Book Direct for 2023 Low Price Guarantee Learn More

Why book direct?

Book Now

Where are we located? Just look for the bears!

The story behind our iconic bears.

Story taken from the Jackson Hole News & Guide

It will never again be difficult to locate Dave Hansen Whitewater and Scenic River Trips in downtown Jackson. Just look for the bears.

A long-standing plan of owner Bud Chatham and his wife, Kelly Kaiser, the sculpture by Afton woodworker Jonathan “The Bear Man” LeBenne has completed the wave-shaped canopy over the entryway of the 49-year-old Snake River outfitting company.

“It’s nice to have a landmark,” said Chatham, who over the phone seemed tickled by the attention. “When people ask where you are, you just say, ‘It’s where you see the rafting bears.’”

Chatham bought Hansen Whitewater about 12 years ago and five years ago moved it to the northwest corner of Broadway and Glenwood, the former site of a gas station and then a skateboard shop. When the business moved it added a wave-shaped canopy over its entryway — a somewhat distinctive architectural touch in itself — but Chatham and Kaiser had even more ambitious plans.

“We talked about doing it then,” Chatham said of the lifesize-or-larger sculpture of a bear family and pilot riding out a big wave. “But then we decided to wait. It [the canopy] was a cool element, and we wanted to enjoy it for a while.”

But their foresight was long enough that they made sure the town planning process for the canopy would pave the way for the future sculpture.

“When we went through the planning process for the porch I asked,” Chatham said. “I said this was something we wanted to put on top of it.”

The town declared it public art, so long as it didn’t include a sign or label, and deemed the structure fit for the later addition.

Chatham and Kaiser spent a few years fiddling with sketches and concepts and consulting with LeBenne — whose critters crawl across the facade of the Lodge at Jackson Hole, the antler arch welcoming visitors to Afton, and scores of other lodges, businesses and homes throughout the West — before finally deciding to go for it last winter. Per their plans, the 10 life-jacketed bears represent different characters the company has taken down the Snake’s roiling waves over the years.

“The kids are up in front, wanting to get the most wet,” Chatham said. “Then there’s then the cool bear that’s all business, wearing the sunglasses, and the bear that just wants to wave to the camera. And then the bear that’s a little scared, that’s not paddling and that’s putting hands across its face.”

And, of course, the pilot, holding onto his hat as the blue raft’s tail whips and tosses him up in the air.

A desk worker at Hansen Whitewater said 50 percent of this summer’s walk-up business has been generated by the new piece of art. Chatham said he doubted it was quite that much, but he said it has attracted some customers and plenty of looks.

“It’s fun,” he said. “A lot of people stop by, take pictures. I’ll ask people, ‘Say, how’d you hear about us,’ and they’ll say, ‘We saw the rafting bears.’”

 

The Story Behind our Iconic Bears

Where are we located? Just look for the bears! The story behind our iconic bears. Story taken from the Jackson Hole News & Guide It will never again be difficult to locate Dave Hansen Whitewater and Scenic River Trips in...

Read More

Happy Holidays from DHWW!

Happy Holidays from DHWW! It’s been a wet & wild year. We wanted to take a moment to share our gratitude for our employees, community and clients that made 2022 one of the best years on the books. Here are...

Read More

High Water Heyday Contest 2022

After a wet spring, we are excited to announce the winners of our 2022 High Water Heyday Contest. This year’s contest received over 915 entries from boaters hoping to score the grand prize, a NRS Star Outlaw 140 self-bailing raft....

Read More

Our Wall is Wild

Our Wall is Wild We are excited to show off our new mural on the backside of our downtown Jackson office, painted by the talented Kika Macfarlane. JH Public Art’s annual WildWalls event transformed our blank building exterior into an open-air...

Read More

Yellowstone Flood Update

Yellowstone Flood Update Howdy, y’all. As you can imagine, we are getting flooded (pun intended) with questions and inquiries about how the Yellowstone flood has affected the Snake River, the Jackson Hole area, and our rafting operations. Our hearts go...

Read More

Voted the Best in Jackson Hole for 10 Years

We have the best job! Since the 1960s we’ve been lucky enough to provide scenic and whitewater trips to people of all ages, reveling in the incredible views of the Tetons and Snake River Canyon, and cultivating amazing adventures and...

Read More

Whitewater Rafting in Alpine

ALPINE WYOMING WHITEWATER RAFTING & SCENIC RIVER TRIPS SNAKE RIVER, JACKSON HOLE Depart and return directly from Alpine, Wyoming, for your rafting trip through the Snake River Canyon without having to shuttle to/from Jackson (save hours in the car!). Transportation...

Read More
We are on Pinterest!

We are on Pinterest!

We’ve cruised on over to Pinterest… Give us a follow and pin with us as we grow our boards! http://www.pinterest.com/davehansenww/

Read More
Team Bonding: Kickball!

Team Bonding: Kickball!

Today I looked down at my watch and realized that it is August 10th. Yes, I know in the back of my mind that the summer days are dwindling here in Jackson and Fall is just around the corner, but...

Read More
All Forward!

All Forward!

Is there anything better than sunshine, 80 degree weather, and a gushing river with the backdrop of the snow-capped Tetons in Jackson, Wyoming? Not for all of us here at Dave Hansen River trips. The weather has been amazing this...

Read More