Water levels will dictate our starting point. The Middle Fork is a free-flowing river system (no dams), which means water levels will eventually drop to the point where we can no longer launch from the primary launch site Boundary Creek. At this point, we’ll need to fly the group into Indian Creek, 25 miles downriver. June and July trips usually start from Boundary Creek. August and September trips typically launch from Indian Creek.

BOUNDARY CREEK START – JUNE/JULY
(WATER DEPENDENT)

You will get yourself to Stanley, Idaho. We will get you to and from the river via bus.

THE STANDARD ROUTE

Most of our guests fly into Boise, rent a car, and drive to Stanley. We’ll meet the group at 6:30 PM the night before your launch date for an orientation meeting. It’s common for our guests to leave their car in Stanley during the trip. There is parking across the street from The Mountain Village—our recommended hotel.

At the end of the trip we will get you back to Stanley via bus from Cache Bar. The bus trip is approximately 4 hours (not including our lunch stop) and we usually arrive back in Stanley around 5:00 PM on the final day.

PRESSED FOR TIME OR WANT TO AVOID ROAD TRAVEL?
YOU HAVE OPTIONS.

Some guests will choose to fly in or out of the river from various locations or even shuttle their car if they have a time constraint or just want to avoid the road travel.

CAR SHUTTLES

Your car can be shuttled from Stanley to our take out at Cache Bar or our picnic lunch at North Fork, ID on the final day of the trip. Car shuttles can be arranged the night before your trip, in the lobby of the Mountain Village Resort, with our recommended shuttle company, River Shuttles.

FLIGHTS

Flights from Boise, McCall, Sun Valley, or Salmon can be arranged to and from Stanley and the launch sites. The most popular flight option is a round trip flight from Boise. This would include a flight from Boise to Stanley and then Salmon to Boise on the final day of the trip. We can help you decipher which options work best—just give us a call to discuss your ideal travel schedule. Round trip from Boise is roughly $450/person. Here are air taxi companies we recommend: Sawtooth Flying Services, SP Air Taxi, Gem Air.

INDIAN CREEK START – AUGUST/SEPTEMBER
(WATER DEPENDENT)

You will get yourself to Stanley, Idaho. We will get you to and from the river via plane and bus. There will be an additional cost of roughly $185/person to fly from Stanley into Indian Creek.

THE STANDARD ROUTE

Most of our guests fly into Boise, rent a car, and drive to Stanley. We’ll meet the group at 6:30 PM the night before your launch date for an orientation meeting. It’s common for our guests to leave their car in Stanley during the trip. There is parking across the street from The Mountain Village—our recommended hotel.

Due to lower water levels, we will shuttle the group to the Stanley Airport for a short 25 min flight into Indian Creek (river mile 25)—the heart of the Frank Church Wilderness. Low water levels usually mean about 2.2 feet — check water levels here.

At the end of the trip we will get you back to Stanley via bus from Cache Bar. The bus trip is approximately 4 hours (not including our lunch stop) and we usually arrive back in Stanley around 5:00 PM on the final day.

PRESSED FOR TIME OR WANT TO AVOID ROAD TRAVEL?
YOU HAVE OPTIONS.

The most popular flight option during Indian Creek starts is to skip Stanley and our orientation altogether. If you choose this option you would fly from Boise to Indian Creek and we will give you your dry bags on the river. At the end of the trip you will fly from Salmon to Boise. Round Trip cost is roughly $450/person.