Get to know the legendary Snake River.

We've been around for awhile. Here's the questions we hear most!

How much experience do you need?

No experience is required to whitewater raft the Snake River with Dave Hansen Whitewater. Roughly half of our guests are first-timers. The Snake is a “pool and drop” river — every set of rapids is followed by calm water — so first-timers have time to relax between waves. Every trip starts with a detailed safety briefing from your guide.

All of our guides know this and go over a very detailed safety speech in which they will personally go around and show you how to sit and the best ways to keep yourself in the boat. To help ease some nerves, there are two great benefits to this river for first-timers. The first half of the trip is fairly mellow. You’ll get wet, but it is not too daunting. This allows you the time to get used to being in the boat. You are not going to be thrown into the boat and hit the biggest wave of the trip in the first five minutes. The second half of the trip is where all the bigger waves are. The other nice thing about the Snake River is that it is classified as a ‘Pool and drop river’, which basically means that after every section of waves, you are going to have a nice calm section afterwards before you hit your next set of waves. So you have time to sit back and relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the canyon between waves. The people who were nervous usually have the best time!

How long will the trip be?

Whitewater Flow of the Trip:
3.5-4 hours Door-to Door (Leaving from Jackson)
1.5 hours on the River (flow dependent)

Scenic Flow of the Trip:
3.25 hours Door to Door (Leaving from Jackson)
2 hours on the River

Please Note: Later in the season when the water is lower and slower, trip times may be closer to 4 hours door-to-door. Visit our What to Expect page for more information.

What should I bring? What should I wear?

Whitewater Trips: You want to wear as little cotton as possible on the river (especially no jeans or sweatshirts). Swimsuit is ideal and fleece, wool and polypropylene are also very good fabrics to wear if you are concerned about being cold. We have wetsuits, jackets and neoprene booties rent for a small cleaning fee. Renting wetsuits, jackets and booties are a great way to ensure that you will not be cold during the trip.

You also want to wear shoes that you can get wet…Tevas, Sneakers, or anything that is attached to your foot will work. You cannot go barefoot on the river (there is a short walk at the end of the trip up to where the bus is) and you cannot wear flip-flops because they can fall off and float away in the river. We do rent neoprene boots at our shop for $6 and they are perfect to wear if you want to keep your shoes dry and keep your body warmer.

Overall, don’t bring anything that you don’t want to get wet. Keys can be left at our front desk or in the bus. You will want to wear sunscreen and you can leave sweatshirts and towels on the bus for when the trip is over. It is not recommended to bring cameras or phones on the whitewater trip unless they are waterproof (we do sell waterproof phone cases).

Scenic Trips: Wear clothes that you are comfortable in. Most any morning in Jackson Hole, even in the summer months, will be cool. But as soon as the sun pops up, the air temperature warms up pretty fast. If you are doing a morning scenic float, it would be a good idea to bring a sweatshirt or light jacket along that you can put on underneath your life jacket. If you get to the river and decide that you do not need a jacket, then you can leave it on the bus before you get in the raft.

We also ask you to wear shoes that you would not mind getting wet. We do our best to keep your shoes dry, but we are surrounded by water and feet sometimes get wet getting in and out of the boat.

Feel free to bring your own camera or set of binoculars. It is recommended to have a secure strap to hold them so that they do not fall into the water.

When is the best time to raft the Snake River?

Our season runs mid-May through late September. Late May–June brings peak runoff and the biggest whitewater. July–August offers warm weather and family-friendly classic flows. September brings smaller crowds, fall colors, and crisp morning launches.

What is your minimum age?

For whitewater our age limit for kids is usually 6 years old, there are some times of the year we could talk about adventurous 5 year olds. Just give us a call! For our scenic trips the youngest we will take is 4 years old.

There are certain water levels during the run-off season where we may raise our age limit. Please give us a call to discuss if you have more questions.

What class rapids are on the Snake River?

On a scale from I-VI, the rapids on the Snake River are class II-III during normal water flows. During the springtime run-off (typically the first couple weeks in June), we do have waves that can get up to a class IV. When the river gets up to these levels, our minimum age limit may change. We do suggest that if you are planning a trip for the first couple weeks of June and you are traveling with kids, to give us a call to make sure that our age limit has not been raised.