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Main Salmon
 Some rivers are renowned for their rapids . . .
and some are well known for their scenery. The Main Salmon is most famous for its personality. It is what every good friend should be: welcoming, tolerant, supportive, and just a little unpredictable. Everyone who travels down this magnificent river falls in love with it; with the grand scenery, the fascinating history, the big waves, the soothing hot springs, the gentle hikes, the diverse wildlife, and the giant sandy beaches.
Cutting due west across the heart of the Idaho backcountry and through the center of the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area, (the second largest Wilderness Area in the lower 48 states), the Main Salmon has long been an alluring place. Native Americans inhabited the canyons for thousands of years and left behind mysterious reminders of their presence; William Clark (of Lewis and Clark) started down the river in 1805, then turned around and looked elsewhere for the fabled Northwest Passage; Polly Bemis, a Chinese immigrant, found solace from a cruel life (as described in A Thousand Pieces of Gold) at her homestead and in her gardens along the river; white settlers, some more successful than others, left a variety of cabins, homesteads, ranches and even a fort (“Buckskin Bill” built a gun tower to protect himself from invading government bureaucrats!). Today the river provides a reflective pathway through a beautiful canyon and a glimpse of American history.
Our whitewater rafting trips begin in Salmon, Idaho, a rugged cowboy town postponing the arrival of the 21st century, and end in McCall, Idaho, a beautiful lakeside resort, embracing it.
"This trip exceeded my expectations. ARTA has hired an amazing set of guides, who team well and create a comfortable setting even for us city folk."
Daliah Harris
"My ten-year old was ready to sign on as one of your guides and my seven-year old was ready to go home with any of your guides. What great role models for my kids."
Michele Maynard
ARTA GUIDE
TESS McENROE
 Tess still gets goose bumps (and a little choked up) when she pulls into Blackadar Camp on the Main Salmon and remembers the first time she was there. Before she was voted "Most Likely to be Heard" in elementary school, before she won the underwater swimming championship as a lifeguard in high school, before she got a degree in Photojournalism from the University of Montana, before she was selected as “the student most likely to trip over a rock” in guide school, before she traveled to Nepal as a photographer for The Kathmandu Post, she was an awestruck 9 year old from Minneapolis, Minnesota looking up at the Idaho stars, listening to the majestic river and promising herself that she would make this place a part of her life. 15 years and all those adventures later she still feels the magic of that first night; every time. They weren't expecting Tess when they named it “The River of No Return”.
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For Left Brained People:
In one word: Friendly
In another word: Relaxing
Expect to: Make connections
Meeting Place: Salmon, ID
Length in days: 5 or 6
Length in miles: 81
Gradient: 12 feet/mile
Overall difficulty: III
Highest difficulty (#): IV- (2)
Rapids/day: ~ 10
Signature Rapid: Big Mallard
Types of boats: Oar, paddle  and inflatable kayak
Hiking: B
Scenery: B+
Wilderness: B+
Fishing: A-
Campsites: A+
Wildlife: A-
Swimming: A+ (July & August)
For Right Brained People:
It is hard to feel any stress on the Main Salmon; excitement for sure, but rarely stress. Once we launch, the whole place seems to stimulate relaxation. The water is warm, (except early in the season), the rapids are fun, (big waves, not a lot of rocks) and the scenery is vast and wonder-inducing, (grand mountains with giant pine trees and a clear side stream at almost every bend). Plus there is a one-of-a-kind, natural hotsprings that melts even the most uptight left-brainers. But it is far from boring: there are hills to climb, ranches to explore, pictographs to view, trails to hike, fish to catch, stories to hear and stars to see. The excitement comes from the small inflatable kayaks that we bring: the adventurous can run the rapids; the not-yet-adventurous can paddle themselves through the calm stretches and explore the river’s edge (and their own limits). Six days on the Main are like a year of Chamomile tea and lavender candles.
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