The Payette River Flatwater Trail is an easy river float through the lower end of Long Valley, combined with a mountain bike ride on a gravel road as a shuttle.
It offers a gentle (no rapids) 12-mile float that takes three to six hours to paddle from the Idaho 55 bridge on the southside of Cascade to the Cabarton boat ramp off Cabarton Road.
This section is ideal for families in kayaks, canoes and stand up paddle boards.
Sometimes the wind blows upstream, so adjust your time schedule to allow for a slower trip.
Expect to see lots of birds, including a great blue heron rookery, ducks, eagles, ospreys and other birds. There is also an elk-viewing area on the river.
When I floated this section last fall, I also spotted a black bear and deer early in the morning near the takeout while I was dropping my mountain bike by the bridge.
Once on the water, view Snowbank Mountain to the west where granite peaks glitter in the sunshine. Below the sub-alpine area, the lush timber of the Boise National Forest graces the steep slopes harboring various hikes to high alpine lakes in the West Mountains including Blue, Hidden, Lost and Shirts lakes.
The river meanders on its path southward. Brush and driftwood tend to pile up on the outside of the turns, so give the debris wide berth.
At flows above 2,000 cfs, the current is stronger and requires more attention to avoid the cluttered shorelines.
While in the Cascade area, consider visiting Kelly’s Whitewater Park, near milepost 114 on Idaho 55 in Cascade.
Check out the 2,660- square-foot visitor center, featuring large windows facing East Mountain and the river. Indoor seating makes it convenient and comfortable to watch boaters play on the waves.
Educational indoor displays describe the local history of Valley County, and the center provides luxurious changing rooms and flush toilets.
Kayakers, tubers, body boarders and canoeists practice their skills on the river’s waves and float downstream through the whitewater park.
You can take out at the bottom of the park and easily walk back to your vehicle, or continue about a mile to the Fischer Pond Park boat launch.
If you want to take on moderately challenging rapids, paddle the Class III whitewater section of the North Fork of the Payette River starting at the bridge on Cabarton Road.
Popular with kayakers and rafters skilled in running whitewater, this stretch passes through a roadless area, and then parallels Idaho 55 as it nears Smiths Ferry.
If you want to camp, Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation has several campgrounds on the southern shores of Lake Cascade.
The paved Lakeshore Drive, on the east side of the lake, provides a flat and scenic bicycle ride.
GETTING THERE
For the Cabarton boat launch/take out: Take Idaho 55 north towards Cascade. At about 65 miles from Boise, turn west on Cabarton Road near the Clear Creek Station Restaurant. Go 1.7 miles to the boat launch on the left.
To do the flatwater float, drop a vehicle or a bicycle for the shuttle.
Return to Idaho 55. Continue 7 miles north to the bridge at the south end of Cascade. Turn east into the parking for Fischer Pond Park. Launch at the boat ramp adjacent to the park.
For a bicycle shuttle, mountain bike the gravel/dirt Cabarton Road through ranch land along the river for 7 miles north until it rejoins Idaho 55. Turn south on the highway and continue a mile south to Fischer Pond Park. The bicycle ride takes about 40 minutes.
MORE INFORMATION
For details on Kelly’s Whitewater Park go to: kellyswhitewaterpark.com.
For camping call Lake Cascade State Park at (208) 382-6544 or go to parksandrecreation.idaho.gov/parks/lakecascade.aspx.
Natalie Bartley is a freelance outdoors writer and the author of two trail guidebooks. Email: natbartley@earthlink.net.
