Float trip vs. whitewater
 

We are in the early stages of planning a summer '07 trip to YNP/GTNP. We are a group of 9 with 4 adults and kids:16,13,13,11, and 8. Will the whitewater be too rough for the 8 yo ( and his nervous mother)? Do you see enough wildlife on the float trips ( and is the earlier the better - said nervous Mom is not an early riser)? Are the combo trips ( which I'm leaning toward) too long of a day? Lastly, coming from Signal Mountain Lodge, how long does it take to get to the rafting company and then transported to the river itself? Thank you!!!!!

I haven't been to Yellowstone or the Tetons, but I have rafted before. If your goal is to see as much wildlife as possible, I would think that the float trip (being more leisurely) would allow for more just relaxing and looking around. With the whitewater rafting, you will be quite busy paddling and looking out for and enjoying the rapids that it will give you less time to look for animals.
Since I haven't been to your destinations, I may be wrong, so I hope someone who has been there will answer for you!

Hi Donna_M

I took a float trip with Signal Mt. Lodge a couple of years ago we left from the lodge so did not have to drive anywhere. I can recommend this trip I had fun and was wildlife but no moose. I have done whitewater in california and oregon the float trip is very mellow. As I have no children I can only guess the trip might be unexciting as compared to whitewater big question is can they swim? If they can not then do the float trip.

Have Fun
GP

Rafting trips from northern part of YNP are relatively mild - they are advertised as for all ages. The one we took had a kid about 7 or 8 and he was fine. We took a trip out of Gardiner and van to raft launching site was just a few minutes.

We had reserved a float trip at GTNP which advertised animal sightings - but it got rained out.

Donna, My family of 4, including two girls in 20s, are taking that same raft trip in 2 weeks. We opted for the 5:00 as woman at Signal Mtn recommended it for wildlife vfiewing. I'll get back to you on my return the second week of Aug. I expect the trip to be very staid. We did go white water rafting in Durango with girls when they were same age as yours, and it was fantastic. I also can be faint of heart, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Do you know what class the rapids will be? You certainly don't want the 8 year old on class 4 rapids but if they are class 1 to 2 or possibly 3, you won't have any trouble. I could be wrong (haven't been to Yellowstone in several years) but I don't recall there being much real whitewater around there.

By the way, we rafted the Pacuare in Costa Rica a couple of years ago and my daughter, who was 14 at the time (and about 100 lbs. soaking wet) had no trouble even on the Class 4 plus rapids.

We took our kids (approx. 11 and 15 on the scenic/ stop for breakfast/ whitewater trip on the Snake river with Barker Ewing several years ago. We were staying in Jackson Hole so I am not sure how far Signal Mountain is from town. We had to be at the Barker Ewing facility by around 6:00 a.m. I think. I was also a nervous mom but I wanted to try it and thought it would be a neat experience for the kids. We had a guide who did all of the rowing and all we had to do was hold on. I believe we got back by around 2:00 in the afternoon so it was a good part of the day. Everyone loved it and after the biggest rapid, my daughter exclaimed, "can we go back and do that again?" The only wildlife we saw were birds though if that is one of your main objectives.
The breakfast around the campfire was very good and fun. We all loved the whole trip.

Thank you so much for your responses!! ( Sorry it took me so long to get back on but my son is home from camp and monopolizing the computer! ). If I remember correctly, the WW trips out of Jackson mentioned Class II & III which should be fine. All of the kids are excellent swimmers. My DH and older son just did a WW trip near Denver when they went out to Philmont and they are pushing for that. We just about have my friend ( who is the nervous, late sleeper with the 8 yo son ) talked in to it.
Soxgirl - I would love to hear about your trip. Is it 5:00 am or pm? Do you know how long it will last? Since we are moving from Signal Mountain Lodge to Jackson, I was thinking of maybe doing the float from SML if it's worthwhile and then doing a WW when we get to Jackson. Please let me know what you think of SML, too!

We just returned from a 10-day trip to Yellowstone and the Tetons with our nine-year old grandson in tow. On July 16th, we went white water rafting on the Snake with the Sands Whitewater Co. out of Jackson. We had an option of an either the 8 or 16-person raft. We chose the latter because of our little guy. The ride was mild by our standards, having done rafting back east in PA and West Virginia. I'm sure the same will be the case for you and your gang. The only thing to check out was that the minimum age for rafters is 9. The rafting trip we took lasted four hours from signup to return. We were on the water for 2 hours and went approximately 8 miles. With all you'll be doing in the parks, I would recommend this trip. The all day one might be too much of a good thing. In any case, enjoy.

hey donna, I'll definitely reply after I return Aug 9 so be looking. We are taking the 5 PM raft trip right from SML. I recall they say we're on the raft about 1 1/2-2 hours, with the other hour getting to and from lodge and river. It will be our first day in GTNP, coming down from 6 days in Yellowstone, so i figured it was a good way to see the mountains and plan hikes for the following, and our last, day. Many fodorites have said to take a raft one way across Jackson, and then hike. I don't know what sort of raft trip allows for that kind of timing. I'll also let you know about our YNP part of the trip, where we're staying 2 nights each at Old Faithful, Lake Yellowstone, and then Tower Roosevelt before descending to GTNP.

Do whitewater, we've also done Barker Ewing with kids, they will help you selet the appropriate level Its lots of fun, the float trips down the Snake are pleasant, you may see an eagle or two. IF you do whitewater, you meet in Jackson and they bus you south of town.. Tell them where you are staying and they'll estimate driving times.

Many whitewater trips will not even take 8 year olds. If they allow an 8 year old, then you can be sure that the trip is appropriate. Even 11 year olds are not permitted on some rough trips. I did have one experience where we went on the Kicking Horse in British Columbia and my son wanted to go in the afternoon. I was very happy to learn he was not old enough for the afternoon one which was rougher than the one in the am, as I had had enough in the morning (not to mention the joy of pouring myself into a wet suit that had been previously worn by lord knows how many people). The age for the afternoon trip, I think, was 14.

If you have not done whitewater rafting before, you might want to go for a half day to be sure everyone likes it. Some kids are more nervous than others. Only you know your kids (and yourselves).

When our kids were 4 & 6 we did a float trip out of Jackson Hole where we slept overnight in "teepees". It was the absolute highlight of that trip as coyotes were outside howling all night. They talked about that forever. However, as soon as they got old enough we opted for whitewater because it is definitely more exciting.

I cannot remember the outfitter we used for our float trip. After all, the kids are now almost 27 and almost 25. Long time ago there.

I have rafted all over the US and even once in Europe in the Imster Schluct [Imst Gorge] in Austria.

Silly question I guess, but is whitewater rafting not a good idea for people who get motion sickness? I've always wanted to do it, but now with middle age, I get motion sickness easily.

How late in the season do they run the whitewater rafting? I've seen some Sept dates on a lot of websites. Wouldn't it be too cold then?

The real problem with whitewater trips late in the summer, is that the water level goes down. For example, the Potomac gets so low at Harpers Ferry, that they sometimes have to pull the rafts over the rocks. Not fun.

The outfitters generally run the trips until the level of the water is too low or the tourists thin out; they may reduce their schedules depending upon demand. Everything slows down once the kids are back in school. For some trips (say in Canada where you sometimes deal with glacial melt water), you must wear wet suits. I prefer the trips without them because they are not very comfortable. Also, who wants to wear a skin tight suit when 1,000 others have worn it before you? I have done it, but all and all, I prefer trips without that hassle.

I haven't read all the replies but when we went to the Tetons and signed up for a raft trip on the Snake, the guides said specifically that our whitewater in NC would be far better than theirs unless we went up into Idaho. The melt is gone, for one thing.
We did our raft in late evening in order to see the animals come down to the river to feed.

The excitment of whitewater will depend on when you go. Early summer will be wilder, later summer will be "calmer".

I use the KOA campground south of Jackson for professional trips.

As far as 8 year olds, it depends on the child. Will they obey you when you tell then to do something, or are they lax on obeying. I took my first little brother when he was 10 and he had a great time. Many adults would not even think of it.

So Gretchen, did any animals come down to the banks to feed? What time is "late evening?" The last trip, that I know of, is 5 PM. I'm honestly now thinking of ditching the raft trip. Maybe it's better to take our chances, see what's what when we get there, and go from there. Some posters described the raft trip as "pleasant," but that doesn't do it for me. Having gone back and read some threads,it seems boating across jenny lake and climing Inspiration Point gets the raves. Any more advice on the actual raft trip is apprecited.

We did both the float trip and the white water trip with Barker Ewing. We saw lots of scenery and birds on our float trip- no large mammals. Our guide said that you want to take a trip early in the morning to really see wildlife. I liked the float trip and it was great for my elderly parents. I don't think I would do it again unless I could go at daybreak. The white water trip had nothing to do with wildlife - although we did see some eagles. My 8 yo daughter did not like the trip. She's small, got soaked and so was very cold. The rest of us loved it. At most, it was class 3. Our fav spot was "fluffy box of kittens." It used to be called the widowmaker. The lawyers told them to come up with a better name! Perhaps this is a time for the group to split up. The boat ride/hike is also something you want to do early in the morning. As the day progresses, the hike becomes very crowded.

Yes, it was about 5PM and the days are quite long in June. Not good for photos but great for wildlife, and yes, we did see wildlife--elk, moose, eagles. The deal is you can't have white water if it ain't there. There isn't a very serious drop in elevation along there either, as I recall.
Have you ever been to this area before? Do you come from near there? If not, Iwould certainly advantage of what is there that is different from where you live the other 51 weeks. It is arguably the most beautiful mountains in the country.