It starts with three rivers...
Very often rafting is the highlight of any vacation to Yellowstone. This is in part because of the three great rivers that run through the national park’s ecosystem. The Gallatin, Snake, and Yellowstone Rivers along with their many tributaries are the heart pumping pathways of this magical environment. They course through some of the most beautiful parts of the park and surrounding valleys. There vital place in this ecosystem makes them centers of geologic history, organic prosperity, wildlife activity, and exploratory travel. 

Different river characteristics make for a different experience
You may have experienced the feeling of navigating a rubber raft downhill among, waves, obstacles, and river features while riding an always moving current of last years snow pack before, or you may just think it sounds fun. Regardless, you have some options when vacationing to Yellowstone. As you have no doubt seen and experienced, rivers can vary greatly in their characteristics. Some can be wide, shallow, and meandering like, for example, the large Mississippi, Missouri, and Columbia rivers are, for much of their lengths. Since Yellowstone is so close to the continental divide, area rivers are generally much lower in volume, offer more gradient, and consist of more obstacles than these more eroded cousins.

Gallatin River
RiverGradient +++++
Volume ++
Obstacles +++++
Run Quality: Great

The Gallatin River is the least eroded of the Yellowstone rafting rivers. It’s position in the narrow Gallatin Canyon leaves it loaded with great features that make it not only one of the most popular rivers for whitewater rafting enthusiasts, but also for kayakers and fishermen. Its steep gradient means that there are many places on the river where the water pools up and passes quickly between large boulders and steep banks. It also provides one stretch of the river, often called the “Mad Mile,” where rapids are virtually continuous. The nature of the Gallatin Valley also means that the Gallatin River is relatively low in water volume with many large boulders -- making obstacles that your guide and you will maneuver around in the water. Overall this river’s high gradient, low volume, and many obstacles create a fun and exciting rafting environment that is great for experienced rafters and their families too!

Yellowstone River
Gradient ++
Volume ++++
Obstacles ++
Run Quality: Fair

The Yellowstone River is one of the larger meandering rivers in the area. It’s headwaters reside inside the national park, the section of the river inside the park offers more gradient, less volume and more obstacles. This would make for a great whitewater adventure, however Yellowstone National Park is the only park in the nation where it is not legal to access the rivers inside the park to float for any reason. Outside the park is a different story! Beginning in the town of Gardiner, MT the Yellowstone River begins to slow down as it hits the wide open Paradise Valley and offers shorter sections of rapids separated by large slow pools of water. The waves found in these rapids can get your whole boat wet, but may leave you wanting more.

Snake River
Gradient ++++
Volume +++++
Obstacles ++
Run Quality: Good

The Snake River, like the Yellowstone is a relatively high volume river. Unlike the Yellowstone it begins meandering through the wide open expanse of Teton Valley before it regroups and flows through the steeper Alpine Canyon. This gives the run a fair amount of gradient as it goes through the canyon. There are some good quality rapids on the run that can get your boat wet or maybe even flip it over! The large amount of water that flows through the canyon means that it is pretty well eroded and most of the obstacles are cleared out, leaving your raft crew with little to do. Just make sure your guide can keep you in the middle of the river and point you at the waves!

You will have a great time on the river! But we can help!!
No matter which Yellowstone whitewater rafting trip you go on, you are sure to have a great time! You can’t go wrong in such an amazing place as long as you respect the river, listen to your professional guide and make sure to smile when you get your picture taken!

If you have any further questions about how to book a raft trip, or have more questions about the river options and stretches that would be the most fun for your group, feel free to give us a call at: 406-995-4989 or email at whitewater@raftmontana.com. Our passionate river staff will be glad to help.


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Geyser Whitewater Expeditions

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We love this old school video...Headed to Yellowstone, check it out.

Contact Geyser Whitewater Expeditions for more info on any rafting, zipline and horseback packages.

At Geyser Whitewater Expeditions we have most of the gear you will need for a raft trip.  Wetsuits and booties can be rented and we will have a nylon rafting, life jacket and helmet for everyone. If you didn't plan ahead to go rafting, no worries, we have you covered.  If you are a planner, a couple of essentials from home may add to your experience though.  We will keep it simple:

Bring a fleece jacket - We will wear this underneath a wetsuit on cooler days.
Bring a pair of non-cotton socks.  Ski socks or a wool sock works great.  Although not required it will add a nice touch of comfort.
Bring a dry change of clothes.  A warm sweatshirt goes a long way after a raft trip, even on a warm day.
Water - We have water you can buy if you don't have any handy.  Feel free to bring it in the boat with you.
Sunscreen.
Sunglass straps, disposable cameras and plenty of fun souvenirs are available for purchase in our shop.

The Gallatin River in Big Sky, Montana is probably the best rafting in Montana and the Yellowstone Region.  We hope you can join us!

​http://www.raftmontana.com

​For many visitors, a whitewater adventure on the Gallatin River is the highlight of a Yellowstone Vacation but its often hard to figure out all the details when searching online back home.  Fear not, we're tourists too sometimes, so we know there's a lot of information out there when you are planning a trip.  Sometimes so much so it muddles the picture and hard to figure out what to do with precious vacation time. We thought it would be helpful to take a moment to answer some of the questions our guests commonly ask and maybe help you decide which trip to book.
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​Here are some questions to think about when deciding what trip is good for your group.

Does the group want exciting whitewater, introductory whitewater or maybe everyone just wants to kick back and relax on our Grand Scenic Tour?

We use three sections of river:

• The Lower Whitewater Trip which includes the Mad Mile.
• The Upper Whitewater, a fun class II and III section of river that is less technical then the Lower.
• The third section is upstream of Big Sky, Montana and is a fantastic scenic float featuring great scenery.

Do you have kids and what are their ages?
Generally we have trips for kids 6 and older.

What time of the year will you be rafting?

May and June-
This tim of the year can be high water, creating some of the largest rapids of the year on the river. The rapids have higher volume wave trains from class II to IV.

• During this time younger families and those looking for splashy fun but not necessarily the roughest whitewater should be looking at the Upper Whitewater trip.
• Adventurous groups of adults or older teens looking for the most thrills should book the Lower Whitewater.
• Scenic floats are available daily for anyone 6 and older.

July - September -
The river starts getting lower and a bit slower offering fun Class II and III whitewater.

• Our minimum age starts to drop for the Lower Whitewater as the river goes down.  By mid July the Lower becomes a super fun class III trip that is great for families and provides plenty of action for seasoned rafters.  As they say "there's never a bad day on the river."
• The Upper Whitewater will become an introductory class I-III rafting trip as the summer  goes on.  A great first time trip for young families.
• Of course one of our favorite trips the Scenic Float, is always available until mid-August usually.

Gallatin River Rafting trips meet in Big Sky, Montana.  This is the most convenient rafting for those visiting Yellowstone Park, West Yellowstone, Big Sky and Bozeman.

Our vacation packages include any combination of the following:

• Discounted Lodging
• Rafting
• Zipline Adventures
• Horseback Riding
• Yellowstone Itineraries
• Fishing
• Hiking
• Mountain Bike riding
• Lake SUP and boat rentals
• Scenic Chairlift/tram rides
• Imax
• Grizzly Wolf and Discovery Center
• Discounts on local dining, shopping and activities.

Feel free to contact us anytime if you have questions.  We look forward to meeting you!

​406.994.4989












 

They are calling it "March Madness" around here in Yellowstone country but we're not talking hoops.  March Madness refers to the amount of snowfall we are getting this Spring.  As I write this, Yellowstone and Big Sky Resort have had 11 out of 15 days of snow!  It's welcome around here though, the snow pack provides great whitewater rafting conditions all summer long and helps to keep the forest fires away later in the summer.  Our snowpack for the season has catapulted to 107% of average thus far this season.
We are eagerly awaiting the opening of rafting season in the Yellowstone region, we will start running trips on the Gallatin River near Big Sky, Montana in early May and will be in the full swing of things for the Memorial Day Weekend.
The phones are going off the hook with visitors planning their summer vacation to Yellowstone and Big Sky Resort.  I love talking to guests about their plans and being able suggest fun itineraries, activities and lodging advise. Just this morning we saved a family over $500 for a week of Yellowstone lodging, ziplining, rafting and horseback rides.  If you need advise too, don't hesitate to call. 406-995-4989
This is a great place to start your Yellowstone and Big Sky Resort travel planning, start clicking on the links to the right and read some of the blog posts to help you with your Yellowstone summer vacation planning.

Low water, big fun!  A picture speaks a thousand words.  Gallatin River rafting near Yellowstone in Big Sky Montana.  www.raftmontana.com

Click to enlarge

The Yellowstone EPIC Pass was a new package for us this year and the awesome benefits it offers quickly became our most popular package.  Hands down the best deal for rafting and zipline adventures in Big Sky and West Yellowstone Montana, near Yellowstone Park.  Families appreciate the benefits around town on shopping and dining and all the free items that are included make this the ultimate family deal.  Check it out on our website here and call if you have any questions.

High flying thrills await at the zipline adventure park.  Voted the "World's Best Design", there is nothing else like it.  No guides to wait around for, this 49 element aerial adventure park features the only self-navigating ziplines in the country...check it out, it's "woo-hoo inspiring!"