5 Reasons the Salmon River Is Your Next Family Vacation | Aggipah River Trips

A wilderness river trip in the Rocky Mountains is an ideal adventure for any family. Re-connect as you float down the Salmon River through the legendary “River of No Return” canyon. Enjoy warm swimming, camping on the beach, and exciting whitewater. Here are five reasons to start planning your family vacation with Aggipah River Trips.

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1. Unplug, Unwind, and Get Wild!

Let’s face it; the kids are growing up fast. That’s why family vacations are so important—to build lasting family memories away from the daily grind. A whitewater trip through one of the deepest canyons in America is about as far from the daily grind as you can get. In fact, there is no reception in the Salmon River Canyon. No cell service. No internet. Your family can truly unplug from digital distractions and re-connect with nature and with each other.

Float through pools so quiet you can only hear the canyon wrens. Run whitewater so exciting you can’t even hear yourself think. Watch a trout rise to the fly. Camp on a sandbar and watch as bighorn sheep come down to drink. Eagles fly overhead and elk, deer, moose and antelope roam the area. Have a drink while the fire burns down just right for steaks, and biscuits bake in the Dutch oven. Relax around the campfire and listen to the River of No Return. You won’t believe the stars you’ll see our first night away from the big city lights.

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2. First-Class Accommodations

The camping arrangements are awesome! Aggipah River Trips goes all out. Our modern camps include top-of-the-line tents, self-inflating sleeping pads, and tables and chairs. We can even arrange to stay in riverside lodges each night instead of camping.

Your river trip can be very vigorous, or not at all, depending on what you make of it. If you plan to participate in the paddle boat every day, your trip can become a very rewarding experience. If you are more apt to enjoy the scenery from an oar boat rowed only by the guide and relax in camp in the evenings, a river trip does not require a great deal of physical activity. Hikes and other activities are not enforced. Swimming ability is not an issue. Life jackets are worn at all times on the boats. We can often accommodate physical limitations and disabilities.

And then there’s the FOOD! We have all the good stuff, and it’s prepared on-site with a huge variety of fresh, often times local, produce, meats, seafoods, breads, and regional dinner wines. We use our Dutch ovens every day, and are skilled in tailoring our menu to fit special dietary needs.

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3. Experience the Old West in a New Way

If you like to leave a new place knowing more about it than when you arrive you will appreciate your time with Aggipah River Trips. Meet Bill Bernt, the veteran outfitter who owns Aggipah River Trips. Bill is part historian, part scientist, part storyteller, part master chef and all boatman. He named his company “Aggipah” because it’s the Shoshone Indian word for “Salmon River.”

See Native American pictographs, house pits and hunting pits, and learn that this was once home to a Shoshone Indian subgroup called the Sheepeaters, because of the importance of bighorn sheep in their diet. Lewis and Clark encountered the Salmon River but could not travel the Salmon River canyon. Once gold was discovered, and prospectors began to adventure into the region. Boatmen learned to float wooden boats down the river to supply mines downriver from the town of Salmon. Since the boats could not be brought back up river, the Salmon became known as the “River of No Return.”

With well over 100 years of combined experience, our guides are the safest, most fun and knowledgeable on the river.

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4. Affordable

A whitewater adventure with Aggipah River Trips is much more affordable than most family vacation destinations. We believe that this can be an experience of a lifetime for kids of all ages. That’s why youth are included at a reduced rate on some of our trips. Ask about our specials this year for even more savings.

Our trips are all-inclusive. That means EVERYTHING is included in the price. We provide the food, lifejackets, camping gear, everything! You just need to show up and have the time of your life. But hurry! Our trips fill up fast. You don’t want to miss out.

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5. “Best. Trip. Ever!”

Family whitewater rafting trips are our specialty. A Salmon River whitewater rafting trip is likely to be a highlight kids will look back and remember for years to come. There are so many fun things to do with equal balance between excitement and quiet time. They’ll run in the sand, build sandcastles, splash in the water, paddle like crazy, and fall asleep worn out from an awesome day being kids.