Located directly in the middle of nowhere, the Bruneau River spans the Nevada and Idaho borders. It has a short window for whitewater rafting with some incredible canyons to explore. It also has fishing for native redband trout. Rafting the Bruneau River is tricky because it does not have reliable flows. When the water is pushing though, it’s among the most unique rafting trips in the country.

Bruneau River Flows And Weather

Float Notes

The river is a 40 mile float through deep canyons and remote wilderness. Flows are critical here and you need high water to make it passable. Class IV rapids are great for kayakers and rafts and the river has several technical drops. The best way to float here is by watching the flow charts and remaining flexible on dates.

You can launch on the Jarbidge or the Bruneau River. Launching at the Jarbidge Forks is ideal for kayaks or small rafts in very high flows. The other raft launch is where the Jarbidge River meets the west fork of the Bruneau. The Jarbidge River is almost constant Class III with multiple class IV rapids and the class V Jarbidge Falls.

The Bruneau consists of numerous call III-IV rapids and a 35 mile long canyon that is impressive in length and depth. You can soak in Indian Hot Springs just before entering the canyon. Great campsites are scattered throughout the entire float as well.

Bruneau River Shuttles

Considering the remote location, you can actually pull off a shuttle here. Call ahead of your trip to make sure they can move your rig.

Jumbo’s Auto – 208-845-2150

Ken Erwin – 208-845-2756

Bruneau River Fishing

The fishing in Nevada and Idaho sections primarily consists of redband rainbow trout and mountain whitefish. The remote nature of the canyons means these fish see little pressure. Few rafters think about fishing here either. It’s worth bringing along a rod to target the native rainbow trout. This river once saw migrations of steelhead and salmon but they are no longer present.