The Payette River canyon

The Payette River drains the west-central Idaho mountains into the Snake, and its three forks’ variety of gradients made it Idaho’s standard paddling classroom; outfitters on the river have run trips since the 1970s rafting boom, with the Main Payette’sfloat corridor from Cascade and the Cabarton canyon’s Class III run the weekend staples. The river’s canyon roads, hot-spring side trips and the fishery make the system the region’s four-season water recreation spine. The Payette system drains the west-central Idaho mountains into the Snake, and its three forks’ gradient variety made it Idaho’s standard paddling classroom; outfitters have run the river since the 1970s rafting boom, with the Main Payette’s gentle corridor and the Cabarton canyon’s Class III run the weekend staples.