Pre-Trip Evening | Hamilton, MT
The trip begins with a required 6:00 p.m. pre-trip meeting at the Quality Inn in Hamilton. The orientation lasts approximately 30 minutes. During this time, you’ll meet your guides, review logistics and safety information, and receive your dry bag, sleeping kit, and personal day bag.

Day 1 | Launch Day

We will meet at the Quality Inn at 8:00 a.m. and depart by bus at 8:30 a.m. for the Paradise Guard Station put-in. The drive takes approximately three hours, depending on road conditions. Upon arrival, we will make lunch, pack boats, review river safety, and launch midday. Our first day typically covers about seven miles, with arrival in camp mid-afternoon. Once in camp, you’ll have time to settle in, explore, relax, swim (conditions permitting), or enjoy time around the fire.

Day 2 | Into the Wilderness

We are now on Selway time. Coffee is usually ready by 7 a.m., with breakfast around 8 a.m. We usually aim to be packed up and departing between 9 and 10 a.m. After a couple of hours on the water, we will stop for lunch and then continue on to camp. Evenings remain unhurried and centered around camp time: hiking, relaxing, fishing, etc.

Day 3 | Whitewater & Exploration

This section is referred to as the “Moose juice” section of the river, where Moose Creek enters the Selway, and the river gradient steepens. The rapids in this section are world-class, and we will stop and scout certain rapids on our way downstream. Time is built in for scouting rapids, swimming, fishing, and short hikes when conditions allow.

Day 4 | Lower Selway

There are still a few great rapids interspersed throughout the remainder of the river, and we will often run the majority of them on day four. This section also offers great fishing, the occasional waterfall hike, and plenty of swimming holes as we approach the lower reaches of the river.

Day 5 | Take-Out & Return

The last morning, we will pack sack lunches after breakfast and get on the water between 8 and 9 a.m. for a leisurely float to the Race Creek take-out. We aim to be at the takeout by 11 a.m., where we will then unload the boats, pack the river gear into our truck and trailer, and all guests and their gear will load up on the bus back to Hamilton, MT. The drive is approximately 4-hours along the Selway to the confluence with the Lochsa and then up the Lochsa over Lolo pass back to the Bitterroot valley. We are usually back in Hamilton between 4 and 5 p.m., allowing you to join us for a post-trip dinner or to get a head start on the drive home.