Cascade Raft & Kayak

The best experience! Far exceeded expectations! First time rafting and the guides were helpful and informative. Not only were they experts in training but had the best lame river jokes. Stayed entertained throughout. The photos and commentary were great too. Will definitely be back!

Had the best time with Gordon the Admiral, today! Coming back for an all day rafting next time. For a beginner at class III and IV it was a ton of fun!

It’s been about 10 years or so since we moved to the Boise area. Believe or not we’re not the outdoor type in regards to camping and hunting, but I was referred to Cascade Raft and Kayak from a good friend who is the embodiment of the guy on the Brawny paper towel. Second year in the swelling hot summer of Boise led us to wanting to cool down. It was only a couple of us but the service and the time given to us about river safety and rafting was very genuine and personable. Since that time, we have been frequent customers of Cascade Raft and Kayak outfitters. We have averaged two trips per summer. We have shared The white water experience with visitors from France to Mexico and all in between. The guides are very knowledgable and very friendly. There are different river options ranging from family fun Class 2 and Class 3 to my experienced runs that have Class 4. There are half day expeditions and full day. Please take a moment to visit their website or call them and they’ll be able to answer any and every question. Want to impress visitors from out of state who think Idaho is only about potatoes? Do a main Payette white water adventure and they’ll be in awe of the natural beauty, serenity, and the awesome raw power of the river. Check them out today.

Wonderful place! We are from New Jersey and loved every aspect of this place! The service was outstanding and our tour guide, Seth was awesome! We would definitely recommend him as a tour guide. Thank you so much for such a memorable experience! :)

Awesome experience! We did the splash adventure with our kids ages 9 to 19 and it was perfect for our 1^st time. Guides were cool (Weaver i think it was with a trainee) we will definitely do it again and try a different package. Again, everything about this place was above expectations.

What a great experience for our family visiting from San diego. Family owned business treated us really well. We did the ½ day run, and our 10 and 7 y/​o loved it. as did mom and dad! Best thing we did our entire vacation.

I thought I posted this originally when I got back from my vacation, but I guess I didn’t.
Sorry Cascade — it’s late but it’s still 5 stars.
The best river rafting experience I’ve ever had. And I’ve never had one so the bar is set very high.
We will be back.

I scheduled a group rafting trip for my dads 60^th birthday way ahead of time. The staff was very friendly and helpful in getting things set up and in helping answer my many questions. Since we are from out of state I had many questions!
We were running late in getting to our rafting time on time and the staff was flexible in getting us in still. They were very nice about it.
Our experience once there continued to be wonderful! Great staff, very knowledgable, friendly, and fun! We all felt safe and comfortable and had lots of fun. It was just a great experience!

Took my kids (11, 9, and 6) on the «The Splash» Half Day Main Payette. It was the kids first time rafting. Our excellent guide was Brindi and we had a blast. The kids didn’t want it to be over. Cascade takes pictures at 2 or 3 points along the river and sell them for $ 15 per photo or $ 85 for all (14 in my case) which is obviously expensive, but the photos were good and they give you the full resolution digital copy via dropbox (or CD if you’re olde skool).
They also have a shop where you park with a bit of food, drink, and other misc items.
Per other Unilocaler’s feedback about things being stolen from car after they left their key with the rafting company, I decided to keep my car key on me during the rafting trip tied to my shorts drawstring, though I highly doubt anyone working there would steal anything.

Such a great experience. We want to come back and experience the class 4 rapids. Our trip had class 3 it was really fun. The staff is truly awesome. Our guide Mychael was the best!

First of all, shout out to our guide, Parker… you ROCK! Your quote of the day, «Get up, Bob! Get up!», said after my dad fell into the boat and not the river. Thanks for making our first rafting trip an awesome experience!
As a first-​timer, I was on the phone numerous times asking a bunch of questions before making final reservations, and they were so informative, sweet, and polite every time. We settled on «The Rush». It’s a half day trip that covers 8-​miles with class III-​IV rapids on the lower south fork of the Payette. They even stop for a little cliff jumping from 25 feet up for those who need a little extra adrenaline boost.
Some added bonuses… water shoes and jackets are provided at no extra cost, and they have a photographer taking shots along the way. When it comes to the photographer, I would like to make a suggestion… shots of us cliff jumping would have been awesome to have as well as sliding up the rock on our rafts. Any way you could have two photographers out there so they can tag team to cover more areas?
I can’t wait to go again. We’re already planning our next trip. I would recommend Cascade Raft and Kayak Co. to anyone. All-​around excellent customer service and experience. They get two-​thumbs up for sure!

We had an amazing time rafting today… Until we got back to our car to get cash for a tip for our guide & someone had broken into our car. I had $ 160 on me & my friend had $ 30. The only way anyone could have got into our car was if they had a key. Guess who offers to hold our keys. If you do raft with this co, beware don’t leave any personal items in the car or with them and don’t leave your keys. That’s why they get 1 star.

I always enjoy doing ANY outting with Cascade and the Long family. I sent them my youngest son to attend their kids kayaking camp for two sessions this summer. He is only 12 and I was a little nervous sending him all the way to Idaho from SoCal to spend 8 days on the rapids in a boat that tips!
Chad Long relieved all my fears and was so sensitive to my son’s first time away from home! He became a mentor to my son as well as many members of his staff, all of whom get my biggest thanks and a 100% recommendation for anyone considering sending their child to for camp or lessons. My son left camp so exciting to share what he learned and eager to come back to his Cascade family!

I went on a warm Saturday w/​4 other ppl. We chose the half-​day south fork at 1pm. My only other rafting trip was in Tennessee.
So this particular rafting trip had a lot of fun additions and the rapids were exciting (Class IV, V). At one point, the guide pulls to the left bank and announces we can climb up the rocks and jump in the river. So there I was, at the edge of a 30 ft cliff, considering hurling myself into the river. And then I jumped :) However, some ppl freaked out at the top and climbed back down, lol. Then you can «ride the bull»…if you don’t know what the means, I’ll let that be a surprise. And of course, you get to jump ship and float the river at a calm section.
I will warn the South Fork is quite cold (the water comes from the bottom of the reservoir), so I really recommend a warm summer day. Also, the staff was very friendly and responsible. They even have a few safety kayakers that follow you through the tough spots.
I wouldn’t bring a first-​time family or kids under 12, it gets kinda rough.

Cascade Raft Co. showed us a great time on it’s tour called «The Rush,» which included Class III and IV rapids for a half-​day tour on the Lower South Fork of the Payette River. We went out with them in August of last year. Our guide, Dustin, was professional, passionate about the outdoors, and not hesitant to share his opinions. I liked his pro-​wolf water bottle that said «Little Red Riding Hood was wrong.» We were first-​timers, and we had a great experience with these guys.