River Currents Blog

River Currents is a blog open to many voices that have had a connection with the river and our trips. You’ll hear the voice of veteran river-runner and Holiday founder Dee Holladay, the voice of guides whose lives have been shaped by their time on the river, and guests who bring the perspectives that remind us why we’re still making these trips happen 45 plus years later. You’ll also hear from our regular blog contributors, Peta Owens-Liston, Joe Ballent, Derek Farr & Julie Trevelyan.

Category Archives: Idaho River Rafting

Holiday River Expeditions Adds New Idaho Rafting Specialty Trips

Popular Utah whitewater rafting and mountain biking outfit adds four new and exhilarating rafting trips to its lineup in Idaho. Well known Utah white water rafting outfit, Holiday River Expeditions, is expanding its lineup of trips to include four new and very exciting rafting vacations on the Salmon River in Idaho. The first trip is … Read more

River Currents Blog: Flow Your Own Way: Charter River Trips

by Julie Trevelyan What’s better than a river rafting trip? One that’s all about you and your specifically chosen group of fellow floaters. Got a family reunion coming up? Planning a little corporate adventure to bond your team? How about that bachelor or bachelorette party? Special class program or graduation trip you need to arrange? … Read more

River Currents Blog: Shining the spotlight on our Salmon River Canyons

by Julie Trevelyan What’s great about Idaho river rafting? Everything! The Salmon River Canyons trip in particular offers an adventure sure to linger in your memory. Gorgeous white sand bars, awesome rapids like Bodacious Bounce and Checkerboard, ancient Nez Perce pictographs, and the deepest river gorge in the United States, Hells Canyon, are all part of it. … Read more

River Currents Blog: After all, Today’s Snow is Tomorrow’s River

By Derek Farr In winter, it’s our job in Idaho to wish for snow. After all, today’s snow is tomorrow’s river. So last week, while we lamented our small and diminishing snowpack, the National Weather Service predicted that a moderate low pressure system, bolstered by a Canadian cold front, would produce 3-7 inches of snow. … Read more

River Currents Blog: All About the Baño; or, How do you Go to the Bathroom on a River Trip?

by Julie Trevelyan A big concern for many first-timers on a river rafting trip is how to care of…you know. Number one and number two. No fear—it’s not nearly as out of your comfort zone as you might think. First off, in Holiday lingo the bathrooms are called baños, which right there takes some of … Read more

River Currents Blog: Why Wilderness?

By Derek Farr Inspiring words are often written by men and women in poems, lyrics, books and stories. But how often does inspirational language come from legislation? In my experiences, not very often. Yet the Wilderness Act of 1964 is different. The Act contains these 44 words that beautifully sum up the significance of our … Read more

River Currents Blog: Bighorn Sheep, How do they survive on that?

By Derek Farr We don’t just eat on our Main Salmon trips, we feast. Hearty breakfasts, big lunches, delicious dinners and sumptuous deserts are staples of our river expeditions. We also bring snacks, appetizers and soft drinks to ward off the first pangs of hunger. But we’re not the only large mammals in the canyon. … Read more

River Currents Blog: “Idaho! Like the potatoes? “

By Derek Farr Often when I’m traveling and I tell somebody that I live in Idaho, I’m asked, “Idaho! Like the potatoes? “ My answer is always the same: “yes” and “no.” Everybody knows about Idaho’s potatoes and they should. The Gem State (as Idaho’s otherwise known) is the nation’s number one producer of potatoes … Read more

River Currents Blog: The Confluence of Two of Idaho’s Greatest Rivers

Humans have always had an affinity for the confluence of great rivers. We often build our cities on confluences. My home town, Greeley, Colo., while no great city, was founded at the confluence of the Cache la Poudre and South Platte rivers in 1869. A much bigger city, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, rises from the confluence of … Read more

River Currents Blog: Good night sweet bears, goodnight

By Derek Farr The Main Salmon River has two dominant seasons: one is hot and dry and the other is cold and snowy. Less than a month from winter solstice, it is now cold and snowy. The onset of winter triggers changes in the creatures that live in the great Salmon River wilderness of Idaho. … Read more