Jackson Hole Summer Travel & River Trip Blog

That’s right folks, Dave Hansen Whitewater is open for business! We ran our first scenic rafting trip of the season on Saturday, April 18th. Two customers and two guides, Cristina and Matt boarded a boat under the Wilson Bridge on this beautiful sunny day and floated all the way to the South Park bridge. Not only was it a beautiful sunny warm Saturday, but there was plenty of wildlife to be seen.  We saw eagles, osprey, a red tailed hawk, a falcon, and many American white pelicans.  And the wildlife was not sitting around either, the osprey were diving for fish, the pelicans were herding fish to eat, and we even saw an eagle and a red tailed hawk fighting over hunting territory! We even had our first junior guide for the season! Twelve year old sean got to try his luck on the oars, andhe learned a thing or two about the wildlife we saw.  Whether you live in Jackson or are just visiting, a leisurely float down the Snake River is a great way to spend a day!

Not only does Jackson Hole have a huge variety of wildlife, but it has a variety of plant life as well.  Jackson Hole is not the name of the town (Jackson is), but of the entire valley that runs between the Grand Teton Range of mountains and the Gros Ventre range of mountains.  The trees that you will observe on a Dave Hansen Whitewater or Snake River Park river trip are certainly different than those that wou will see while hiking at higher elevations.  Deciduous trees that prefer to grow in an aquatic habitat include Aspens, Cottonwoods, Willows, and many others.  The cottonwood trees are spectacular to look at year round, flowering in the spring and turning yellow and orange in the fall.  Cottonwood trees are also a favorite nesting site of the American Bald Eagle. You would never guess by looking, but aspen trees are one of the world’s largest living organisms, because an aspen grove all comes from the same root system.  When you float the Canyon section, you will get to see how a forest fire can affect the trees of the area, and see how forests can regenerate after a large fire.  Learn about the devastating effects of the pine bark beetle on the lodgepole pines and other deciduous trees.  Breathe in the fresh mountain air created by these trees as you take in their majestic beauty from the river.

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort is closing down for the season today, Sunday April 5th.  The mountain will be open from 9-noon tomorrow for employee appreciation ski day, but will not be open to the general public.  We have had some of the best skiing and riding of the season here this spring, with over 100 inches of snow falling in the last three weeks of the season. Many members of the Dave Hansen Whitewater and Snake River Park team have been out enjoying some last great powder turns while they still can (without hiking for it anyway).   The total snow depth has reached 502 inches, which is well above the average of 459 inches a year over the past 10 years. After tomorrow the lifts will be done bringing skiers and snowboarders up the mountain until next December, and we will finally be able to give our full attention to the preparations for the upcoming 2009 summer rafting season. while the hardcore skiers and snowboarders amongst us are sad to see the ski season ending, the excitement is growing for the upcoming summer season.  The recent large amounts of snowfall are setting us up for some great rafting this year!

Whether you consider yourself an expert ornithologist and bird watcher, or you think all birds are either sea-ducks or land-birds you will be sure to see birds that will dazzle you when you float the Snake River in Jackson Hole with Dave Hansen Whitewater. Of course we have spectacular large birds of prey including bald eagles, osprey, and different species of hawk and falcon. Your experienced guides will point out nesting sites, tell you interesting facts about these birds, and sometimes you can even catch a glimpse of an eagle hunting for fish. And then of course you will have the aquatic birds (known to some as “sea-ducks”) such as American white pelicans, trumpeter swans, great blue herons, merganser ducks, and black necked stilts. See nesting sites in the banks for bank swallows and belted kingfishers, and watch the swallows swoop and dive for the insects that they eat. Mountain Blue birds hope from sage bush to sage bush.  Hear a Northern Flicker drum a cottonwood tree along the bank.  See an American Dipper dive under water pick up a stone fly nymph and deliver it to its nest in one seamless motion.  These are just a few of the types of birds that you could see!

The Snake River Brewpub has been a favorite of the local jacksonites for years, and now it is easier than ever for you to experience a local favorite. They have now expanded their location since last summer, and have re-opened bigger and better than ever. What a good way to end your day after a scenic or whitewater river trip with Dave Hansen Whitewater than with a cold frosty micro brewed beer and a tasty meal! Or be sure to check out their $7 lunch specials. The Snake river brewpub offers indoor and outdoor seating, and serves everything from tasty appetizers to delicious salads, pasta dishes, and sandwiches, and even mouth watering wood-fired pizzas. The beer that is served is brewed right there on site, and includes something for every beer drinker’s palate.  Cant decide what to get? Try their sampler, which includes small glasses of different beers of your choice. And brewpubs are not just for adults. Snake River Brewpub is definitely kid friendly, and they do have a kid’s menu. Be sure to keep an eye out for our own Will Pasquill, downing anywhere from 1-3 plates of nachos at happy hour after a long day on the river. Come experience a local favorite!

Down On Glen or D.O.G. is a locals favorite and makes visitors wish that they were locals. Their convenient locations right in town and at the gas station in Wilson make it the best decision for a quick meal to or from the mountain to ski, ride, hike or bike. Without a doubt they are most famous for their breakfast burrito. Probably one of the cheapest things in Jackson besides a pack of gum, at $5 this delicious steal will fill you up until dinner and leave you looking forward to breakfast in the morning.

Dave Hansen Whitewater has teamed up with Brushbuck Guide Service to offer you yet another amazing package deal! As if a scenic, whitewater, or combination river trip on the mighty Snake River is not enough, you could follow it up with a wildlife tour. Brushbuck guide service offers a variety of wildlife tours in both Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park.  Their experienced guides will bring you to their top wildlife viewing hot spots, where you will have the chance to view grizzly and black bear, eagles, elk, bison, wolves, pronghorn, moose, as well as a wide variety of other smaller animals and birds. You could hop on one of their very popular Grand Teton Wildlife Dawn or Dusk tour which not only includes wildlife viewing, but also is filled with history, park landmarks, and world-famous scenery.  With the experience of floating the historic and scenic snake river, and a wildlife tour in Grand Teton or Yellowstone National Parks, you are definitely experiencing a great variety of what this amazing corner of the world has to offer. With this package deal you receive a 10% discount on both your river trip, and your wildlife tour. For more information about our package deals, visit http://www.davehansenwhitewater.com/packages.shtml.

That’s right folks, if you bring your kids down the Snake River with us they could be granted the position of a Jr. Guide! All the guides at Dave Hansen Whitewater love the energy that kids can bring to a river trip, and also recognize the fact that not all kids want to sit still and be quiet through an entire 2 hour river trip. We have come up with some ways to engage your children, while educating them about guiding rivers and about the wildlife that we might see.  Kids on a scenic river trip will receive an activity booklet with a word search, a wildlife bingo card, and a tally sheet for animals spotted.  They will be taught how to spot eagles, and as our official eagle counters they will tally how many eagles we see on a trip (last year’s record was 23 eagles in one trip!).  And then, as if all that is not exciting enough, kids will be encouraged to have a go on the oars, with the guide’s help of course.  And for the more adventurous kids who are going on a whitewater trip, they will get a chance on the oars on the mellow mile and will learn a lot about safety on whitewater rafting trips.  At the end of the trip, the guide will award those who participated a Dave Hansen Whitewater Jr. Guide patch that the kids will get to bring home as a memento of their river trip. Kids of all ages and abilities, come join us!

Ever wonder how those first cowboys must have felt riding in the mountains of Wyoming? Or how about how the first adventurers felt when they floated down the Snake River when they first came to Jackson Hole?  Well now you can find out! What better way to experience the rolling hills and majestic beauty of Wyoming than from the back of a horse? And even better, you can have the wild Wyoming river experience in the same day.  And still even better, if you book a paddle to saddle package with Dave Hansen Whitewater you receive a 10% discount on both activities! If rafting and horseback riding sounds like too much in one day, there is always the option to split these activities up over a couple of days.  The paddle to saddle package can apply to our whitewater, scenic, or combo trips, and there are a variety of different rides available. Come sign up for a packsge trip this summer at Dave Hansen Whitewater!

The total accumulation of snow at the top of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort has hit 400 inches! And with another three weeks of ski season left, there is potential for a lot more accumulation.  The ski area has received 401 inches of snow at the upper mountain, and 314 inches at the mid mountain area.  What does snow mean for the rafting season in Jackson Hole you ask?  Well, we are all hoping for another epic spring runoff season like we had last year, and we need the snow to pile up in the mountains now so that in a few months when the temperatures rise and the 2009 rafting season begins there is plenty of water for our enjoyment.  The more snow we get now, the higher and more exciting the whitewater river trips will be this spring and summer.  So pray for snow folks, and then come whitewater rafting!