Fri 19Jun 2026
Booked
Stanley Cabin
Airbnb hosted by Jocelyn, three nights. 130 Valley Creek Rd, Stanley.
From the wheelhouse
Boats off Boundary Creek in:
The clock to launch day. Don't let the days catch you packing the night before.
—
Days
—
Hours
—
Minutes
—
Seconds
§ 01 — Marching Orders
Note from the trip leader
One van. One shuttle. One easy weekend bookend.
Here's the recommendation, plain and dry: pick up one 12-passenger van at Boise Airport, drive it to the Stanley cabin Friday, use it for groceries and the orientation run on Saturday, then hand the keys to River Shuttles on launch morning. They'll deliver it to Stagecoach Inn in Salmon by the time we walk off the river Friday afternoon. Sleep there, drive home Saturday. Done.
The only real catch: the rental counter has to bless a third-party shuttle driver moving the vehicle. That's the one call we need to make before anything else. Backups (two vehicles, private passenger shuttle, or the Gem Air scenic flight) are queued up if it goes sideways.
— Posted to the bulletin board
§ 02 — Trip Snapshot
The big rocks, already set.
What's locked, what's loose. The cabin's reserved, the launch is on the calendar, the rest is paperwork.
Sun 21Jun 2026
Launch
Boundary Creek
Middle Fork Adventures launch. Put-in shifts to Indian Creek if water demands.
Fri 26Jun 2026
Takeout
Cache Bar → Salmon
Roll off the river, real beds, hot showers, beer in glass with no cans involved.
Sat 27Jun 2026
Wheels up
Return to Boise
Early start, return van at BOI, target flights 3:00 PM or later for comfort.
§ 03 — The Crew
Six on the manifest.
Drop your portrait, fill in flight info, leave a fun fact for the campfire. We'll see all of you when you see all of us.
01
02
03
04
05
06
§ 04 — The River
One hundred miles, drawn.
Scrub through the days to see where camp is, what's between you and the next coffee, and which rapid is going to define your morning.
§ 05 — Forecast
Mountains do their own thing.
Stanley sits at 6,200 ft and the river drops to about 3,600 by Salmon. Pack like the day can change three times — because it will.
§ 06 — Open Items
Calls to make, in order.
Six items between us and a fully locked plan. Claim one, knock it out.
01
Confirm the van plan.
Reserve one 12-passenger at BOI. If sold out, pivot to two vehicles before the prices climb.
Owner Kelly
Urgent
02
Get rental counter to bless third-party shuttle.
Ask whether a pro River Shuttles driver can legally move the van Stanley → Salmon, and what paperwork it takes.
Owner Kelly
Urgent
03
Book the Stanley → Salmon vehicle shuttle.
River Shuttles defaults: pickup Mountain Village (Stanley), drop Stagecoach Inn (Salmon). Tracks our plan exactly.
Owner Open
Open
04
Reserve Salmon, Fri Jun 26.
Stagecoach Inn is easiest because the van lands there. MFA's Salmon cabin is a group-style backup.
Owner Haley
Open
05
Collect flight times + fishing intent.
Everyone: drop arrival/departure into the crew card. Anglers: buy an Idaho license before you fly.
Owner All hands
Open
06
Lock orientation + launch-morning details with MFA.
Time, location, parking, and the put-in expected for current water. One phone call covers it.
Owner Disch
Open
§ 07 — Getting There
Four travel plans, ranked.
Costs are planning estimates, not quotes. Use them to choose; confirm by phone or reservation.
Recommended
Option A
$300 — $500per person
One 12-passenger van + vehicle shuttle
Reserve at BOI for Jun 19–27. Drive to Stanley, hand over for River Shuttles on launch morning, retrieve in Salmon, drive back.
- Best fit with the Stanley cabin.
- Most flexible for groceries, gear, and pre-trip errands.
- Needs rental-company sign-off on the shuttle driver.
Backup
Option B
Higher than Aper person
Two rental vehicles + two shuttles
Rent two SUVs or minivans from BOI. More vehicle availability, but the shuttle math doubles and you'll want two drivers home.
- Pivot here if no 12-passenger van is available.
- Two shuttle fees instead of one.
- Two drivers needed for the Boise return.
Low-driving
Option C
$308+per person
Private passenger shuttle (Sawtooth)
Sawtooth's 2026 math implies ~$725 Boise→Stanley for six and ~$1,120 Salmon→Boise for six, before extras.
- No rental-driver paperwork problem.
- Less flexible around the Stanley Airbnb errands.
- Need a local plan for bags and orientation.
Splurge
Option D
$450 — $510+per person
Gem Air scenic air taxi
Fly Boise→Stanley and Salmon→Boise. Fast, memorable, weight-limited. Doesn't solve the Stanley cabin transport question.
- Saves a lot of windshield time.
- Private-flight timing may be flexible.
- Weight, baggage, weather, and local pickup all matter.
§ 08 — Camp Life
What a day actually feels like.
Wake up outside, eat well, float and paddle through big country, land in camp with dinner already waiting.
Mornings
Coffee, breakfast, pack up
Guides get camp moving. You pack the camp dry bag, keep day layers accessible, fill water, get ready for the boats.
Daytime
Rapids. Lunch. Repeat.
Class II–IV whitewater, canyon scenery, riverside lunches, occasional hot springs, side hikes, fishing if conditions line up.
Evenings
Camp, dinner, stars
MFA brings tents, cots, sleeping gear, chairs, kitchen, meals. You bring warm layers and whatever makes downtime easy.
§ 09 — Pack List
Soft duffel. 30 pounds. Done.
Check items as you pack — your list lives on this device. Layered for weather that can do three different things in one day.
§ 10 — Field Notes
For the photos that turn into stories.
Five spots reserved. Drop your favorites — group shots, river panoramas, the dog in a PFD. We'll come back to this after the trip.
§ 11 — Phone Book
The calls that lock the plan.
Bookmark, share, divide and conquer.
Trip Operator
Middle Fork Adventures
Orientation, launch-morning meeting point, expected put-in, luggage and vehicle details.
208 · 741 · 3675
middleforkadventures.com →Vehicle Shuttle
River Shuttles by SRTC
Book Stanley → Salmon. Ask directly about rental vehicles and key-drop procedure.
208 · 993 · 9143
rivershuttles.com →Flight Backup
Gem Air
Air taxi quotes for Boise → Stanley and Salmon → Boise. Worth a callback for the scenic option.
208 · 756 · 7382
gemairflights.com →Private Shuttle
Sawtooth Transportation
Backup passenger shuttle for Boise → Stanley and Salmon → Boise.
208 · 869 · 6049
sawtoothtrans.com →Rentals
BOI Rental Counters
Find a refundable 12-passenger van first, then compare two-vehicle options.
Salmon Lodging
Stagecoach Inn (Jun 26)
Easiest if the van is dropped there. MFA's Salmon cabin is a group-style backup if available.
MFA stay page →