Choose between two dates:

June 18th: Advanced Skills Development (float entire river)

July 8th: Beginner Skills Development (begin with hiking past the more difficult water)

This hiking and paddling adventure sweeps you off your feet...literally! Begin your trip with a private wilderness flight deep into Eagle Cap Wilderness, where you'll land along the wild & scenic Minam River and stay at the luxurious Minam River Lodge where we spend the first day honing our packraft skills before heading downstream. 

For the next four days, travel along the Minam River both by foot and packraft as we explore one of the most important arteries of the Wallowa Mountains. 

For the advanced course: 

Our journey begins right out your front door at Minam River Lodge, launching boats into the river which quickly becomes a class II+ ride for 10 miles with few eddies, fast water, and plenty of fun water for practicing your paddling skills. 

For the beginner course: 

Our journey along the Minam begins with hiking 8-12 miles downstream from MRL to our put in where the river's character is calmer (class I-II) and allows for sightseeing and plenty of practice. 

This is a great trip for active adventurers with some paddling experience looking for a guided wilderness river adventure, but are perhaps new to packrafting. Contact us with any hesitations or questions. 

In addition to an awesome hiking and packrafting adventure, expect gourmet meals, cocktail hours, and a host of optional group activities from fly fishing, to foraging, to stargazing, and more. 

- FLY | HIKE | PADDLE: we'll add fishing, swimming, foraging, and more for a truly multi-sport adventure

- WILD: Experience Oregon's largest wilderness from the water

- LEARN: the basics of packrafting including paddle strokes, gear, loading, safety, how to fly fish, and locally-specific conservation practices

-MINAM RIVER LODGE: kick off the adventure with a chef prepared dinner at the luxury Minam River Lodge and optional stay in one of their cabins or wall tents for night 1

- UNIQUE & EXCLUSIVE: at the time of this writing, Go Wild is the only permitted packrafting guide on the Minam River

- DINE: on chef-prepared, hyper-local gourmet camp grub, including dinner and breakfast at MRL

- EXPLORE & DISCONNECT: travel through the best of the Wallowas with local professional and certified guides

What are Packrafts? Packrafts are ultralight (6-10lbs) single-person inflatable boats that can be rolled up and packed in or on a backpack. They make wilderness float trips like this one possible! 

Do I need previous experience? 

June 18-21: Yep! We require you to either have participated in a Go Wild packrafting tour before, taken a packrafting skills course from one of our partners, or have demonstrated paddling experience. 

July 8-11: Nope! You do not need to be an expert paddler to join this trip, but it can help to have some kayaking experience even if it's on flatwater. We'll focus on developing paddling skills during the entire trip. 

For the July 8th trip how much do we carry during the hike on day 2? While packrafts make a backpacking trip easy when you're on the water (because they carry all the weight), they do add quite a bit to your pack weight despite being lightweight. With the addition of paddling gear (packrafts, paddles, helmets, dry suits), a portion of group food, and your typical backpacking gear, packs can weight anywhere from 40-70lbs. 

Is the trail difficult? That's the good news! The Minam River trail which we follow for the first 8-12 miles before launching our boats is well maintained and slopes slightly downhill.