Here comes the heat! Five primo spots in SW Idaho to take your Stand Up Paddle Board

SUP'ing to Shoshone Falls makes you feel small. (Courtesy Idaho Stock Images) 

Wow! (Courtesy Southern Idaho Tourism and Visit Idaho)

Hi all,

We sure had a nice long spring, but it's July, and here comes the heat! Temperatures are forecast to be in the 90s in the next 10 days, so grab your Stand Up Paddle Board (SUP) and go paddling to stay cool!

Here are five primo spots in SW for a SUP adventure:

1. Paddle the Mid-Snake to Shoshone Falls -- The trip starts from Centennial Park in Twin Falls and goes upriver to a portage around Pillar Falls and then to Shoshone Falls. Allow 5-6 hours for the journey. Many of you went down to see Shoshone Falls flowing in all of its glory this spring. It's one of the most unique paddling trips in Idaho to paddle under the Perrine Bridge, where you might see base jumpers launching into the canyon, and paddle upstream on the Snake to a point just below Shoshone Falls. There is very little river flow and current in this reach in mid-summer, allowing you to travel upstream. See my blog post for Southern Idaho tourism for more information.

2. Boise River - Last year, the Boise River was closed in July. Not this year! Float the Boise River from Barber Park to Ann Morrison Park or pick a different section of the river that works for you.
Details on floating the Boise River and shuttles are found here at Ada County Parks & Waterways.

3. Quinns Pond and Esther Simplot Park - Very convenient but gets pretty crowded pretty fast and hard to find parking. Rentals available at Idaho River Sports. Get there early!

Cascade to Cabarton ... lovely! 

4. Payette River - Cascade to Cabarton - This is an easy flat-water float with moving water starting from the put-in on the south end of Cascade and float down to Cabarton Bridge. It's a 9-mile float at a leisurely pace. The river is running about 1,500 cfs right now. Bring a lunch and some beverages. Shuttle a rig to Cabarton Bridge before you go or drop one on the way up!


5. Payette River - Montour Section - This is another easy flat-water section of the Payette ... it's 3.5 miles long from the Montour Bridge put-in near Sweet to the backwaters of Black Canyon Reservoir. You can do a bike shuttle, just bring a lock for your bike.

There you have it! All of these trips would be great for sit-on-top kayaking or canoeing as well.

Here are a couple of other links on best SUP spots in Idaho ...

• Visit Idaho - What's SUP: Paddle Boarding in Idaho. 
• Paddle Board 101 - My top Spots.

Have fun and stay cool!
- SS