June Trips on the Middle Fork Salmon River

June is a fantastic time to be on the Middle Fork, offering some of our most active and exhilarating trips of the season. With long daylight hours and higher runoff, our crew is able to explore many of the canyon’s hidden gems that we don’t typically reach in July or August. The June 3rd and June 12th launches, in particular, stand out as two of our most adventurous trips. The canyon comes alive in a spectacular spring setting, and our crew takes full advantage of the season—hiking to stunning overlooks, visiting side creeks, and floating through a lush, vibrant landscape. Even with the faster pace of these trips, there’s still time to slow down and relax, whether that’s soaking in hot springs or unwinding at camp in the evenings.

River Trails

June means exploration, and the Idaho River Journeys Crew introduced our guests to their favorite hiking and running trails. Whether it was a steep climb to an incredible view, a scramble up to a spring waterfall, or running along meandering trails to jaw-dropping vantage points, our crew and guests did it all. Over 50 miles of river and side trails were explored.

The Flight In

Our first trip of the season, June 3rd, began with an incredible backcountry flight into the Middle Fork Salmon River. This 30-minute flight started in Stanley, flew down Rapid River Creek, and landed at Indian Creek Airstrip.

Waterfalls

The spring runoff allowed us to experience some towering waterfalls: Waterfall Creek tumbling over the bridge, Veil Falls cascading off the canyon walls, and the lesser-known drops that only run during the early season. The crew took advantage of this incredible time to see the canyon spring runoff.

Middle Fork Canyon

The alpine splendor of June offered stunning landscapes in bloom. Lush green sagebrush, bright yellow Arrowleaf Balsamroot, purple Camas, and the vivid white Syringa (our state flower), were all in spectacular color.

Downtime

Even with all the exploration, we had plenty of downtime at camp. Having peak flows meant fast current, and thus more time to relax, sit back, and let go. This time gave our guests ample opportunity to appreciate the pace of the trip and take in the adventure.