Jet Boat Tours

Idaho's Wilderness Fishing Destination

China Bar Lodge – Sportsman’s Retreat

Our jet boats and skilled captains give you a unique ability to catch Steelhead in the most remote and uncrowded places in Idaho.Let us help you hook into an Idaho Steelhead (ocean run Rainbow Trout) while taking in the wilderness of the Salmon River Canyon and it’s wildlife.  We strive to provide the highest quality Idaho Steelhead fishing adventures available. Steelhead fishing with us will give you the best opportunity to hook into that Steelhead you have always wanted.

All China Bar Lodge adventure vacations will enjoy a 37 mile jet boat tour of the Main Salmon River from the end of the road at Vinegar Creek. This exhilarating ride through the wilderness is packed with wildlife viewing, historic stops and photo opportunities while running the whitewater with one of our experienced and fun jet boat captains.

We are located in the prime location for Idaho Steelhead and our lodges offer a unique advantage for our fishermen to be successful along with great food and accommodations. Our lodge location at China Bar and also at Mackay Bar provides for an exciting opportunity to catch the fish of a lifetime in one of the most remote areas in the lower 48 states. Catching Steelhead is what we live for, let us bring you the dedication and quality you deserve and expect.

Hells Canyon has 3 access points – the North Entrance at Lewiston/Clarkston, the Middle Entrance at Pittsburgh Landing and the South Entrance at Hells Canyon Dam/Hells Canyon Creek Visitor Center. You travel on the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway when you come into the south entrance of Hells Canyon. Hells Canyon Adventures offers jet boat tours, 1 & 2 day rafting trips with jet boat return, fishing charters, and shuttle services in the Wild Section of the Snake River in Hells Canyon. From Hells Canyon Dam to Kirkwood is the Wild Section of Hells Canyon. The Wild Section includes all the major white water rapids, all the deepest points both on the Oregon and Idaho side. You can only access this section of Hells Canyon by boat, by plane, or by foot. That makes what we do very important, we provide access for the public. Hells Canyon Adventures provides a variety of tours so that people of all ages and abilities can experience Hells Canyon.

We specialize in fishing trips and historical tours by jet boat on the Salmon River the "River of No Return" and the Snake River in "Hells Canyon". Enjoy Sport Fishing for Steelhead, Salmon, Sturgeon, Smallmouth Bass and Rainbow Trout.

Visit rare Historical Tour Sites including Polly Bemis Ranch and Buckskin Bills in the Frank Church Wilderness on the Salmon River Tour and Historic Kirkwood Ranch, Sheep Creek, and Bernard Cabin in Hells Canyon.

View wildlife such as Bighorn Sheep, Eagles, Black Bears, Deer, and Elk.

Home of the Annual "Women With Bait" Steelhead fishing tournament and proud supporter of many community events.

Full Day Jet Boat Adventure "River of No Return" Wilderness Tour

Idaho’s Wild and Scenic Main Salmon River cuts through the heart of the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness, the largest wilderness in the lower 48 states. The largest free flowing river in North America our Salmon River jet boat tours wind through the second deepest canyon on the continent. Salmon River jet boat tours are exciting, historical, wilderness adventure vacations, offering a unique chance to disconnect from civilization and become immersed in a virtually untouched natural wonder.

Great Experiences

Our jet boats journey up the Main Salmon River where many turn around, come experience these historical sites and homesteads: Polly Bemis Ranch, Buckskin Bills Museum, Shepp Ranch, Mackay Bar, Painter Mine, Reho Wolf’s Cabin at Rhett Creek, China Bar and Lodge. The jet boat captain’s will share their knowledge about the Native American Tribes, the gold rush and mountain men that lived here. Our clients will be encouraged to enjoy many of the pristine white sandy beaches of the Salmon River where you can swim or relax. Our wildlife almost always includes sightings of Bighorn Sheep, Bald and Golden Eagles, Osprey, Deer, Elk and an occasional Mountain Goat, River Otter, Bear and more. We have specialty private charters such as Eagle watching, Photography Trips and wine tasting excursions.

History

Now you can experience the river that turned Lewis and Clark back with a scenic jet boat tour of the famous “River of No Return”. Lewis and Clark came across the Salmon River and went on to describe it as “foaming and roaring through rocks in every direction, so as to render the passage of anything impossible.” This was in 1805 and it would be nearly fifty years later before gold was discovered that the drainage would be thoroughly explored and catalogued. Gold fever brought about an era of mining and prospecting that ultimately only managed to produce fewer pinches of gold dust than epic stories of survival and perseverance.