Posts Tagged Stanley

Stanley, Idaho

Stanley, Idaho

Home to Sawtooth Adventure Company.   Located in the Sawtooth Valley in central Idaho and sits at 6,250 ft elevation.  Stanley, Idaho is surrounded by the Sawtooth Mountains, The Frank Church Wilderness and White Cloud Mountains. Idaho’s famous Salmon River of No Return flows past Stanley from its origin 30 miles up stream, on its 900 mile journey to the Pacific Ocean.

Stanley, Idaho summer weather

Stanley, Idaho has a reputation as the “coldest place in the lower 48”. While winters can be brutally cold, it gets its reputation for its cold summer mornings. It is not uncommon for Stanley to dip into the lower 30’s and upper 20’s at any point during the summer months.  The fluctuation of temperature between 6am and 11AM can easily swings 60 degrees.  This is due to the majority of land surrounding Stanley is above 9000 ft.  The cold air pours into the valley in the mornings and a temperature inversion sets hold until the sun warms the valley floor . Stanley sits at the bottom of the Sawtooth Valley where all that cold air pools. 

 

Whitewater Rafting in Sun Valley, Idaho

Sun Valley is Idaho’s iconic mountain town.

In the early days it was known for its celebrity sprinkled ski hill, now considered one of the best summer vacation destinations in the West.  Think…..A smaller, less congested, less commercialized…a vintage Jackson Hole.   Sun Valley’s proximity to world-class whitewater is amazing.  Within a few hours you have access to more rivers than can be mentioned. Sun Valley’s closest whitewater is on the nation’s original  Wild & Scenic River, The Salmon River of No Return in Stanley Idaho.

Stanley, Idaho’s river capital, is located 1 mega-scenic hour north of Sun Valley in the Nations’s largest National Recreation Area, The SNRA.  Stanley is the perfect, small mountain town that bustles in the summer with visitors of all kinds including rafters, anglers, water skiers, ATV’rs, hikers, birders and bakery goers. 

Whitewater Rafting in Stanley, Idaho

Sawtooth Adventure Company offers a variety of rafting options for all ages and abilities.   We invite you to spend a day of your Sun Valley vacation on the famous Salmon River with our crew of educated, trained and SUPER fun guides!

Scenic Trips- No Whitewater 

SAC’s scenic trip occurs on the flat water section of the Salmon.  Trip includes magnificent Sawtooth Mountain views, hotsprings, Osprey and Bald Eagles .  Trips occur 7 days a week. 

Family Fun Whitewater

Stanley’s ‘Day Stretch’ is the perfect introduction to Idaho’s famous Whitewater.  Our Class III rafting trips are very popular with families.  In fact we host 2 kids for every 1 adult the month of July.  The level of FUN is off the charts. We run rapids, jump off ‘jump rock’, eat a yummy riverside lunch and ‘ride the bull’.    This trip is great for kids aged 4 and above

High Adventure Trips

Do you need more the ‘family fun whitewater’ to get your fix?  Check our our early season Class IV rafting trips and experience Shotgun rapid and ‘The Dam’ up-close and personal.  This trip is great for active, adventurous guests.  No prior experience is necessary.  As we get into July, the water drops and the Inflatable Kayak Trips explode in popularity for our high adventure seeking clients.

Inflatable Kayak Trips

As the water drops, the Inflatable kayaking on the Salmon heats up.  Inflatable Kayaks are stable river kayaks appropriately nicknamed duckys as they mimic ducks bobbing down the rapids.   This is the most active, physically fun activity we offer all summer long.  You get to choose your own adventure!  Take the “sneak” through the big rapids and enjoy the views, or paddle hard straight into the rapids and baptize yourself in crystal clear Salmon river water.  No experience necessary.  Ages 13+. Physically active.

 

 

Happy Holidays from the SAC family

Happy Holidays From Your River Family

Hard to believe that 2012 is all but in the books!  2013 will celebrate Sawtooth Adventure Company’s 13th season on the Salmon River.   Every summer we get the opportunity to share this amazing corner of our country and  expand our river family.  Thank you, we are extremely grateful.  We wish you all Healthy & Happy New Year!

 

This past September, during Andy and Vanessa’s (two SAC guides) wedding we were able to gather more past SAC employees than at any point in history. Picture Proof that SAC guides are the best!

Obviously we think SAC is the best in the business, but then again… We own the operation. There is a fine line between tooting our own horn and explaining why Sawtooth Adventure Company is the best decision for your Family Rafting Adventure. In the end when choosing a commercial outfitter the devil is in the details.

  • #1 in Idaho – The fact that TripAdvisor ranked Sawtooth Adventure Company as the #1 tour in Idaho under Top-Rated things to do in Idaho speaks loudly.
  • Experience – On our Sun Valley Rafting Trips in Stanley- SAC has been in business for 11 summers, longer than the competitiion. While they claim 25+ years, the reality is their name is 25 years old, but all the owners/managers are new in the last 7 years.
  • We are what we do – Family Rafting Trips- raising a young rafter (10 years old) we completely understand what is necessary to make it a fun, safe and enjoyable experience for your kids as well as parents.
  • Safety – Our number #1 concern. SAC has safely hosted 20,000 kids and adults down Idaho’s Salmon River. All SAC guides have experience in wilderness travel, wilderness emergency medicine and swiftwater rescue. SAC guides live to run the Class IV High Adventure Trips and when the water is running high and the rapids are pumping…..nothing replaces experience.
  • Guides – SAC guides are professionals. They consist of college grads, school teachers, master students and collegiate athletes. They are required to participate in an annual, week-long wilderness river training trip as well as a 3-day training for our Sun Valley Rafting Trips.
  • Quality Equipment – When running wilderness river trips quality equipment is paramount. SAC replaces its equipment on a regular basis. This ensures all the gear required to keep you safe and having fun is in top-notch shape.
  • Reputation – SAC has a reputation of a professionally ran, top quality service. This reputation began years ago when SAC owners graduated with a degree in Commercial Recreation Management. Today this reputation continues through our great guides, safe trips, huge number of return clientele and unmatched customer service.

Whether its your first experience on a wild river, or your 50th, give Sawtooth Adventure a try and we guarantee you’ll be back for more.

An amazing adventure awaits…