Guided multi day river trips in the US
Overnight rafting trips, compared river by river
See the outfitters on each river side by side, pick the nights you want, and book directly. On lottery rivers, a guided trip is how you get on without a permit.
2 to 18 days / 1 to 17 nightsTrip finder
Find an overnight rafting trip
Tell us how many nights, where and who is coming. The finder shows every matching trip with its outfitter, class, minimum age and dated price.
Trip types
Start with how many nights you have
One night is a taste of river camp. A week is long enough that the river sets the schedule.
Rivers
Rivers with guided overnight trips
Each river page puts every outfitter with a permit in one table: trip lengths in days and nights, craft, season, minimum age and a dated starting price.
Idaho
Idaho
Middle Fork Salmon
104 free flowing miles inside the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness.
Idaho
Main Salmon
The Wild section runs 79 miles, from Corn Creek to Long Tom Bar.
Idaho
Selway
One of the four rivers in the same Forest Service lottery as the Middle Fork.
Idaho and Oregon
Hells Canyon
The Snake River through Hells Canyon, on the Idaho and Oregon line.
Utah and Colorado
Utah
Cataract Canyon
The Park Service describes 14 miles of rapids up to Class V.
Utah
Desolation Canyon
84 miles of the Green River, with more than sixty riffles and rapids.
Utah and Colorado
Gates of Lodore
The Park Service calls 4 days, 3 nights standard on the Green in high use season.
Colorado and Utah
Yampa
The Park Service calls 5 days, 4 nights standard in high use season.
Arizona and Oregon
Arizona
Grand Canyon
Guided trips run 3 to 18 days. Lees Ferry to Diamond Creek is 226 river miles.
Oregon
Rogue
The Wild section is 33.8 miles. The BLM says most parties take three or four days.
More rivers on the way
Pages for the Owyhee, the Klamath, California's Tuolumne and more are being checked against their managing agencies now.
See every river on the ranked list, or browse California, Montana and Alaska.
The no lottery way in
Lost the river lottery? Book a guided trip
Rivers such as the Grand Canyon, the Middle Fork Salmon and the Rogue ration private trips through permit lotteries. Guided trips run under the outfitter's own permit, so you book a seat the way you would book any trip.
No lottery
Book a guided trip
- How you get a spot
- Pick a date with an outfitter and book it.
- When to act
- Early. Grand Canyon National Park says commercial trips are "often reserved a year or two in advance."
- Boats and food
- The outfitter brings the boats, guides, meals and camp.
- Skills needed
- Guides run the rapids. Check the class and minimum age.
Private permit
Enter the lottery
- How you get a spot
- Apply, then wait to see if your date is drawn.
- When to act
- Winter, months before the season. The windows are below.
- Boats and food
- Your group brings everything, including a toilet system.
- Skills needed
- Someone in your group has to run the river.
| Lottery | Applications |
|---|---|
| Middle Fork Salmon, Main Salmon, Selway, Hells Canyon (Forest Service) | Dec 1 to Jan 31 |
| Gates of Lodore and Yampa (Park Service) | Dec 1 to Jan 31 |
| Grand Canyon (Park Service) | First three weeks of February |
How to choose
Three questions that narrow it down
How much whitewater?
Match the river's class to the least experienced person in your group. Every outfitter table shows the class and each outfitter's minimum age.
How whitewater classes workHow many nights?
One night gives you a taste of river camp. Three or more is where the river takes over the schedule.
See 3 day, 2 night tripsWhere can you get to?
Start with a state you can reach. Each state page lists every river there with guided overnight trips.
Idaho overnight rafting tripsHow this site works
We compare trips. The outfitters run them.
We do not guide, sell or take bookings. You book directly with the outfitter you choose, on their own site. Read how we compare trips and how the site makes money.
- Every outfitter with a permit on the river, not only a few partners
- Trip lengths in days and nights, so you know how many nights you get
- Starting prices with the date we checked them
- Permit status taken from the agency that manages the river
- Written by a Moab river guide and Wilderness First Responder
Plan
Planning your first night on the river
- Your first overnight tripWhat happens from put in to take out
- What to packRiver clothes, camp clothes and what stays home
- What a trip costsPrices by river and trip length
- River campingTents, meals and the bathroom question
- Best time to goSeasons, water levels and weather
- Tipping your guidesHow much and how it works
All planning guides are on the plan page. Outfitters are listed by name in the outfitter directory.
Questions
Overnight rafting trip questions
What is an overnight rafting trip?
A guided river trip of two or more days with at least one night on the river, either camping on a beach or staying at a river lodge. Guides run the boats, cook the meals and set up camp.
How long are overnight rafting trips?
The shortest are 2 days and 1 night. Guided Grand Canyon trips run 3 to 18 days, according to the Park Service. In Dinosaur National Monument, the Park Service calls 4 days, 3 nights standard on the Green River in high use season, and 5 days, 4 nights on the Yampa.
Do I need to win a permit lottery to go?
No. River lotteries are for private trips. A guided trip runs under the outfitter's permit, so you book a seat directly with the outfitter. See the lottery calendar for how the private side works.
How far ahead should I book?
It depends on the river and the outfitter. For the Grand Canyon, the Park Service says commercial trips are often reserved a year or two in advance. Each river page lists every outfitter, so you can check several calendars at once.
Do I need rafting experience?
The guides run the rapids. What decides whether a trip fits you is the river's class and the outfitter's minimum age, and both appear in every outfitter table. Whitewater classes are explained in plain terms.
Where do you go to the bathroom on a rafting trip?
Guides set up a portable toilet at camp. On Utah rivers, BLM river permits require a washable, leak proof toilet system so solid waste is carried out, not left behind. More on camp life in river camping.
Can kids go on overnight rafting trips?
Yes, on many trips. Minimum ages are set by each outfitter and differ from river to river, so compare them in the outfitter tables or start with family rafting trips.
What kinds of boats do outfitters use?
In the Grand Canyon, the Park Service lists large motorized rafts, oared rafts, paddle rafts and dories. In an oar raft a guide rows while you ride. In a paddle raft everyone paddles. A dory is a hard hulled rowboat. See dory trips and motorized trips.
How much does an overnight rafting trip cost?
Prices vary by river, trip length and outfitter. Every outfitter table shows the lowest listed price and the date we checked it. See rafting trip cost for the range.
Does this site run rafting trips?
No. We compare trips and send you to the outfitter to book. Prices and dates come from each outfitter's own site, dated so you can see how fresh they are.
Free download
Get the Overnight River Trip Planner
A packing list for river and camp, plus the lottery dates for the season in one calendar.
Ready when you are
Find your night on the river
Pick a river, compare every outfitter on it, and book with the one that fits.