payette river company day trips

My 20 year old son and I spent 2 nights and 2 days with Payette River Company (PRC). They have a great thing going. It's clear that the owners, Ginger and Sean, love what they do. The whole operation reflects their amazing attitude.It was my first time rafting and I did not want to fall off the boat. The first day had some good starter rapids but then was pretty tame. The hot springs were very neat. Our guide, Will, did everything he could to keep me in the boat. Alas, I fell in on the Lone Pine rapid. It ended up being the highlight of my trip, although, at the time, it was pretty scary. The PRC photographer caught an epic shot of the start of my swim - only my feet above the water. Thanks!The camping, or glamping (glamour camping), as my son called it, was also first class. It's primitive for sure but, again, the staff do everything they can for you. The portapotty has one of the best views around :). The staff clean everything up while you relax.We really enjoyed the dinners and breakfast at camp. Sean has a knack for making some amazing dishes. After dinner, Max took out his guitar and sang some songs.The Lowman area is very beautiful. After our trip ended, Sean recommended we take the long way back to Boise. We stopped at Stanley Lake and enjoyed the vistas of the Sawtooth Mountains. Then, we drove down to Ketchum/Sun Valley and then back to Boise. We're really glad we took the long way back to Boise.I have to say that the experience provided a lifetime memory for my son and I. I'm ready for my next rafting trip - and swim! Thank you Sean and Ginger. I wish you and your team the best!

We took the half day tour. Max was our guide and he was great and we had alot of fun. They had new rafts that are made in Garden City idaho. We saw a beautiful hot springs and had a couple of nice class 3 rapids. We next want to do the 2 day trip. Please give them a try.

All the other five star reviewers have it right. Anything less than a five for a review with this company means you may be clinically depressed. Lots of fun and of course the water can be cold!

The owner was our safety kayaker and the guide was one of his employees. They both spent a LOT of time on this River and they made it fun and we felt really safe with them.We were the first run of the season and the river was running super fast, sour trip was about 30-45 minutes shorter than expected, but that made it all the more fun! The scenery is gorgeous too!There's a lot of risk in rafting, so you ABSOLUTELY need to listen to the safety instructions and never, never, never stand up in the river! If I'm ever back in Idaho, I'll ride with these guys again!

It was a 2 hour drive from Ketchum but well worth every mile. We had done this same trip about 12 years before and really enjoyed it again. The scenery on the drive in is spectacular and the owners of this company are so nice. Our guide was Sam and we had a boat with the five of us and our guide. He explained every set of rapids before we got there and was great with his directions to us. You have to be 12 years old to be on the south fork of the Payette and that is for a reason. There are sets of class 4 rapids and you have to port around a class 5. Be certain that you are ready to be very involved in this trip as you will be physical through all of the rapids, porting around the falls and helping to get the raft out of the river. All in all, this is a great company to book with as we enjoyed the Payette River way better than the trips on the Salmon River out of Stanley, Idaho. Drive further and do the Payette, you will be glad you did.

As a single parent, Payette River Company delivered, and delivered Big Time! My daughter (12 yrs old) and I are thrill seekers so we spent 2 1/2 days with PRC. Sean and Ginger are mid 30 year olds running a solid, safe and fun company. Very family oriented. Rafted the canyon with Sean, class 3 and some class 4 rapids, great experience, loved all of it. My daughter smiled for 4 1/2 hours. Tasty lunch, chicken mango wraps/burritos, sliced carrots, sliced oranges and homemade peanut butter cookies. Around 3 pm, went to the river site camp, AWESOME. Clean tent and sleeping bag, ate a wonderful pasta dish with fresh grilled veggies, beer, lemonade. Slept deep and hard while listening to the river flow. Next day, breakfast made out of a Dutch oven pan/pot, my daughter had three helpings. did the canyon AGAIN! Yes, it is that good, another healthy lunch, then chilled out at camp. Later, did a evening raft trip, fell out this time, laughed a ton, spent time at great hot springs. Later at camp, Played horseshoes, hiked around a lil bit, conversed with staff, more beer, all good . Dinner was cheeseburgers, burger meat from a family friend who has a organic farm and you can taste the quality. Slept soundly in our tent. Woke up to another fantastic breakfast. Sean and Ginger are good people offering a great time. Plus, Max, Ripper and Uwen are not only safe and friendly guides, but they cook healthy meals. In fact, Ripper suggested I should go check out Redfish Lake, and we did and we had a blast there also. Max, suggested we go para gliding in Sun Valley, my daughter and I actually "flew" for the first time! Thanks PRC for a incredible time.

We had a wonderful time with this group and would highly recommend them! They had a lot of experience, great fun personalities on the river and an awesome lunch!!You have to try them. We would love to do it again.Sean and Ginger are great people:)

Every thing you want in a white water rafting trip. Guides and safety team all great fun, knowledgable . The area we went to was just perfect. They provided a great lunch,ride to and from the river. We were the only ones we saw on the river. I will return anytime I am in the area. The price for a full day of fun was very reasonable.

Granted this was only the second rafting trip I've taken, the other was on the Chatahoochie a long time ago but Sean and Ginger certainly have a great operation going. My wife was skeptical all the way up but now wants to go right back for the longer trip and I do too! Sean is very funny and knowledgeable and Ginger is very gracious. Because there was a couple of larger groups, my wife and I lucked out and rode in a raft with Jason, our guide, and another young lady who was training to get certified on the Payette. It was good to only have 4 people in the raft for the experience but to also get to know the guides. In short, they converted my wife and gave us another great experience together.Special note, Jason is the on call guide as he normally guides over in Stanley and is a ski instructor of injured veterans in Jackson Hole, WY. Thanks Jason.

Everything about our adventure with Payette River Company was absolutely perfect. Our family consisted of two adults, one 13-year-old and a 10-year-old. We went in mid June 2014 and there was a bout of cold weather in the area. Upon arriving at the facility, we were promptly outfitted with quality wet suits that worked perfect during the chilly raft trip on the Helende section of the Payette River. We followed the bus, dropped our car at the camp site and were then transported to the river entry point. Our guide, Max, made the raft trip unbelievably fun and informative. The river itself was very choppy, which made the journey so fun. The rapids we hit certainly were thrilling and there was no shortage of screams of excitement. The lunch at Kirkman Hot Springs was fantastic. Max set us up with a delicious meal while we warmed up in the natural hot tub.The highlight of the trip was the overnight camping, which was first class all the way. They had the tents setup and a beautiful campground ready for us to play. We had a delicious meal, including food cooked in a dutch oven. We did not have to do anything since Payette took care of everything for us. We got to kick back in the hammock, by the fire or play by the beach while they cooked. Since our car was just up the hill, we were able to quickly change into warm, dry clothes. The breakfast the next day was just as good as the dinner and lunch. We never felt rushed and felt like guests.Thank you for giving us a lifetime memory. We will be back when the 10-year-old gets older and can do the higher class rapids.

I've whitewater rafted 3 times in 3 states (Washington, Idaho, Utah). Payette was possibly my favorite. The guides were fun and helpful. The owners made it an enjoyable experience overall. The river was a blast. The hot springs were a unique feature for a trip like this too. I'd definitely come here again.

I had a blast on this rafting trip. My company went for a company retreat and everyone enjoyed it.There were plenty of rapids, and no dull moments. They provided lunch, and we took a break at some hot springs. The one downside was that the water was freezing cold.

I've been rafting many times before. This has been one of my best experiences. With other rafting companies the groups are massive and often feel like large scale cattle herding. With this this company the owners (Sean and Ginger) run the trip personally. Our group was much smaller and very focused on having a great experience. Sean has rafted all over India and South America. He had all kinds of amazing stories to share. The rapids were awesome. Along the way we stopped and swam in the hot-springs. I was really impressed with how well organized and well run the trip was. The rafting company provided fresh fruit, wraps, and homemade chocolate chip cookies for lunch. Ginger took pictures of our group as we hit the most exciting portions of the river.

I am one that enjoys going through the rapids, but doesn't enjoy getting dumped into ice cold water. They guide was extremely helpful and did his best to make sure we had an amazing trip while not being dumped into the freezing water. I would definitely use them again, great trip lots of fun.

The rafting trip we took was a ton of fun! The staff were friendly and accomodating, the gear all seemed relatively new and well maintained, lunch was great, and our guide was great at adjusting our experience to the level of intensity we were looking for.