Idaho Photos: Top Whitewater Rafting Rivers

advertisement

Not much has changed since Lewis and Clark passed through these parts. Oh, maybe a gold rush town or two has sprung up somewhere along the Northwest Passage, but it probably went bust back in the '50s—the 1850s, of course. Sure, there's a few dude ranches—otherwise it's just a mountain paradise of legendary rivers cutting through pristine forests for as far as a cowpoke can see standing high in the stirrups.

The dude ranches of Idaho and Oregon are where folks come for a different kind of vacation. Take a horse into the wilds, hike through crisp mountain air, fly-fish for cutthroat trout on the Snake River, challenge the whitewater of The River of No Return. One thing's for certain: It won't be like any vacation you ever took. Word has it these dude ranches have put in some creature comforts like hot tubs, saunas, and cozy cabins-but the rest is rugged wilderness, pure and simple.