BENTZ RIVER EXPLORATION 

The 425 mile long Salmon River, dubbed by early explorers as "The River of No Return", is the longest free flowing river in the Continental United States.  The Salmon River, which splits Idaho in half has created the second deepest canyon in North America. The Salmon is a "pool and drop" river that falls in elevation about three and a half times as fast as its neighbor, the Snake River.  It forms many rapids that give it a difficulty rating of III-IV. 

In the Salmon River gorge one can see the dramatic change between the exotic terrane rock and the Columbia River basalt flows.  The history of the Chinese and the rock houses they inhabitated will help tell the story of early mining activity.  The  reminants of Native American rock art, pit houses and graveyards will remind you of the people who lived here for about 11,000 years.  The Salmon River also tells a commonly forgotten story of the other "Indian Crossing Site" where the Nez Perce crossed the Salmon River, not once but twice during the Indian war of 1877.