River Guides Find Their Bliss Sharing Wonders of the Snake River in Idaho
Elias Olsen has an office with a view. But instead of staring at towering downtown skyscrapers, Olsen gets to look at towering canyon walls. And picturesque waterfalls. And a variety of wildlife and waterfowl.
That’s because much of the time, Olsen’s office is a pontoon boat floating down the Snake River in Idaho.
As a certified river guide for Banbury Adventures, Olsen makes this trip up to five times a day, showing others the grandeur of Southern Idaho that – as a native of Buhl – he has experienced all his life.
“There is a work element to this, and it can get a little crazy at times,” says Olsen, who just wrapped up his fifth year working as a guide. “But most days, I’m just doing the same things on the river that I used to do as a kid.”
Olin Gardner has enjoyed this type of work life as well, but for considerably longer. Gardner has been rafting along the Snake River and other area waterways since he was in the Boy Scouts in the 1970s. He later turned those childhood activities into a full-time career as the owner (along with his wife, Shelley) of Idaho Guide Service.
During the busy summer months, Idaho Guide Service employs a crew of approximately 20 river guides, Gardner says. Many of them are college students or teachers who get summers off.
“We run about a 10-mile section of the Snake between Hagerman and Bliss, which is an incredible part of the river,” Gardner says. “It has great water quality with a lot of wildlife activity and birding. We like to get out and entertain folks, but also give them information about the river. We want to stress the history and geology of the river and the environmental importance of it.”
River Run, River Fun
Olsen learned about the beauty and importance of the Snake River early in his life. He says his father would take him out on a boat and show him the wildlife and springs that were easy to find, as well as the hidden nooks that lead to some truly spectacular scenery.
“The Snake River is very alive with a lot of different things to do,” Olsen says. “It’s incredible for fishing, whitewater kayaking and flat water paddling. Then, you have the canyon to go along with it, which is just a super-gorgeous monument in the valley and is great for rock climbing. The river is definitely one of the biggest reasons that Southern Idaho is so attractive to outdoor enthusiasts.”
“Being on the river down with the big canyon walls, then wandering along some crystal-clear springs, and then dropping down into some secret canyons for cliff jumping – it’s very full of a lot of different things within a short area. That’s probably the biggest enjoyment for me,” he says.
One of the top spots that Olsen likes to show visitors is Blue Heart Springs, a clear-water oasis known for its beautiful blue color and consistent 58-degree temperature. It is an area that Olsen explored often while growing up.
“That spring actually bubbles up out of the sand like little volcanoes from the bottom of the reservoir of that estuary,” Olsen says. “When it does that, it creates these false-bottom holes of sand. You can reach your hand into them, and it disappears into the sand. As kids, we would sit down in them, and it looked like you were sitting in an underwater hot tub.”
Blue Heart is among the many stops that Olsen likes to make during the typical two-hour tour that Banbury Adventures provides. Other popular destinations include Banbury Hot Springs (a century-old geothermal mineral spring), Box Canyon Springs Nature Preserve (one of the largest springs in North America) and Ritter Island in Thousand Springs State Park (a prime spot to see cascading waterfalls).
“We’ll stop at those places and let people jump in and snorkel around,” Olsen says. “I’ve been here so long, I sometimes get used to it all. But when you take people out who have never been here and start showing them everything about the Snake River, it reminds you just how magical it is.”
Five Ways to Experience the Snake River
The Snake River is a giver, providing numerous ways to enjoy both the water and the surrounding scenic canyon. Here are five suggestions:
- Attend the Idaho Regatta or Wake in the Snake in Burley. The Idaho Regatta race, held each year in late June, involves 10 classes of sprint boats competing on a 1.25-mile course that circles an island in the middle of the river. Meanwhile, the annual Wake in the Snake event in July is a wakeboarding competition for both adults and children.
- Paddle to Shoshone Falls in Twin Falls. To get a close-up view of this 212-foot-high waterfall drop, rent a kayak at Centennial Waterfront Park, then paddle under the Perrine Bridge and past Pillar Falls to Shoshone. The reward is a front-row seat to a scenic beauty that is higher than Niagara Falls.
- Explore Blue Heart Springs in Hagerman. This is one of the many sites that you can experience only by getting out onto the Snake River. In addition to the namesake blue hue of the water, the natural spring is known for its brisk 58-degree temperature.
- Go sturgeon fishing at Niagara Springs Wildlife Management Area in Wendell. The 976-acre Niagara Springs WMA provides public access to 3.5 miles of the Snake River, including two designated sturgeon fishing holes. Anglers in the area have been known to catch sturgeon that are 10 feet long and weigh 300 pounds.
- BASE jump the Perrine Bridge in Jerome. For the truly adventurous, the Perrine Bridge is open to BASE jumping year-round. You can step off the 486-foot-high structure on a tandem jump with an instructor, or simply watch others take the plunge.
Explore Southern Idaho
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