Source:
Outside Magazine July 2001
Tickets to Ride
When there's only one thing between you and your dream river: permission
| LOCATION | THE STRETCH | THE ODDS | THE TRICK | CONTACT | CAN'T WAIT? TRY... |
| The Selway River Northern Idaho Class lV |
Paradise Launch to Race Creek Camp- ground; 47 miles, four days | Sixty-two noncommercial permits available for around 3,000 applicants; one launch allowed per day. | Go early in May, before permit season (May 15-July 31). By August, the Selway is usually too low to run. | West Fork Ranger District, Bitterroot National Forest, 406-821-3269 | Idaho's Class III-IV Lochsa River. Looks and feels like the Selway--but with U.S. 12 running alongside it. No permits required. Call the Lochsa Ranger District, 208-926-4275. |
| The Grand Canyon, Colorado
River Northern Arizona Class II-V |
Lees Ferry to Lake Mead; 277 miles, 18-21 days | The average wait is--gulp--more than 12 years. | Persistence and a flexible schedule. Once you're on the waiting list, program your speed-dial to call in weekly for cancellations. | Grand Canyon River Trip Information Center, 800-959-9164 | The Colorado through Utah's Cataract Canyon, a 98-mile stretch with Class III-V rapids similar to those found downstream in the Grand Canyon. Permits are required year-round on a first-come, first-served basis. Call Canyonlands National Park, 435-719-2313. |
| The Middle Fork of the Salmon River Central Idaho Class lll-IV |
Boundary Creek to the main Salmon River; 104 miles, six days | 9,406 applicants for 371 permits. Toughest in July. | Aim for autumn. Though permits are required year-round, the lottery only runs from June 1 to September 3. After that, it's first-come, first-served. | Middle Fork Ranger District, Salmon-Challis National Forest, 208-879-4101 | Idaho's Lower Salmon--53 Class III-IV miles, relatively little river traffic, and permits that are yours for the asking. Call the BLM office in Cottonwood, Idaho, 208-962-3245. |
| Gates of Lodore, Green River Northwest Colorado/ Northeast Utah Class lll |
Through Dinosaur National Monument, from Colorado's Lodore Ranger Station to the Split Mountain boat ramp in Arizona; 44 miles, four days | About 4,500 applicants vie for the 300 permits available for both the Green and Yampa Rivers. Toughest in May and June. | One-third of all permit holders cancel their launch dates. Call regularly; you might pick up a canceled date. | Dinosaur National Monument River Office, 970-374-2468 | Desolation and Gray Canyons on the Green--84 miles of mostly Class II water and permits that are much easier to land. Call the BLM office in Price, Utah, 435-636-3460. |
| Yampa Canyon, Yampa and Green Rivers Northwest Colorado/ Northeast Utah Class III |
Through Dinosaur National Monument, from Deerlodge Park in Colorado to the Split Mountain boat ramp in Arizona; 71 miles (46 on the Yampa, 25 on the Green), five days | See above--4,500 applicants, 300 permits. | Aim for the low-use seasons--April, late July, and August--and pray for a runoff that coincides with your permit dates. | Dinosaur National Monument River Office, 970-374-2468 | Westwater Canyon on the Colorado, a 17-mile, Class IIIIV desert run just north of Moab, Utah. Permits are required and tough to get, but apply for a weekday launch in May, June, or October and you just might get lucky. Call the BLM office in Moab, 435-259-7012. --Tom Bie |
