August Selway River Trip

In August of 2024, I was able to paddle the Wild and Scenic section of the Selway River, primarily on a SUP, joined by Missoula based friends Anders and Krista, who paddled packrafts. Krista was nice enough to drop us off on the top, drive around, hike in eight miles, and join us for the last day, saving what would have otherwise been a full day of shuttling - we couldn't find an outfitter to provide service for a small group late in the year. The river was low - about 700 cfs at the downstream gage when we started (0.3 on the Paradise Campsite index) - but just doable in lightweight, inflatable boats, with careful rock dogging and a bit of walking. With low water and afternoon headwinds, it was certainly more of a paddle than a float, but still doable in essentially three days and three nights. Peaceful river, a lot of wildlife, and fun, technical "rapids" - certainly worthy of its designation!