth it.
Coeur d’Alene Adventures offers 6 river trips and rafting trips in the Coeur d’Alene area. Our line up of Coeur d’Alene rafting trips can suit your needs for taking in the scenery, excitement and adventure. We have offered beginner, intermediate, and well conditioned rafting adventures and scenic rafting trips since 1976.
Come experience a day on the river and soak in the scenery with some splashes while hearing some local folk lure of this great area with some of the best guides around.
We currently offer 6 different half-day and full-day rafting trips.
CDA Adventures features river trips on the Coeur d’Alene, Lochsa, and Clark Fork Rivers. Participants will experience local watersheds, breathtaking scenery, wildlife, and gentle floats by local outfitters. On an exciting side, one can also experience the wild, free flowing water, and adrenaline rush in the canyon features on each of these rivers. Rafting Coeur d’Alene is amazing. River Trips and Rafting Coeur d’Alene – Coeur d’Alene Adventures
Our FULL DAY TRIPS get a lunch. View the menu.
CDA Adventures Featured Trip
1. Combo Trip (Whitewater/Fishing)
(2 hour drive, April-Nov.) If you are driving over the border either direction there is a time change
*CDA Adventures FEATURE TRIP We are the only ones who offer this trip
Our customers frequently say that the famed Alberton Gorge trip is the most exciting day they have ever had on a fishing/rafting trip. Most of the bigger fish in the river hold up in the pools at the bottom of the rapids so you never know what you might catch. You will have to wear a high flotation vest most of the day, and all the gear gets put away for Triple Bridges, Tumbleweed, and Fang rapids but you can cast away on everything else! See More Details Here!
Price: 2 adults-$500, 1 adult $450
Whitewater Trips:
2. Alberton Gorge Clark Fork River Full Day Raft Trip
(2 hour drive, June-Oct.) If you are driving over the border either direction there is a time change
This 12 mile river trip provides 15 rapids and breath taking scenery down the Alberton Gorge on the Clark Fork River. The trip starts at 10AM and wraps up around 4PM depending on water flow levels. Home cooked lunch featuring fresh garden grown produce is provided. We stop at Fish Creek to rest on the beach. A great one day river adventure! See More Details Here!
Price: Adults-$85 Ages 6 to 17 – $79
3. Alberton Gorge Clark Fork River Half Day Raft Trip
(2 hour drive, June-Oct.)
This trip meets at the raft shop located in Cyr, Montana (exit 70 off of I-90). Your friendly guides who will be taking you white water rafting will greet you with the adequate gear needed for your trip. Once you are outfitted, you will be taken down to the put in and the trip will begin! The river will greet you with class II and III rapids. Five of the rapids will get you wet from head to toe! Trip departure choices: 9AM, 1pm and 4PM during checkout. A great three hour river adventure for the entire family! See More Details Here! (If you are driving over the border either direction there is a time change)
Price: Adults-$57 Ages 6 to 17 – $50
4. Lochsa Full Day Raft Trip
(3 hour drive, April-July 1) Helmets Required.
The Lochsa is truly one of the best rivers in the world for adrenaline soaked adventure in the midst of amazing natural beauty. The Lochsa is a free-flowing, wild, and scenic river that bounces down a steep granite canyon. The river is surrounded by a lush forest and beds of dense moss. With close to 40 rapids in our 20-mile “day run”, many of them class IV, every trip down the river is an exciting challenge. All rafters must be at least 16 years old. (If you are driving over the border either direction there is a time change) Please call to book this trip.
Price: Adults-$105
Scenic Trips
5. Coeur d’Alene Half Day Scenic River Float
(We meet in town, 20 min drive with your guide, April-Nov.)
*CDA Adventures FEATURE TRIP We are the only ones who offer this trip
Scenic Coeur d’Alene River Float.
This is a great way to spend half the day in the Coeur d’Alene/Spokane area. This is a nice river float down the Lower Coeur d’Alene River! Great for all ages and abilities! Nervous about younger children on the boats? This is your float trip! You get out on the water without any stress. Picture a lazy river, warm breezes and a total release of all your cares! This is a great day on Coeur d’Alene River. Guests view birds, moose, and has North Idaho written all over it. This is a peaceful section of river with gentle flows that run all summer long. Jump in to swim! Hang out on the beach for a bit. This is a crystal clear spring fed water that houses Cutthroat year round and Chinook Salmon in the fall.
*Please understand that a 3 person minimum is required for reservation. Two person trips may join another couple/group or pay the extra seat to cover guide/gas/reservation.
Price: Adults-$59 Youth(4-17)-$54
6. Scenic Montana Float
(2 hour drive, April-Nov.) (If you are driving over the border either direction there is a time change)
This is a great opportunity for everyone to enjoy the Clark Fork River for a few hours, especially families with small children or seniors. The Tarkio Canyon is a mild stretch of Montana’s largest river by volume, providing a relaxing float on a majestic beautiful river. Relax and kick back while soaking up the scenery. Your experienced, friendly guide will share the colorful heritage of our early settlements, mining claims, and the history of the river. Trip reservation times are 10am, 2pm, and 5pm. See More Details Here!
Price: Adults-$46 Youth(1-17)-$36
Full Day Raft Trips include the best lunch on the river. We are known for our lunches and offerings. Check out this year’s lunch here: CDA Adventures River Lunch (Full Day Raft Trips Only)
We require a two week notice for a full refund cancellations. A 15% business charge will be deducted from deposit for cancellations under two weeks. No refunds for 48 hour cancellations. We reserve the right to cancel trips with full refund due to weather, water levels, or insufficient guests. Same day reservation/cancel is subject to 5% credit card fee withholding.
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Wallowa & Grande Ronde Rivers
With a cluster of Wild & Scenic Rivers in neighboring northeast Oregon, a trip down the river is a truly magical experience and an easy weekend trip. The Wallowa River is designated as a Wild & Scenic River from the confluence of the Minam River and Wallowa River near Minam Store all the way to its meeting with the Grand Ronde River, which also boasts that designation. This 40 mile stretch of river heaven offers…
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Wallowa River
The Wallowa River is an excellent first rafting or kayaking experience–you might say it is a great way to get your feet wet in the water sport world. Choose a five or ten mile trip and experience a steady flow with little rapids to navigate. Though not as remote as the Wild & Scenic River section of the Wallowa River, as the river hugs the road, it is still a great trip for families or…
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Spokane River whitewater rafting with Wiley Waters
There are not many cities that come to mind where you can jump on a raft within the city limits and float downstream over class III whitewater. Spokane, Washington is one of these cities. I cannot think of any other on this list. Just below Spokane Falls, our Spokane River whitewater rafting adventure began.
Whitewater rafting with Wiley Waters
Just below Spokane Falls our Spokane River whitewater rafting adventure began – Note, we did not run these falls
Wiley Waters Spokane River whitewater rafting adventure begins
We were fitted with a full body wet suit, a jacket, a PFD, and a paddle. After a brief safety talk, we were divided up as there were two rafts. I jumped in with fellow outdoor travel writer Adam Sawyer, and our guide Clayton. There was no need for a helmet. Although class III rapids gets classified in the thrilling category, they are not dangerous.
Group photo before our Spokane River whitewater rafting adventure
We were putting in just downstream of downtown and would be taking out in Spokane Riverside State Park. The trip totaled about eight miles and took two plus hours. The two class III rapids, Bowl and Pitcher and Devil’s Toenail come near the end of the float.
Horserace Rapids from the Wildman Ranch was my last whitewater adventure
Previous whitewater rafting experience
I have rafted on the Peshtigo River with Wildman Ranch in Wisconsin and back in college on the Ocoee River in Tennessee. Usually, I prefer to canoe, but when given the opportunity to whitewater raft, I definitely jump at the opportunity. I was in town for a media trip sponsored by Visit Spokane as part of the Volume Inland Music Fest. One of the activities the Tourism Bureau set up for us during the day when we were not checking out the local music scene was rafting with Wiley Waters. I was psyched to add a new river to my whitewater rafting resume.
Getting started rafting on the Spokane River with Wiley Waters
Paddle training
The first section of the Spokane River was fast flowing, but relatively tame. There were a few sections of standing waves, but nothing too extreme. Our guide used this opportunity to give us some brief training on how to paddle and how to sit in the raft. He even offered to let one of us learn how to steer the boat with the oars. I declined because I am used to steering a canoe, and I did not want to learn a technique that was different from paddling. I was also feeling the residual effects of too many IPAs from the night before, and this was No-li.
The scenery was fantastic most of the way down the Spokane River
Beautiful scenery
Many times when on a river, the scenery can be constricted due to trees along the shore. This was not the case with the Spokane River. The river valley is wide with high bluffs on either side. Pine trees covered each bank giving off a lush green appearance.
Hitting the class III
We went under a bridge with an ominous sign. Dangerous water ahead it read. Clayton barked instructions from the back on how to deal with the first set of class III rapids in case we got separated from the boat. We also needed to know how to deal with a possible swimmer from the boat behind us. I had faith we would make it through the rapids intact; however, I did put my iPhone in the dry bag as a precaution.
Our other raft at the bottom of Bowl and Pitcher during our Spokane River whitewater rafting adventure
Success after navigating through Bowl and Pitcher
Bowl and Pitcher
We were excited as we approached our first class III. Volcanic rock eroded over time giving this rapids its name. Two giant rocks remain that resemble a bowl and pitcher. There are two sections to this rapids. Some standing waves and then a section of relatively quiet water before going through the rougher stuff. The river bends here and the water roars into the large boulders on river left. We hit the rapids to the right of the boulder and the wave crashed over the boat soaking us from the waist down. It even submerged my GoPro, which I had strapped over my PFD.
After we successfully went through Bowl and Pitcher, we eddied out and watched our second raft do the same
Devil’s Toe Nail
The next obstacle was another class III rapids – Devil’s Toe Nail. Devil’s Toe Nail was a repeat of the experience at Bowl and Pitcher. We hit the main waves, which caused the front paddlers to get a little wet, but we stayed afloat. When the water washed over us it was an exhilarating experience. Check out the GoPro video embedded above.
Photo taken by Wiley Waters of our descent into Devil’s Toe Nail during our Spokane River whitewater rafting adventure
Go for a swim
My one regret is that I did not jump in and swim at the end. The last couple of rapids are relatively gentle and only have some moderate standing waves. Clayton urged us to jump in, but it was upper 50s and cloudy. In retrospect, I wish I would have jumped as the take out was just around the corner where I had stashed some dry clothes.
Love the high bluffs on both sides of the Spokane River
Great day on a Spokane River whitewater rafting adventure
It was a great day on the Spokane River. We experienced two class III rapids, saw some amazing scenery, and saw some wildlife. We saw several osprey, a red-tailed hawk, and several mergansers. Giant sandwiches and Lienenkugel’s beer greeted us at the take out. We then headed back to Spokane with a wonderful adventure under our belt.
Spokane River whitewater rafting adventure
Disclosure
I was a guest of Visit Spokane as part of a press trip covering Volume Inland Music Festival and Spokane city tourism. I did receive a complimentary trip to Spokane from Chicago. This fact did not impact this post as the opinions, thoughts, and photos are my own.
Adventure on!
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1 Comment
Looks very dangerous, expesially on YouTube video on this page. I hope you got a good dose of adrenaline
voyagestic recently posted..Delhi
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Source https://www.cdaadventures.com/cda-adventures/spokane-whitewater-rafting/
Source https://outsidewallawalla.com/activities/rafting/
Source https://travelingted.com/2018/06/15/spokane-river-whitewater-rafting/