About Us
Sawtooth Adventure History
We opened our doors in 2001, when Roni and Jared put their Commercial Recreation degrees to work on Idaho's Salmon River. What started as a modest operation with 5 employees has grown into a thriving adventure business serving families and outdoor enthusiasts from around the world.
In 2005, we expanded with the purchase of our Stanley property and boathouse, followed by the acquisition of a Main Salmon River permit. Major growth continued in 2013 with our acquisition of Rocky Mountain River Tours, adding the world-famous Middle Fork of the Salmon to our offerings. The combination of our friendly guides and customer service with RMRT's 35 years of leadership has resulted in sold-out wilderness trips each summer.
Over the years, we've weathered wildfires, economic downturns, historic snowpacks, and even a global pandemic. In 2016, we consolidated our entire operation in Lower Stanley, positioning ourselves at the center of Idaho's wilderness river world. By 2020, celebrating our 20th anniversary, we relocated our headquarters to downtown Stanley at the historic McCoys Tackle Shop building (the oldest in Stanley), now home to both Sawtooth Adventure Company HQ and the Stanley Fly Shop.
Today, we offer whitewater rafting, scenic floats, fly fishing trips, and multi-day wilderness expeditions on the Salmon river day stretch, Salmon River of No Return and the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. What began as a small family business has grown into a regional leader while maintaining the personal touch and friendly service that defined our first season.
Our Story
Sawtooth Adventure Company has always been a family affair. We founded our business in 2001, just days before welcoming our first child, Maya, on June 9th—adding a bit of "spice" to our inaugural season.
Maya quite literally grew up on the river. She floated the whitewater section for the first time at age 5, mastered the class III rapids by age 6, learned to inflatable kayak at 10, and took the kids' Main Salmon trip that she declared better than Disneyland. Her love for wild rivers and wilderness became undeniable early on. After spending every summer of her life in Stanley, Maya came full circle in 2020, beginning her rookie season as a Sawtooth Adventure guide during our 20th anniversary. Maya continues to cherish her summers in Stanley and rafts the Class III day trips more times than Dad can keep track. She learns to Inflatable Kayak and masters the scenic float & soak section. Her love for wild rivers and wilderness is undeniable.
In 2013, we welcomed our son, JT Hopkinson, introducing another generation to the world of wild rivers, powder skiing, and summers in Stanley. Our passion for the outdoors, commitment to adventure, and dedication to creating memorable experiences for others is woven into every aspect of Sawtooth Adventure Company.
Over two decades, countless returning clients have become friends—families who visit Every. Single. Summer—creating a community bound by shared river memories and love for this special corner of Idaho. For us, running SAC isn't just a business; it's a lifestyle, a legacy, and a way to share the magic of the Salmon River with families from around the world.
A special shoutout to our incredibly loyal clients turned friends that visit us Every. Single. Summer! You know who you are. We cannot express enough gratitude for you.
2001 – Sawtooth Adventure Company opens its doors. Roni and Jared’s Commercial Recreation Degree pays off! To add a little spice to our first season, Maya, our first child was born June 9th, AND the Salmon River had its lowest water year in 50 years. We end the season with 5 employees.
2002 – With a year of parenting and baptism-by-fire small business ownership under our belts, we open for the season with optimistic goals, but with a post 9/11 shadow. To our astonishment, we experienced an amazing growth over our 1st season. It seemed like every customer that went with us in year one returned in year two. Thank you!
2003 – Get ready because here it comes! Big water ahead. Idaho sees its largest snow pack in 5 years mixed with 90 degree June weather. This is the year we decide the small red boats are simply more fun. Sawtooth Adventure experiences 127% growth over ’02 and adds Float Fishing Trips to the mix. Running a business and managing a 2-year old is no easy task!
2004 – We hit our stride. Healthy business growth and a building clientele have us looking at expansion. It’s an average water year, but with a great group of guides.
2005 – A lot happened in 2005. We bought the Stanley Property, built the oh-so-needed boat house and began to remodel a cabin all in the month of May. Jared and Erich Hamm created a partnership and began actively looking for a Multi-day Main Salmon Permit. We purchased Echo’s Main Salmon Operation in December, and Sawtooth Adventure Main Salmon was born.
2006 – With the Stanley operation in somewhat cruise-control we are able to focus on expanding. With the cabin remodel, the debut of the Idaho Adventure Center and the Main Salmon, and our 6th season is over in a flash. We added a Main Salmon warehouse in town, and the crew grew to 14 employees. Maya turned 5 years old and floats the whitewater section for her first time, she already thinks she’s a pro.
2007 – The 07′ season will be remembered as the year of the fire(s). Wildfires made things interesting, but overall ’07 was a great year. We had the best crew in SAC history, hosted the largest Group Trip in the history-of the upper Salmon with 358 guests, and grew the new Main Salmon operation by 100%+. Maya runs the class III’s more times than a 6 year old can count and is ready to try the Inflatable Kayak.
2008 – A huge snowpack and cool spring gave us the best rafting conditions we had seen in a decade. With a full staff and all of our guides returning for another summer, 2008 is sure to be the best year yet.
2009 – Better than average snowpack and an 100% employee return offsets the doom & gloom of the national economy. Our 1st Annual Kids trip on the Main Salmon is a huge success & topples Disneyland as Maya’s favorite vacation. Thanks to a huge number of familiar faces (return clients) on our 1-day rafting trips. 2009 exceeded expectations.
2010 – Wow 10 Years! That’s right…..this season marks 1 decade of family raft trips on Idaho’s famous Salmon River of No Return. We started the season out with a bang on a snowy, highwater, 175 mile guide training trip on the Middle Fork & Main Salmon. Our 2nd Annual Kids Trip on the Main sells out, and more families join us on our Salmon River multi-day trip than ever before. The economy seems to have bounced and we host more Sun Valley Corporate rafting groups than the past 2 years combined! Blessed with an amazing guide crew and beautiful fall weather we have the best fall fishing, rafting and biking season on record.
2011 – Aptly nicknamed “two thousand and heaven” due to the abundant snow pack. All indicators look like another great summer in Stanley and on the Salmon River. Maya turns 10 years old this summer, the perfect age for all of our raft, kayak, bike and fishing adventures. Combine the amazing snow pack, rebounding economy, growing interest in the Main Salmon trips, and a great guide crew returning, and 2011 looks prime.
2012 – 12 summers on the Salmon River. Time flies when you’re having fun! The Sawtooths got lucky this winter. While the rest of the west saw little snow, the Sawtooths hit their 100 year average. The snowpack looks prime for another great year on the Salmon River. We had a busy spring with a cabin remodel and a number of HQ improvements. We added a Fly Fishing School, Stand Up Paddle Boarding (RiverSUP) and Overnight Mountain Biking to our list of adventures. Maya took her summer job seriously at the Stanley Lemonade Stand to fund her ski racing career. Jared headed back to school for a Masters and Roni continues to be the grounding force of the operation.
2013-2015 – To say the past 3 years have been busy would be an understatement. 2013 brought lots of changes. On September 4th, Roni and I welcomed our son, JT Hopkinson to the world of wild rivers, powder skiing, international beaches and summers in Stanley. With the wind at our sails we decided to take a leap of faith by expanding our Idaho operation onto the world famous Middle Fork of the Salmon through the acquisition of Rocky Mountain River Tours. The risk is paying off. The combination of SAC’s friendly guides and industry leading customer service, combined with RMRT’s 35 years of leadership and fabulous food has resulted in sold out summers on our Middle Fork and River of No Return trips. You can find info about our award winning wilderness trips at www.rafttrips.com.
2016 – Three sold out summers for Rocky Mountain River Tours later and we find ourselves moving the entire operation to a new boathouse in Lower Stanley the summer of 2016. We are excited to have our entire Idaho operation (SAC and RMRT) located in the center of the wilderness river world…. Stanley, Idaho.
2017-2020 – Wowza….This summer we are incredibly fortunate to celebrate 20 years of adventure in Stanley Idaho. The past 4 years have been a blur of a growing business, larger staff, new ventures and new locations. We could not have accomplished it without our amazing team. Thank you Johnny, Tara and Krista! In a full circle moment, Maya who was born the first year of business started her rookie season as a river guide in 2018. Keep an eye out for her on the water. We relocated our storefront to downtown Stanley (710 Ace of Diamonds Avenue). We purchased and repurposed the oldest building in Stanley into the Sawtooth Adventure Company HQ and the Stanley Fly Shop. We love our new location offering a fabulous, centralized location perfect for SAC retail, the introduction of the Stanley’s only Fly Shop, and sharing the magic of the Salmon river with visitors from around the world.
Special Note: This summer begins in the aftermath of a downright strange, COVID affected spring. We are beyond grateful for the State of Idaho’s leadership and a path to open for business this summer. We worked hard to adjust operations, update protocols and navigate these unprecedented times. We saw a summer of washing hands, sanitizing equipment and social distancing in the middle of no-where Idaho. Our guests experienced a healthy and safe outdoor, family friendly experience. At the same time we continued to offer fabulous guides, top-shelf customer service and the amazing beauty of Idaho’s famous Salmon River.