Start this paddling season off with a bang by floating one of our nation’s top Wild & Scenic Rivers! Behold, 10 of the best ones to hit in the country.
Western Money Run: Middle Fork of the Salmon, Idaho
For those with whitewater bona fides, the Middle Fork of the Salmon River splashes up some of the most remote whitewater in the world. The entire stretch, from the put-in at Boundary Creek to its confluence with the Main Salmon 100 miles away, is designated “Wild and Scenic,” threading through the 2.7-million-acre Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area—the largest roadless tract in the Lower 48. Throw in side hikes, fly fishing, and, get this, the ability soak in a different natural hot spring almost every night (nine total), and the river becomes something magical. Best spot to soothe tired shoulders? Hospital Bar, where a spring bubbles up at 115F into a pool so close to the river you can cast a fly for five kinds of trout and Chinook salmon while you soak.
Just make sure you have your whitewater stripes. Best run in whitewater rafts or kayaks, the stretch is riddled with Class III-IV rapids, including Velvet Falls, Pistol Creek, and Tappan Falls, culminating with Impassable Canyon, named by Lewis and Clark when they first saw it in the early 1800s. If you’re not confident you can assess and run the river, hire an outfitter.
Trip Planner
Permits: Required year-round and hard to get (lottery June 1-Sept. 3; first-come, first-served the rest of the year); recreation.gov. Trip length is capped at 8 days.
Season: May-September, flows depending
Put-in: Boundary Creek off Idaho State Highway 21
Shuttle info: rivershuttles.com
Info: www.fs.usda.gov/detail/scnf/recreation/wateractivities/?cid=stelprdb5302105
Guide: idahoriveradventures.com
Southeast Classic: Chattooga River (Sections II-III), Georgia
Forming the northern boundary between Georgia and South Carolina, the Chattooga will forever be linked with the canoes and crazy locals of Burt Reynolds’ Deliverance. But there’s far more to this paddling gem than what Hollywood portrayed.
In 1974 the Chattooga became the first river east of the Mississippi to earn Wild & Scenic status, and it’s still the only one that’s rafted commercially (Sections III and IV, where development is prohibited on a quarter-mile corridor off each bank). With its world-class whitewater amidst the granite wonderland of the Blue Ridge Mountains, it’s easy to see why it’s protected.
While the river offers something for every skill level, from mellow Class I to hair-raising Class IV (on aptly named Section IV), a perfect two-day float combines Section II, a seven-mile Class II stretch, and Section III, a 13-mile Class III section highlighted by Bull Sluice, the section’s only Class IV (hint: portage if unsure of your skills, and watch water levels—above 2.5 on the Clayton gage gets pushy). Competent whitewater canoeists can give it a try with a single blade, otherwise try an inflatable kayak or raft.
Either way, you’ll be immersed in prime Southeast scenery as the river cuts through Sumter National Forest’s mountainous woodland of red and white oak, hemlock, birch magnolia and mountain laurel—which reaches its peak kaleidoscope bloom in June. Camp at a handful of designated sites en route, or pull up on a sandy shore—just bring your own banjo for the campfire.
Beta
Permits: NA (self-register at put-in).
Season: Rain-fed, year-round; main season April – September
Put-in: Section II: US Highway 28 to Earl’s Ford; Section III: Woodall Shoals Road (off US Highway 76); Section IV: where US 76 crosses the river (8 miles east of Clayton, Ga., near Long Creek, S.C.)
Shuttle info: www.chattoogaadventures.com
Info: www.americanwhitewater.org
Mellow Canoeing: Buffalo River, Arkansas
Arkansas’s paddling options are outnumbered only by its crawfish. But the Buffalo National River, which became America’s first national river in 1972, is its heart and soul. With its beaches, gravel bars, bluffs, woodlands and 95,000 acres of protected wilderness, the 135-mile-long waterway is one of the best canoeing runs in the country.
A rare river without a dam, the Buffalo cuts through forests of black and white oak and mockernut hickory, as well as massive limestone bluffs, as it flows eastward through the Arkansas Ozarks. Its upper stretches harbor just enough Class I-II (at normal flows) to keep you on your toes, while the mellower middle and lower reaches encourage swim stops and gravel bar picnics. Note: rainfall can change levels overnight, so pay attention to forecasts, camp above the high water mark and pull your boats up at night.
The river is crossed by three highways, but its length ensures solitude. Camp at designated campgrounds, from primitive to full hook-up; spend the night on a gravel bar, a favorite local pastime; or, on the lowermost section, stay in a 75-year-old cabin constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps. If you only have a few days, paddle the upper, 24-mile Ponca to Pruitt section, where you can explore old farmsteads, marvel at 550-foot Big Bluff, the tallest cliff between the Rocky and Appalachian mountains, and hike to the Indian Rockhouse ruins and 204-foot Hemmed-In-Hollow Falls, the tallest wet-weather waterfall in the Midwest.
Beta
Permits: www.recreation.gov
Season: April-September
Put-in: Upper District: Harrison; Middle District: head 31 miles south on Hwy 65; Lower District: take Hwy 14 south from Yellville
Shuttle info: Bring your own canoe or rent from a variety of liveries.
Outfitter: Buffalo Outdoor Center
Info: www.nps.gov
Northwest Wilds: Allagash Wilderness Waterway, Maine
Paddled by the likes of Henry David Thoreau, the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, the first state-administered river in the Wild and Scenic system, serves up 92 miles of lakes, ponds, rivers and streams in the blueberry- and bear-filled Maine Northwoods. It’s as classic a canoe setting as you’ll find, so pack the wanigans (wooden storage box) and tumplines (forehead strap).
The river links four ponds and eight lakes, including the glaciated, Seboomook Slate shoreline of 3.5-mile-long Allagash Lake. When not ogling moose, eagle and common terns, look for views of snow-capped Mt. Katahdin above the forest canopy.
Trip options abound, one of the best a six-day, 62-mile trip from Churchill Dam to Allagash Village, including lakes, Class II rapids and a half-hour, mandatory portage around 45-foot Allagash Falls, where you’ll put your tumpline to use. The stretch has 40 named campsites, all well-maintained with campfire pits, picnic tables and outhouses. Hint: Hit it in September when the fall colors from red maple and quaking aspen contrast the deep forest greens of spruce, cedar and hemlock. Not sure of your skills? Try an outfitter like Allagash Canoe Trips (www.allagashcanoetrips.com), a 65-year-old guide service run by three consecutive generations.
Beta
Permits: Required from the North Maine Woods Association ($6.54 per person per night (resident); $13.08 (non-resident); www.northmainewoods.org
Season: May-September
Put-in: Chamberlain Lake
Shuttle info: www.allagashriver.com
Info: www.maine.gov
Panhandle Paddling: Loxahatchee River, Florida
Draining into the Atlantic Ocean through Palm Beach County, the coffee-colored Loxahatchee is Florida’s first Wild and Scenic River (a second, the Wekiva, was added in 2000). Located near Jupiter Sound on Florida’s east coast, the 8.5-mile trail will have you J-stroking through Jurassic Park as it meanders through a primordial swamp filled with centuries-old cypress, ferns, orchids, palms and mangroves. While Velociraptors might not be in store, keep your binos handy for heron, ibis, egrets, turtles and deer. If you’re lucky you might even see an endangered manatee or woodstork. You’ll likely also see alligators sunning on shore and slipping into the water as you paddle by. (Note: Encounters between boaters and alligators are rare, but for added safety keep your feet and hands in the boat, and never feed or harass them).
Paddle downstream from Riverbend Park to Jonathan Dickinson State Park with a shuttle, or paddle out and back from either of the two. The entire route takes three to seven hours, depending on stops, many of which occur in the four-mile, twisty upper section. One popular spot is Trapper Nelson’s Cabin, named for the “Wild Man of the Loxahatchee,” a fur trapper from the 1930s. Because this section is so serpentine, shorter canoes or kayaks (9- to 14-feet long) are recommended. The upper stretch is relatively easy and suitable for novices, but beware two dams with pullover structures for portaging (scout first if trying to run).
Below, the river widens into a mangrove estuary before becoming tidal near its terminus. Watch out for commercial pontoon boats, which transport tourists upriver to the Wild Man’s cabin. If renting boats from the park concessionaire, look for their landing and swimming area on the left.
Beta
Permits: NA
Season: All year
Put-in: Riverbend or Jonathan Dickinson State Park
Shuttle info: www.canoeoutfittersofflorida.com
Info: www.floridadep.gov
Retracing history: Missouri River, Montana
Follow in the wake of Lewis and Clark by canoeing this 149-mile section of the Missouri River from Fort Benton to Robinson Bridge. Offering a glimpse of the American West as it was in Lewis’s day, this stretch downstream from Great Falls was designated Wild and Scenic in 1976 and courses through the Missouri Breaks, a rugged series of canyons, plains, and badlands within Upper Missouri Breaks National Monument.
While several launch points offer access for trip lengths of up to 10 days, the best, often done in three days, is the 46-mile stretch from Coal Banks to Judith Landing through the White Cliffs, of which Lewis wrote extensively. Bring his book and read his grammatically intact excerpts along the way: “As we passed on it seemed those seens of visionary inchantment would never have an end”—May 31, 1805.
En route you’ll traverse an 800 foot-deep canyon of white Eagle Sandstone, riddled with 20-foot-thick, brown veins (called dikes and sills) that were once hot magma. You’ll also see “pedestal” rocks resembling large toadstools.
Camping spots are numerous and varied, including three Lewis and Clark campsites and Indian habitation sites with tipi rings and petroglyphs. Hiking options also abound, including LaBarge Rock at mile 56, a dark igneous pillar next to a broken sandstone arch called Eye of the Needle, and the geological orifice of Hole in the Wall. Just be careful: The area still has as many rattlesnakes as it did in Lewis’s day.
Have more time? Extend your trip down through the rolling, pine- and juniper-covered slopes of the Breaks and sculpted-sandstone Badlands, which were brought to life by painter Karl Bodmer after his trip here in 1833.
Beta
Permits: NA
Season: May-September
Put-ins: Fort Benton, Loma, Coal Banks Landing, Judith Landing, James Kipp Recreation Area
Shuttle info: www.adventureboundcanoe.com
Info: www.blm.gov
Fossil float: John Day, Oregon
Canoe through a volcanic wonderland of black, basalt gorges and colorful, fossil-filled ash deposits on Oregon’s John Day. At 284 miles, it’s the third longest undammed river in the Lower 48, spelling plenty of paddling options as it courses north to join the Columbia. In general, it’s for those prioritizing wilderness over whitewater; it ambles along leisurely, letting you relax, take in the scenery and birdwatch as you drift downstream. Its forgiving nature makes it popular with canoeists, inflatable kayakers and other novice to intermediate paddlers.
The main paddling areas include an upper and lower section, the best the latter: a 69-mile stretch from Clarno to Cottonwood, just above the river’s junction with the Columbia. The section is Class I-II, but just five miles in roars Class III-IV Clarno Rapids, which can be easily portaged (scout from river left).
The rest is smooth sailing, taking you through 1,200-foot basalt canyons and rolling, grassy hillsides at a pace that gives you pause. Campsites are varied and numerous, many offering welcome shade from junipers, with wildlife including mule deer, river otters, golden eagles and red-tailed hawks. Fun fact: The river was named after a 1810-12 Pacific Fur Co. expedition member who was robbed and stripped naked by Native Americans at the mouth of the river now bearing his name.
Beta
Permits: Available online at www.blm.gov
Season: April-June
Put-in: Upper section: Service Creek; Lower section: Clarno
Shuttle info: www.servicecreek.com
Info: www.blm.gov
Call of the wild: Noatak River, Alaska
Unleash your inner Jack London—and canoe among caribou—on Alaska’s Noatak, the largest undisturbed watershed in North America. Located in Gates of the Arctic National Park and listed as an International Biosphere Reserve, the river takes you through the migration path of the Western Arctic Caribou herd, which flows like the water under your hull.
Running 400 miles through the Brooks Range into Kotzebue Sound, the river offers two main paddling sections: a mountainous 45-mile trip from Twelve Mile Slough to Lake Matcharak, and a broader, 90-mile stretch below to the Cutler River. Because of the bush flights involved on both ends, most groups use inflatables.
For the upper, a floatplane from Bettles whisks you through the granite spires of the Endicott Mountains to the slough near 8,510-foot Mt. Igikpak, where a 200-yard trail leads to the river. The river’s gentle gradient affords time to take in the surrounding Endicott and Schwatka mountains, and search for everything from wolves, Dall sheep and grizzly bears to muskox and wolverine right from your craft. Bring your binos for peregrine falcons, Lapland longspur and Arctic loon, and your fishing rod for Arctic grayling and char, to be grilled under the aurora borealis. And keep your boots handy for Alpine tundra hikes along vista-filled ridges. When you blink and reach Lake Matcharak, the take out will be on your right.
Hint: For 24 hours of daylight, high water and peak caribou viewing, run it in June; for fall colors, blooming Arctic poppies, Northern Lights and ripe blueberries, try late summer. Regardless, prepare for all types of weather—rain, snow, sun and wind—as well as mosquitoes, which is one reason the caribous’ migrate north to give birth.
Beta
Permits: NA
Season: June – September
Put-in: Bush flight from Bettles to Twelve Mile Slough in Gates of the Arctic National Park
Shuttle info: www.flycoyote.com
Info: www.alaska.org
World-class Cali rafting: Tuolumne River, California
California’s Tuolumne has been called the best all-around raft trip in the state, for good reason. The 18-mile canyon teems with Class III and IV pool-drop rapids, interspersed with moments of calm to catch your breath. While it can be paddled in a day, overnighters (two or three days) afford time to fish its clear pools and hike its many side creeks, including the Clavey, whose crystal clear Olympic Pool is a great place for a plunge.
Designated Wild and Scenic in 1984, the granite-lined Tuolumne originates in Yosemite National Park and flows out of Tuolumne Meadows through the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne into Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. Below that is where your trip begins, the action starting with a bang as you negotiate Rock Garden and Nemesis rapids in the first halfmile. Before getting a chance to dry off, at mile 5.4 you’ll reach the Clavey, one of the last free-flowing rivers in the state and home to a rare, pre-glacial population of native coastal rainbow trout. Just below lies notorious Clavey Falls, requiring dodging boulders to punch through two giant holes, avoiding the wall on the left (the portage is on the right).
From here the river calms, with jumping rocks, swimming pools and easier Class II-III rapids, and broad, sandy beaches for camping. But don’t get lulled; Class IV Grey’s Grindstone, Cabin and Hell’s Kitchen still lurk below. The run ends in Don Pedro reservoir, where, if it’s full, a boat shuttle can tow you the last mile to Ward’s Ferry Bridge. Note: save energy for the steep hike back to your car. (Note: If you’re not competent in whitewater, go with an outfitter.)
Beta
Permits: Required (free) May 1-Oct. 1; available over the phone or at the Groveland Ranger Station ((209) 962-7825, www.fs.usda.gov/stanislaus)
Season: May–September
Put-in: Meral’s Pool/Lumsden Bridge
Shuttle info: www.tuolumnerivershuttles.com
Info: www.rivers.gov
Border boating: Rio Grande, Texas
Instead of saying “river-right” and “river-left” in usual paddling parlance, the Rio Grande will have you uttering “Mexican-“ and “Texas-side.” Forming the border between the United States and Mexico for 1,250 miles, the country’s second longest river is also one of its best paddling trips. Nearly 200 miles in the Lone Star State (and an additional canyon in New Mexico) are designated Wild and Scenic, 69 of which lie in Big Bend National Park, where the river turns northeast before emptying into the Gulf of Mexico.
Choose from one or more consecutive sections, each with its own desert character. A favorite for its ease of access and stark, desert beauty is 21-mile Santa Elena Canyon, best done in two or three days (lengthen by tying in 21-mile Colorado Canyon above or 10-mile Mariscal Canyon below). Harboring Big Bend’s tallest cliffs, some up to 1,500 feet, the section is suitable for canoes, kayaks and inflatables, but beware Rockslide rapid halfway in, which can reach Class IV at certain flows; scout first, and portage if necessary.
The section dishes up desert floating at its finest, from open, cactus-filled Chihuahuan desert to tight, twisty canyons and shady arroyo side hikes. Keep your eyes peeled for endangered peregrine falcons, coyotes and wild burros on the Mexican side. Camp on spacious sandbars or at Camp Misery, named by early explorers after an arduous portage around Rockslide. You’ll also stroke through history, floating by an old candelilla wax camp, Smuggler’s Cave and Indian camps complete with petroglyphs and metates (grinding holes).
Beta
Permits: First-come, first-served, available at Big Bend National Park visitor centers ($12 for overnight use); www.nps.gov
Season: All year (flows peak in late summer/early fall)
Put-in: Lajitas
Shuttle info: www.bigbendrivertours.com
Info:www.nps.gov