Planning to float the Boise River after season’s end? Keep this in mind
The official Boise float season has come to a close, but that never stops people from getting on the river with a raft, tube or paddleboard while the weather is still hot.
Here’s what to know and how to keep yourself safe if you choose to cool off with a late-summer float.
Your safety is always your responsibility
“This is a wild river, and although we do mitigation efforts, we cannot mitigate all hazards, and we can never say the river is safe to float,” Boise Fire Department Division Chief of Special Operations Mike Walker told the Idaho Statesman earlier this year.
Whether during the official float season or not — which ended on Labor Day weekend — the Parks and Recreation Department urges floaters to understand that they must take measures to keep themselves safe.
The department recommends wearing life jackets, having the correct flotation devices, having a paddle, never floating alone and checking to see whether the river conditions aren’t overly dangerous.
Check the conditions of the river on the Float the Boise website and check current hazards on the river with the interactive map there.
“The Boise River is a wild, scenic river with natural conditions that can change quickly and without warning,” the Float the Boise website states.
What does end of the float season mean?
The official float season opens every year around late June and closes in early September when the river flow is between 500 and 1,500 cubic feet per second to float. This is the ideal flow for less dangerous conditions.
During the float season, rafts and tubes are available for rent and shuttles are available at Ann Morrison Park at the end of the float for transfer back to Barber Park. Once the season ends, the city does not provide tubes or rafts at Barber, and also ends the shuttle service.
Parking fees at Barber Park are also not enforced after the season.
On the river, the Boise Fire Department’s dive team may not be out as much to scope out hazards, Boise Parks and Recreation Director Doug Holloway told the Statesman.
What happens during a river emergency?
If a floater finds themselves in a dangerous situation on the river, they should always call emergency services.
Holloway said floaters can foot the bill before, during or after the season if they need rescued when the Boise Fire Department has issued a “Dangerous River Conditions” designation.
“Rescues anytime when there is posted dangerous river conditions by Boise Fire may result in a charge for rescuing. That would be mostly before the season, but there could be other hazards that prompt the dangerous designation,” Holloway said in an email.
He said such a designation is typically the result of high flows, not because the official float season has concluded.
