Raft trip

I will be camping at Canyon for a week and exiting Yellowstone through the Tetons. Should I book a raft trip in Yellowstone or on the way through the Tetons?

Originally I thought we (myself, two girls 8 and 10) would book a float trip--more opportunity to relax and look for wildlife. However, wildlife does not appear on command, and now I am considering a whitewater raft trip. Any thoughts on this?

Lastly, I think I read somewhere that prices vary depending on whether you book online or call. Anybody know anything about this?

Thanks!

Raft trip

As far as I know there are no raft trips in Yellowstone, making the choice to do one in the Tetons pretty easy. I%26#39;d think that after a week in Yellowstone you%26#39;d be sick of seeing wildlife, so a whitewater trip might be the most fun. Check into what age children the companies will take for a whitewater trip, your girls might be too young. If you call to book, you can ask about this. You might have to make more than one phone call to book.

Raft trip

While there are no raft trips in Yellowstone there are some from Gardiner Montana just North of that entrance to Yellowstone. I had the same dilemma as you for our upcoming trip in July. We finally decided to do a float trip in the Tetons and white water from Gardiner. I think your kids ages are fine for either but I noticed that the one in Gardiner had no age restrictions so it must not have as big as rapids as those in Jackson. It depends what you are looking for... this will be a firt white water experiance for our famliy so I did want to go to wild for our first trip.

kmesaaz- rafting trips can vary from mild floating to exciting rapids as the other posters noted. Water levels vary by the month and location.

I would call or email some of the rafting companies and ask them: what type of age or weight restrictions do they have? What type of trip would they recommend for you so you have the best experience?

If you need links to companies either from Gardiner (north of park) or Jackson Hole, WY (south), let me know.

Hi Kmesaaz, I have been on both sections of river that you are talking about and might be able to help you some. The Yellowstone River out of Gardiner is beautiful. It is a smaller river and more technical in the whitewater section, but unless you are coming pretty early in the season the whitewater section is relatively tame (Mostly Class I-II, with maybe one Class III).

The Snake River is a much bigger river. There are numerous scenic sections that you can float, but there is only one whitewater section and it is about 8 miles long. In my opinion, this is the best whitewater section that is in the Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Jackson area. It is a consistent Class III river during the summer and it is very family friendly (min. age most of the year is 6).

One thing you might want to look at is doing a combination scenic and whitewater trip in Jackson. The scenery with the Tetons and Canyons is amazing. The one that my family loves to do is a 16 mile combination trip. There is also a 21 mile combination trip that a lot of the companies offer too. You do a scenic stretch that gives you views of the Tetons and then end up taking a bus down to the whitewater section. A great trip, just a little more bus time. There is no bus ride between the scenic and whitewater on the 16 mile trip.

Jackson has a lot of good companies. My family always goes down with Dave Hansen Whitewater. Small family company with experienced guides that they have gone with for awhile.

Would suggest though giving both areas a call and talking to them to see if it sounds like what they have is what you are looking for. Good Luck.

Just the post I was looking for! Yellowstonefan, did you have the names of the companies that you were talking about for the whitewater rafting? We are staying in West Yellowstone for 3 nights, as well as camping at Bridge Bay campground, so we would be open to a location near either place.

Thanks!