Our parent company, ROW Adventures has been offering rafting trips since 1979. ROW now operates trips all over the world while ROW Adventures Center houses all of our local rafting and fishing adventures around the Pacific Northwest. Read our “about” page to learn more about us!

We offer single day rafting trips on the St. Joe River, Moyie River, and Lochsa River in Idaho, and the Clark Fork River in Western Montana.

First-time rafters are more than welcome on our trips! Before each trip launches, the group will be given an extensive safety orientation to ensure that everyone feels comfortable and prepared before setting out on the water. Your guides will explain how to paddle and follow their commands.

Despite that, each river is different and there are certain rivers we recommend for first timers vs those who are more experienced on the water. When picking which river to raft, take into consideration your comfortability in these kinds of environments, skill level, and general emotional risk tolerance. 

Check out this article to better understand whitewater classification levels, so you can select a trip with rapids that meets your comfortability.

You do not need to know how to swim to go rafting. On all of our trips, you will be wearing a PFD (personal flotation device), which will provide you with extra flotation in the off chance that you end up in the water. 

Although you don’t need to know how to swim, it is important to note that you do need to be able to listen to your guide and follow instructions throughout your time on the river. 

There are inherent risks associated with any whitewater rafting trip and your guide is trained to avoid any obstacles and keep you in the boat. But they need your help to do this and working effectively as a team is all part of the experience. Our guides are trained in risk management and do their best to asses all risks, obstacles, and challenges while on the river.

On the Clark Fork River the minimum age is 7 years old. The minimum age on the St. Joe River is 16 (12-15 with approval at certain water levels). Due to the consistency of Class IV rapids on the Lochsa River we recommend ages 17 and over.

For a full packing list please see your trip page. In summary, days on the Clark Fork are usually warm and sunny. A swimsuit is recommended as well as a sun hoodie, and shorts for sun protection and abrasion resistance against the raft and PFDs. For footwear, pairs of sandals with ankle straps Chacos, Keens, Bedrocks, or Tevas are preferred but there are many other brands that are suitable. Please no flip-flops.

For the St. Joe and Locha Rivers where the rafting season is in the spring rather than the summer, the water is cold and the weather can be anything from blue skies to raining. We highly recommend packing warm dry clothing for before and after your rafting adventure. While on the St. Joe or Lochsa rivers ROW will provide farmer john wetsuits, wetsuit booties, and a long sleeve splash top.

Depending on which river you are rafting, there may be appropriate time to swim in sections of calm water. Your guide will let you know when the timing is right to hop into the water to cool down. Please be sure to listen to your guide throughout your day on the river. If your guide asks you not to swim in a section of river that looks enticing to swim in, please remember they have your safety and best interest in mind.

The closest single day rafting adventure from Coeur d’Alene is the St. Joe River. We are the only outfitter that offers commercial floats down the St.Joe River - making it a unique and exclusive opportunity from Coeur d’Alene as your basecamp.

Our most technical 1-day rafting trip is on the Lochsa River. This is due to the high concentration of Class IV technical rapids on the stretch of river. The Lochsa River is an exciting ride showcasing some of the best and biggest whitewater Idaho has to offer!

ROW abides by the motto “the solution to pollution is dilution” in regard to liquid waste. For solid waste, guides will have wag bags for use to dispose of properly. The boat launch and take-out sites have pit toilets for public use as well. 

For feminine hygiene, come prepared with some small zip-lock bags. These are useful for disposal during the day while on the river and can be put into our trash containers at lunch or the end of the day.

On the Clark Fork River, we use 14ft paddle rafts. Each raft can accommodate up to 7 guests with 1 guide. Everyone is an active participant on this trip. You will have a paddle to propel the boat downriver at the guide’s given commands.

There is not a shuttle service from the Coeur d’Alene/Spokane Area. You will meet your guides at your specific trip meeting location near the river, specified in your reservation letter. ROW will then transport you from your vehicles to the river and at the end of the trip from the river back to your vehicles. 

Guides will have souvenirs set out for sale prior to your river trip and upon return to your vehicles. Merchandise varies upon location; you can expect to see Chums (eyeglass retaining straps), waterproof phone cases, t-shirts, hats, etc.

Pictures are a great way to remember the great trip you had. Electronics and water do not go well together, so keeping your phone dry is a priority. There are waterproof phone pouches that have a connecting lanyard; these are great inexpensive options. We sell these at each river outpost. You can also buy a specific waterproof phone case for your phone. A third option is to use a dry bag and clip that into the boat and only open it when you want to take photos, then be sure to seal it and re-attach it to the boat.  

We like to say the river has expensive taste; if it is valuable to you, the river will want to take it. Each river has its own collection bucket for car keys and we suggest locking any other personal items.

What you should wear on the river depends on which river you are rafting and the time of year you’re on the water. In the summer on the Clark Fork for example, we recommend lightweight, breathable, and quick-drying clothing. You can wear a bathing suit underneath or anything you generally feel comfortable getting wet. For footwear, pairs of sandals with ankle straps Chacos, Keens, Bedrocks, or Tevas are preferred but there are many other brands that are suitable. Please no flip-flops. For colder days on the river we recommend a farmer john wetsuit, wetsuit booties, and a splash top to stay warm (all provided by ROW). We always advise guests to not wear cotton while on the river as cotton tends to keep you cold when wet. We want our guests to stay warm and comfortable while on the river.

Your day will start off by the group meeting at a designated meeting point or river launch site. Once everyone checks in and gets acquainted, our guides will get everyone paired up with properly fitting PFD’s (personal flotation devices), wetsuits if needed, helmets, and paddles. The day will start with a brief safety orientation and paddle talk to ensure everyone understands what is required of them while on the water and to ensure everyone is comfortable and has what they need. Once everyone is geared up to get on the river and personal belongings are stored away in cars and dry bags we will set off on the river. Once we get on the water our guides will practice some basic paddle commands in calm water. Once everyone is ready we will continue downstream! Throughout the day you’ll have the opportunity to move around the raft to experience different positions through rapids, swim in the calm water, lookout for wildlife, and hear historical facts of the area from your guides. Mid day we will stop for lunch on the river allowing guests time to use the restroom, dry off, etc. After lunch we will continue on for more river fun until we reach our take out point. At the end of our time rafting a ROW bus will meet us there to take us back to our meeting point where guests leave their cars.

For our cancellation policy and full list of terms and conditions, please see HERE.