If you are new to North Central Idaho you may not have heard of Jet boats, but if you have been around awhile you know that in the spring Jet Boats are a big attraction! Starting in June the 16th thru the 18th is the Clearwater River Rush Jet Boat Race! Fathers day weekend you can see jet boats racing from Orofino boat dock to the Kamiah boat dock and back. The river is high enough at this stage of the spring melt for Jet Boats to come up this far on the Clearwater. It’s truly mesmerizing watching these boats fly up the river, you have to have a no holds barred attitude to drive a jet boat and go that fast up a river! They have been putting on these sorts of races off and on for at least 30 or more years, it always depends on the melt off if there is enough water in the river for the boats to safely fly up the river. I have added the Clearwater River Rush Calendar for you if you’re interested in seeing this fun event. The 39th Annual Salmon River Jet Boat Races are always in early Spring around April in Riggins Idaho. They have a boat show and shine on Friday and they start racing on Saturday. As evening sets in they have a firework display then Sunday they wrap up a few more races along with an award ceremony. The small town swells with people from all over that come to watch the fascinating races. Truly an experience of a lifetime!
If you aren’t into watching the race boats speed up the Clearwater or the Salmon then a safer Jet Boating excursion can be taken up Hells Canyon. Hells Canyon is known as North America’s deepest gorge. The excursions are fun and educational also! There is rich native history that they teach you on your ride, you also get to see some hieroglyphs that have been there for centuries. Enjoy the wild rapids, fishing, swimming and historical sites such as: Indian paintings, the Kirkwood Museum, old mines, and pioneer graves. You may even catch a glimpse of river wildlife which include: Bighorn Sheep, Mountain Goat, River Otter, Deer, Elk, Bear, Osprey, Bald Eagles, Golden Eagles, and more.
There is also The Salmon “River of No Return” Wilderness Tour, that will take you on up the largest free flowing river in North America. You will experience these historical sites and homesteads: Polly Bemis Ranch, Buckskin Bill’s Museum, Shepp Ranch, Mackay Bar, Painter Mine, Reho Wolf’s Cabin at Rhett Creek, China Bar and Lodge. The jet boat captain’s will share their knowledge about the Native American Tribes, the gold rush and mountain men that lived here. Along with also seeing more river wildlife which include Bighorn Sheep, Bald and Golden Eagles, Osprey, Deer, Elk and an occasional Mountain Goat, River Otter, Bear and more. The excursions even have specialty private charters such as Eagle watching, Photography Trips and wine tasting excursions. A lot of fun for many different people’s tastes. I’m including a few sites for you to checkout so you can explore Idaho and the fun of living here.
