Enjoying the Popular Boise River Float – Boise, ID

As our Idaho trip sadly drew to a close, we knew that we want to fit in one more awesome adventure. Our epic friends/hosts Brian and Kelsea had been telling us about the yearly river float down the Boise River in town. It will take you all the way from Barber Park to Anne Morrison park which is just under 6 miles downstream. It sounded pretty awesome, so we decided to check it out before we flew out.

STATS:

Where: 
Boise River Raft & Tube at Barber Park: 4049 S. Eckert Rd.  Boise, Idaho 83716
Coordinates: 43°33’59.89”N 116° 8’5.33″W

Rental Company: 
Boise River Raft & Tube

Parking: 
Paid parking is in the lot behind the rental office. Restrooms are available. 
Make sure you get back before the Barber Park closes at sundown though, otherwise you won’t be able to get your car out of the parking lot.

Distance: 
6 miles one way

Level: 
beginner-intermediate (Some paddling experience does help)

Estimated Completion Time: 
3 hours. Boise River Raft & Tube rent out their equipment for 3 hours. That is plenty of time for you to get from one end to the other. You don’t have to bring your equipment back. You just have to check them in at the Ann Morrison Park, where you have to pull your raft out.

Ideal Weather: 
The official floating season usually starts around mid-June and runs through early September. That will be when the rental place is open. If you bring your own rafts, the air station is available 7 days a week. Air stations will remain on during the closed time as long as weather permits. The water is pretty cold and could be very dangerous during the offseason so float at your own risk.

Ideal Time:
Rental place opens from 12pm – 5pm on weekdays; 12pm – 6pm Friday, Sat & Sun. If you bring your own rafts, air stations open at 10 am. The place gets really busy and they do run out of rafts so be sure to get there early.

Dog-friendly:
We’ve seen people with their dogs but it is not recommended. Also, you cannot take your dogs on the shuttle.

The river is a wonderful urban habitat for a wide variety of plants and animals. We encourage people to enjoy the river while preserving its natural beauty. Please pack out all trash!

Pro tip: If you are local (or don’t mind bringing a tube on your trip), you can use your own. Barber Park has free air stations to air up your tubes near the launch ramp! The stations run 7 days a week from 10 am – 7:30 pm. Be sure to buy your ticket for the shuttle ride back when you rent your raft. You can pay on the shuttle, but it much easier to prepay. If you wait to pay on the shuttle, it is cash only. The shuttle is $3 each way.

 

 

ABOUT BOISE RIVER FLOAT:

The Boise River is deeply rooted in the history of the Boise community. The river was used for the Gold Rush, to water local orchards, and now for tourism. Every year, around 125,000 people make the Boise River Float down this section of the Boise River. Barber Park has been offering this unique experience since 2008. Float season runs from the end of June until September 4th. This is when the water in the river is low enough to float safely. The rental office opens at noon on Mon-Fri and 10 am on weekends and holidays. They are known to sell out of rafts, so be sure to get there nice and early.

The Boise River itself is a tributary of the Snake River, approximately 75 mi (120 km) long, and drains part of the Sawtooth Range northeast of Boise as well as much mixed land. During the summer, it becomes a gentle ride through downtown Boise going through the greenbelt recreation area and passing many of the city’s great parks for which it is well known. The depth of the river along the 6-mile float stretch varies from around 2 to around 15 feet. Even if the water is shallow, it’s still moving fast and can knock you off your feet, so be mindful. The air may be warm, but the river water is very cold. 

 

GETTING THERE:

When you enter the park, make your first right into the circular parking lot. You will probably see a line of people. This is when you have to fill out the standard waiver and rent your raft of choice.

There are several types of rafts that you can rent, everything from inner tubes to inflatable kayaks all the way up to rafts that look worthy of class 4 rapids. We checked the water temperature and it was in the low 50’s. That is a little on the cold side when you come from Southern California, so we decided to rent the 4 person raft. This raft is very stable and gave us plenty of room for our gear and the ability to stretch out and relax. This also came with a couple of paddles and some life jackets. For up to date pricing, check out Boise River Raft & Tube.   

 
 
After you rent your raft, they are going to have you park your car in the larger parking lot which is located behind the rental office. Simply make a right out of the circular parking lot and head towards the small toll booth. Tell them that you are there for the float and they will let you in. I decided to take the car to this parking lot so Vy could wait for our raft. Parking costs $5 on weekdays and $6 on weekends. After they fill the rafts up, they bring them out to the right of the rental window. Listen for your name because they will be calling for you. By the time I had parked the car our raft was ready to go!

 

THE ADVENTURE:

You will be responsible for carrying your raft from the rental office to the waterfront which is just over 200 ft. These four people raft are actually heavier than they look, and they are quite sturdy. If you are bringing young adventurers with you (under 14), they will be required to have a life jacket on at all times. Some previous rafting experience is recommended (not required). There are some sections where you need to maneuver around and a little bit of paddle experience would definitely make life easier! 

 
 
After a quick stretch, Vy hopped into the raft and we shoved off. Water shoes can be helpful here. The bottom of the river can be slippery, and also walking on river rocks can be painful if you need to exit for any reason. The water was very calm and still at the beginning of the trip so you can take your time learning how to steer your raft around.

We were pretty impressed with just how much water was flowing downstream. During float season, it is estimated to be around 1,500 cubic feet per second. That adds up to 40.4 million gallons an hour! But at times, it can dip down to 800 cubic feet per second. Just remember that if you go on a lower flow day, you will have to contend with more sandbars and shallow sections. You can keep up with the current water conditions on the Float the Boise River Facebook page. 

 
 
About 0.7 of a mile in, you will encounter your first diversion dam. They are so much fun! It is basically a 3 or 4-foot tall waterfall that you get to ride your raft over. These are pretty much the closest you can get to a real-life Pirates of the Caribbean ride, but sadly, you will have to bring your own pirates. You will come across 3 of these over the course of your ride. Our raft was super stable and handled it with ease.

For the best chance of success when going over the falls, point the nose of your raft directly into the waterfall and hold on. If you are on an inner tube, make sure to lift up your butt so it won’t hit any rocks on the way over. Water will most likely get into your raft, so we highly recommend getting a dry bag to keep all of your electronics and valuables dry. Quick-drying clothes are also recommended. 

 

If you do happen to fall in along your journey on The Boise River Float, keep calm, float on your back with your feet pointed downstream, and slowly make your way over towards the shore. You definitely need to keep your wits about you when you are on this float. Water conditions change rapidly. You will go from super calm glassy water to small fast-moving rapids many times over the course of your ride. Don’t get too complacent or you might find yourself hung up in a tree or beached on some rocks.

This was, unfortunately, the case for a poor lady that was out on the water. She floated by us at one point in an inner tube. I’m not positive but she seemed a bit tipsy. (Don’t forget, alcohol is prohibited on the river.) The next thing we knew, she drifted off towards the shore with what sounded like a baseball meeting a bat, smacked her head on a tree stump that was sticking out from the shore. She said she was ok as she continued on.

Everyone needs to remember that as fun as this is, it is still nature. We also saw a large tree branch fall down into the water about 50 yards downstream from us. Luckily, the timing was on our side that day. That being said, the city of Boise does go through to clean up the debris on the stretch of river that the float takes place on.

 
 
The city also closed the river off to all other traffic. This is nice because you don’t have to worry about watching out for boats and other traffic. Don’t think that it is scary though, we had plenty of time to be silly and have a lot of fun!

 

At 1.9 miles of The Boise River Float, you will run into your second diversion dam (waterfall). This one is a bit trickier than the first because it is in the middle of a bend and it is at an angle. There are also some rocks at the edge that you have to make sure to avoid. Just handle it like the first one and point the boat straight into it. hang on and have fun.

The third and final waterfall is at the 2.3-mile mark. This one is awesome because there is a couple of options. If you aren’t feeling too adventurous that day, you can hug the right side and take a pretty mellow ride. If you want to have some serious fun, stick towards the middle. It is a fairly legit drop, I know because that’s the way we went! It was nothing too crazy, but it was the steepest of the 3! The video below is of the last diversion dam.

 
The river flows through some very diverse sets of scenery. There are times where you are surrounded by nature and other times where you are floating through the heart of the city or right next to the Albertsons Stadium. There are a few beaches along the way where you can pull your float up and hang out. The Greenbelt River trail runs alongside the river, so you will see a lot of people, either hiking, biking, fishing, or camping along the river. We also came across a group of people that had set up a rope swing out onto the river. 

 
 
You will also go under 6 bridges. One of our favorites was the East Boise River Footbridge. You will find it right around the 3.5-mile mark. It was sort of what you would imagine it would look like if the golden gate bridge had a baby. You can recognize it from the water by the sign “Baybrook Ct.” There were some kids on shore telling us that we could jump off of it.

Unfortunately, we were a little bit behind schedule and had to make up some time. There is a late fee if you go over the 3-hour time limit, so you probably shouldn’t stop along the route if you’re renting. We were on the water the whole time and we still cut it pretty close. It’s too bad because a group floated by us on a raft that I believe they owned, and they stopped to do some crawfishing. I’m sure Vy would have loved to take part in that!

 
 
As you are nearing the end of your float, you need to keep an eye out for signs that will be posted on the sides of some of the bridges. They will be informing you how far you have left on your float. You definitely do not want to go too far as there is a very big diversion dam about 0.5 miles from where you will be exiting the river. Make sure you pull your raft out to the left once you reach Ann Morrison Park/Pioneer Footbridge.

 
 

After you pulled your raft out of the river, it’s another short carry (around 60 yards) across the park to the drop off place. Just look for the truck loaded up into the sky with rafts. If you purchased your shuttle ticket ahead of time at the rental place at Barber Park, the person who checks in your raft will give you your ticket here. It makes it so much easier because you won’t accidentally lose your ticket along the way.

The shuttle stop for The Boise River Float is right next to the drop off area. Monday – Thursday, the shuttles arrive every hour on the hour between 1 pm-8 pm and 9 pm on Fridays. However, the shuttles arrive every 20 minutes on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays and operate from noon – 9 pm.

 
 
If you have time, don’t forget to check out Ann Morrison Park. It’s beautiful. Unfortunately, we were short on time as we were flying out that afternoon. We were glad that we had enough time to experience the Boise River float. We will definitely be back on the water next time when we’re in town! If you’re looking for a more advanced adventure, check out our blog on kayaking to Shoshone Falls, in Twin Falls, ID. Another cool spot, about an hour from Boise, is the Crater of the Moon Monument. Check out the Cave trail, Inferno Cone, and the Spatter Cones/Snow Cone trail there.

Happy Adventuring. Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, subscribe to our Youtube channel, and sign up for our newsletter!

RECOMMEND GEAR:

Don’t forget to check out our Recommended Gear section as well.

•  Sunscreen:
Make sure to bring lots of sunscreens. There is no shade on the river. You will be very exposed to the sun. We use eco-friendly sunscreen, Alba Botanica Hawaiian Sunscreen.

•  Water shoes!!
In case you fall into the river or need to walk on slippery, pointy river rocks. We didn’t pack our shoes with us, but we usually use ALEADER Women’s Mesh Slip-on Water Shoes for Vy’s shoes and ALEADER Men’s Quick Drying Aqua Water Shoes for Dustin’s shoes

•  Water
   Lots of water! It gets toasty on the river since you are exposed to the sun. 

•  Quick drying clothes
You will get wet so either wears swimsuits or quick-drying clothes.

•  Drybag
For your extra towels, sunscreen, camera, and phones, etc. We use Field and Stream Dry Bag. The Earth Pak Waterproof Dry Bag also works amazingly.

•  Snacks
Depends on how long you want to spend on the river.

•  Towels
You will get wet depending on what raft you choose.

•  Life jacket
The rental company will supply them. However, if you are going to bring your own raft, make sure to have these puppies on the raft with you. Even though the water is shallow, there are parts of the river with fast-moving water. 

•  Waterproof Phone Case
   Not required but it is nice to have. Especially if you like to take photos with your phone or playing music. It will get wet. Our phone cases were donated by my sister. She got the Mpow Waterproof Case.

 

CAMERA GEAR:
•  Camera:
   Sony a99  
   Gopro Hero 6 Black

•  Lenses:
   Sony 24 -70mm f/2.8 Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar T Zoom Lens 

•  Accessories:
   Lenspen 

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