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Jarbdige-Bruneau Canyon, Idaho - May 2001

Where is the CANYON? Flat sagebrush country and the Jarbidge Mountains in the distance.

(The canyon is just 10 kilometers to the right, but you can't see it)

Paddling on the Jarbidge. Steep, fast and shallow: entertaining class II and III.

More Jarbidge Canyon Scenery. The fast water carries us past red cliffs and juniper trees.

The landscape is stunning and I get a stiff neck from staring up at hoodoos and spires for so long.

On the upper Jarbidge, juniper trees grow across the river. Sometimes they fall into the river too, but none of the log jams was too bad. No falling asleep though!

Claudia in the yellow submarine at the entrance of Wally's Wallow, one of the two class IV on the Jarbidge. The exit had a permanent looking log in the mid channel.

Indian Creek Hot Springs just below the confluence of Jarbidge and Bruneau.

Just Pete and I on a Sunday afternoon. Doesn't it sound romantic?

Too bad we had to leave soon and paddle many more miles.

3 days was a bit too short for paddling 70 Miles. Next time we will take more time for side hikes.

The guide book said: if you are impressed by the scenery of the Jarbidge, wait until you get into the Bruneau Canyon.

We found this hard to believe.

But really, the Bruneau Canyon walls are steeper and the river bed is narrower.

Sneaking Wild Burro (IV) on the left. The last exciting rapid.

What a great trip!
We'll be back.

	The Jarbidge and Bruneau rivers have carved deep canyons in the high desert in Southwestern Idaho. 70 miles of the rivers are runable. In our three days in the canyon we met only two other people. The canyons are remote. Only one gravel road (class V) and three switchback foot trails connect the deep canyon with the upper world. For river running info, check out the description on the American Whitewater Association WebSite (don't be surprised when the pictures seem familiar, I was asked to send them and a description of the run). Jarbidge Bruneau BTW, the yellow triangles on the map left are our campsites.
	Loading up the shuttle in Bruneau, ID after a 11 hr drive from Vancouver. Kay is our driver, she also drives school kids and fire fighters.
	Where is the CANYON? Flat sagebrush country and the Jarbidge Mountains in the distance. (The canyon is just 10 kilometers to the right, but you can't see it)
	Team JB - 2001 I should have made Peter wear shades and his helmet too!
	Paddling on the Jarbidge. Steep, fast and shallow: entertaining class II and III.
	More Jarbidge Canyon Scenery. The fast water carries us past red cliffs and juniper trees. The landscape is stunning and I get a stiff neck from staring up at hoodoos and spires for so long.
	On the upper Jarbidge, juniper trees grow across the river. Sometimes they fall into the river too, but none of the log jams was too bad. No falling asleep though!
	Claudia in the yellow submarine at the entrance of Wally's Wallow, one of the two class IV on the Jarbidge. The exit had a permanent looking log in the mid channel.
	Indian Creek Hot Springs just below the confluence of Jarbidge and Bruneau. Just Pete and I on a Sunday afternoon. Doesn't it sound romantic? Too bad we had to leave soon and paddle many more miles. 3 days was a bit too short for paddling 70 Miles. Next time we will take more time for side hikes.

	The guide book said: if you are impressed by the scenery of the Jarbidge, wait until you get into the Bruneau Canyon. We found this hard to believe. But really, the Bruneau Canyon walls are steeper and the river bed is narrower.
	A look into Bruneau Canyon from above, at Canyon Overlook. Below is Five Mile Rapid, a rather exciting pool drop section of about a dozen IV- rapids on the otherwise calm Bruneau. Photo: Marc Gerin The photo was taken just a couple of weeks before our trip. Marc sent an email: "5 Mile Rapid looks like class IV." That made me rather uneasy: Continuous class IV in a remote canyon with a loaded boat? Are we pushing it too much? Turns out that at low water levels, the drops were at the most IV-, with lots of (short) pools in between. It could more interesting at medium to high levels.
	Sneaking Wild Burro (IV) on the left. The last exciting rapid. What a great trip! We'll be back.