Theme Trips

Rivers are the soul of the land. Many people come to the river to ride its flow, when in reality it is their deeper inward flow that they end up feeling.

Theme Trips for 2020

Lower Salmon: Pursuing the Oasis Effect
The Oasis Effect

5-days: July – Aug, 2020: $1299

When one thinks about the Salmon River’s location, so rudely bisecting the second deepest canyon in North America, the image of it as flowing through an oasis does not come to mind. An oasis typically is a place where water stimulates plant growth lush enough to support a habitat for animals and people in an otherwise arid dessert devoid of life.

The mental picture more likely conjured up by the word “oasis” is of someone sitting in a lawn chair shaded by shoreline palm fronds and sipping margaritas. The relatively narrow canyon chasm environment births no such la-la land fantasies. However, when viewed through the long-range lens of history used by scientists, the term “oasis” takes on new meaning.

What is it? Find out on this 5-day journey where we will make many stops to examine evidence and discuss the phenomenon, and perhaps enjoy a margaritas or two.
Wisdom of Wolves
Astronomy Trips
Project Wild

Project Wild – River Ecology

3 days: To Be Announced. (Wind River – Lucile) Price: $450 not including credit.

Salmon River near Riggins, Idaho

Designed for Teachers & Educators
This river adventure is designed as a “floating classroom” filled with practical solutions to help educators incorporate unique projects into their tool box for better teaching. The exciting agenda is full of exploratory side stops and hands on demonstrations that can be used to help inspire the inquisitive minds of young students. Our rafts are like mobile labs used to explore the forensics of nature.

The beauty of floating a wild river and camping-out to facilitate the “Project Wild” curricula is that being thoroughly engulfed by the magical salmon river canyon is an exciting venue to enhance the learning experience. In today’s techno-crazed “brain-in-a-bottle” world, very much estranged from the outdoors, it is more crucial than ever to find ways to get students to unplug and get back in touch with nature. A good education in conservation and the natural sciences is essential for wise resource stewardship for tomorrow’s leaders. Reading Nature’s Language is the name of the game.

Adventure inspires adventure, and what better jaw dropping way to engage the wonders of nature than to float through the very middle of it all. You can’t hold a free flowing river in a bucket, any more than you can dance without moving to the music. Go with the flow to know.
Project Wild is a program promoted by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. They will provide a professional facilitator for the college credit curriculum on this trip.

IDF&G fee: $25. (Paid to IDGF&G)
College Credit fee: $60 (optional) (paid to IDF&G)

Note: these two fees are in addition to the float trip price **Wapiti does not collect the college credit fee or the IDF&G fee**

Wisdom of Wolves – Salmon River

5 day trip: anytime in July/Aug , 2020
$1299

“Harmony with land is like harmony with a friend; you cannot cherish his right hand and chop off his left. That is to say, you cannot love game and hate predators…The land is one organism.”

Aldo Leopold

On the first day of this informative and educational trip, we will visit the Wolf Education and Research Center in Winchester, Idaho. There you will observe wild wolves in their natural habitat and be given a tour of the facility by a wolf biologist. The Wolf Center’s mission is dedicated to providing public education and scientific research concerning the gray wolf and its habitat in the Northern Rocky Mountains.

From there we will travel to our put-in on the Salmon River for five days of fun rapids, relaxation, and informal discussion about wolves, while floating through one of the deepest canyons in North America. Gary Lane, owner of Wapiti River Guides, is the lead guide and is a trained wildlife biologist with 40 years experience running rivers in Idaho, Oregon and Alaska.

For more information on the Wolf Education & Research Center: https://www.wolfcenter.org/default.aspx

Note: Custom launch dates are available, and can be booked on an individual basis, thus allowing guests to arrange their schedules to fit their needs. There is a maximum of 10 people for this trip and a 2-person minimum.

For wolf-related tours not in our area, we highly recommend the following:

Wolf Biologists in Montana and the Yellowstone Country: www.wolftracker.com

Wildlife biologists Nathan Varley and Linda Thurston launched THE WILD SIDE, LLC, to propagate their collective professional endeavors. THE WILD SIDE, LLC, offers wildlife viewing tours, university level educational programs, biological research, and many conservation programs and services.

Astronomy Trip

Astronomy on Lower Salmon August 17-22, 2020

Special Price: Six days for the regular price of five days $1299

Unusual events helped inspire the field of astrology in ancient times, as people questioned the meaning behind constellations, planetary movements, and celestial alignments. Science soon spawned the field of astronomy to advance many new discoveries behind the meanings and mechanics of these heavenly observations.

Want to learn some new constellations, as well as many other aspects of the mysterious night sky? Come with us to enjoy one of the most beautiful stretches of Idaho’s famous Salmon River under a plethora of celestial circumstances.

Give us a call.

PHONE 208-628-3523