❄️🌊 2026 Winter Snow and Water Outlook
- Justin Smith
- 20 hours ago
- 1 min read
Adventurers,
NOAA just released its Winter 2025–26 Outlook, and things are looking encouraging for Idaho’s snowpack and river flows.
Here’s the quick version:
Temperatures: Colder than normal conditions are likely across the northern Rockies and Pacific Northwest.
Precipitation: Wetter than normal conditions are also expected for much of the northern tier — including Idaho and western Montana.
Translation: A good setup for healthy snowpack across central Idaho’s mountains, feeding the Salmon River system into summer.

What does that mean for us?
The water outlook is looking above average. A great sign for big waves and full seasons across all our trips.
Salmon River
Even in drier years, the Salmon River always has enough flow to keep our adventures running strong. Our late-season trips in August still pack some of the biggest, funnest waves anywhere.
Snake River - Hagerman
Backed by hydropower dams, there’s always consistent water for rafting.
Snake River - Murtaugh
This section runs dry most of the year. Ideally we will see high flows in March - May.

The real questions now are:
👉 How high will the Salmon get for our Big Water weekends this spring?
👉 And how long will the Murtaugh Section of the Snake River flow — one of Idaho’s most thrilling, limited-season runs?
👉 When will you be joining us?
If this forecast holds, it’s shaping up to be an above-average year for water and adventure. You can’t go wrong locking in your multi-day trip on the Salmon River early.
Want to be part of the experience?

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