HUGHES River Expeditions, Inc. SNAKE MIDDLE FORK OF THE SALMON SALMON WALLOWA-GRANDE RONDE We invite you to join us for a unique vacation. Hughes River Expeditions, Inc. is a small, owner-operator business. We are pleased to tailor a trip to your interests. The rivers we run are among the most beautiful and challenging in the West. Flowing through isolated backcountry, they offer striking natural beauty, white water, history, and a diversity of wildlife. We are committed to ecologically sound camping, and our appreciation for this country is matched by the care we show for it. There is time for fishing, hiking, exploring long abandoned cabins, mines, and Indian sites, or for simply enjoying a comfortable riverside camp. The guides who work with us are professionals with exceptional river skills and years of experience. Each is an expert outdoor cook, and their diverse backgrounds and personalities will enhance your trip. The trips and crew have a casual style, reflecting the best of Western warmth and hospitality. Fantastic meals feature fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh meats, pasta dishes, evening hors d‘oeuvres, a variety of lunch and dinner salads, and Dutch oven baking. We always have plenty of food and ice for the entire trip. A selection of river equipment allows us to provide boats to fit your interests. Self-bailing oar rafts, paddle rafts, and inflatable kayaks are available. The trips are supported by big, custom-designed supply pontoons that carry your duffle, extra ice chests, tents, camp chairs, and a deluxe kitchen outfit. All the camping gear is furnished, including tents, sleeping pads, freshly-laundered sleeping bags, waterproof duffles, and camera boxes. We invite you to join us ”on the river“, and we promise spectacular rivers, expert professional guides, delicious meals, excellent equipment, and first-class service. Hughes River Expeditions, Inc. P.O. Box 217 Jerry Hughes & Carole Finley Cambridge, Idaho 83610 (208) 257-3477 800-262-1882 [email protected] www.hughesriver.com 1 www.snakerafting.com SNAKE RIVER THROUGH HELLS CANYON In Hells Canyon, the Snake River separates Idaho SNAKE RIVER and Oregon by cutting America’s deepest canyon. The staggering 8,000 foot drop from He Devil Mountain to the Snake River creates one of nature’s most breathtaking gorges. Nez Perce Indian legend claims ”Coyote“ dug Hells Canyon with a big stick to protect their ancestors in Oregon‘s Blue Mountains from the ”seven devils“ across the gorge in what is now Idaho. Eons of uplift, erosion, and volcanic activity have created the rich geologic mosaic found in Hells Canyon. When Lake Bonneville overflowed some 15,000 years ago, a massive flood scoured the area and shaped the present Canyon. The country is amazing. Rugged walls rise from the river. Grassy hillsides are green in spring and golden in late summer. River-polished boulders shine along the banks. Tributary grottos are deliciously cool, and wildflowers and cacti bloom extravagantly. Ponderosa pines are scattered throughout the landscape, and conifer forests blanket the Canyon rims. We explore aboriginal sites, including pictographs, petroglyphs, rock shelters, and house pits. The Canyon‘s archaeology reveals more than 7,800 years of habitation. 800-262-1882 2 3 or 4 DAY EXPEDITION 5 or 6 DAY EXPEDITION 3 Days/2 Nights, or 4 Days/3 Nights. 32 River Miles. Meet in Groups can arrange 5 Day or 6 Day Trips from Hells Cambridge, Idaho. We provide transportation to put-in at Hells Canyon Cr. to Heller Bar. 79 River Miles. Check for details. Canyon Cr. and from Pittsburg Landing take-out back to Cambridge. 3 SNAKE RIVER 800-262-1882 Abandoned homesteads reflect the recent past. Tales of the Deep Creek Massacre, sternwheel steamers, the Nez Perce Crossing, and unsolved murders are part of Hells Canyon lore. At Kirkwood SNAKE RIVER Bar Historic Ranch, the Forest Service has preserved and displayed remnants of the Canyon‘s rich history. Rafting the Snake is challenging fun! Wild Sheep, Granite, Bernard, No Name, Waterspout, and Rush Creek rapids are the most powerful white water in the Northwest. Between rapids, there is time to enjoy the scenery of a magnificent canyon. Fishing in Hells Canyon is unique. Any cast may bring in a smallmouth bass, rainbow trout, or channel catfish. Remarkably, all these species live in the Snake River along with steelhead (ocean-run rainbow trout), and huge white sturgeon, which can reach 10 feet or more in length. Regulations require ”catch & release“ fishing for wild steelhead and sturgeon. Wildlife includes Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, mountain goat, mule deer, elk, cougar, black bear, beaver, otter, and more. Songbirds, owls, hawks, eagles, chukar partridge, and forest grouse dot the ecosystem. Hells Canyon is one of the most rugged roadless areas in the U.S. Our only contacts during the trip are hikers, horsemen, and other river parties, including jetboats. The Snake/Hells Canyon is protected by Congress as a “Wild & Scenic River,” and is inside the spectacular Hells Canyon National Recreation Area, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. 800-262-1882 4 MIDDLE FORK OF THE SALMON TThe crystal clear Middle Fork is Idaho‘s most famous wilderness, white water, and mountain river. From the put-in at Boundary Creek (elevation 5,700 ft.) to the take-out at Cache Bar, 100 miles downstream, the Middle Fork descends 2,700 feet. We float through dense forests, along sage and mountain mahogany covered hillsides, and finally between the sheer granite cliffs of Impassable Canyon. There are plenty of rapids. Velvet Falls, Powerhouse, Pistol Creek, Tappan Falls, Haystack, Porcupine, Redside, Rubber, Hancock, and many more make the Middle Fork a first-class white water run. At the put- in, the river is small, steep, rocky, and tricky. Tributaries gradually quadruple the Middle Fork’s volume. As the stream transforms into a major river, quiet pools and calm stretches alternate with the rapids. The last day, the Middle Fork‘s full force is focused into the white water of Impassable Canyon. Fishing is excellent. The Middle Fork is a ”blue ribbon“ Westslope Cutthroat trout fishery, and a spectacular dry fly fishing stream. Regulations are ”catch & release“ with single, barbless hooks. (Fishermen can arrange fishing boats with 2 fishermen/boat & guide service. Check for rates and details.) 5 MIDDLE FORK 800-262-1882 MIDDLE FORK 800-262-1882 6 5 or 6 DAY EXPEDITION 5 Days/4 Nights or 6 Days/5 Nights. 75 or 100 River Miles. Meet in the picturesque mountain town of Stanley, Idaho, the evening before the trip. Depending on water and road conditions, put-in is either Boundary Cr. (100 river miles) or Indian Cr. Airfield (75 river miles). We provide van transportation for trips beginning at Boundary Cr. For other trips, we fly to the river with bush pilots the morning of the first day. Cost of these flights, when required, is not included in the price of your trip. (See schedule for flight cost.) We provide van transportation back to Stanley from the Cache Bar take-out. 7 MIDDLE FORK 800-262-1882 The area offers an incredible variety of wildlife, MIDDLE FORK including Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, mountain goat, mule deer, elk, cougar, black bear, otter, coyote, osprey, eagle, forest grouse, chukar partridge, and kingfisher. We stop to enjoy hot springs and to investigate Sheepeater Indian (Mountain Shoshoni) pictographs, hunting blinds, and tepee rings. Camps are beautiful. You can plan a morning or evening hike directly from camp. Other highlights include visits to the White Goat Mine, "Set Trigger" Purcell's grave, Rattlesnake Cave, Waterfall Creek, Cathedral Cave, and the cabins and ladders of "the hermit of Impassable Canyon" – Earl Parrott. The Middle Fork was protected by Congress in 1968 as one of the original National Wild Rivers. We float inside the Salmon–Challis National Forest and the huge Frank Church–”River of No Return“ Wilderness (the largest mountain wilderness in the continental U.S. – 2.361 million acres). 800-262-1882 MIDDLE FORK 8 SALMON RIVER CANYON Enjoy long summer days, warm swimming water, the largest pure white sand bar camps in the West, roller coaster rapids, and wonderful canyonlands. Grass covered mountains alternate with volcanic cliffs that rise from the river's edge. Ponderosa pines accent the landscape. A scenic highlight on the last day is the graceful confluence of the Salmon and Snake rivers. The ”River of No Return“ drifts through quiet pools and surges into churning white water. The Salmon Canyon is an ideal place to enjoy paddle rafts and inflatable kayaks. Green, Cougar, Snow Hole, and Blue canyons offer many of the Salmon’s best rapids, including Demons Drop, Pine Bar, Bodacious Bounce, Half & Half, Snow Hole, China, Zig Zag, Slide, Sluicebox, Checkerboard, Eye of the Needle, and more. Camping on the Salmon’s huge sand beaches is unforgettable. As the largest undammed river in the lower 48 states, the Salmon provides a unique opportunity to enjoy pristine sand bars and natural riparian areas. The camps are perfect for swimming, frisbee, volleyball, or making a sand castle. Many species of cold and warm water fish live in the Salmon River, including rainbow trout, smallmouth bass, catfish, white sturgeon, steelhead, and salmon. Summer trips offer fly and spin casting for bass and trout, and "catch & release" fishing for white sturgeon. 9 SALMON RIVER CANYON 800-262-1882 The backcountry history of the Salmon Canyon is intriguing. The Nez Perce War touched this region, and stories of the Billy Creek Crossing and the Battle of White Bird are remarkable chapters of Salmon River history. We stop to inspect Chinese rock houses, abandoned mines, and Indian pictograph sites. The Salmon Canyon provides habitat to a wide SALMON RIVER CANYON SALMON variety of wildlife.