Snake River 13-mile float review: time on the water
My verdict: the cheapest tour on this site, and one where it helps to know how the time is spent. Christina reported that the actual length of the outing did not match the details, and that she was on the water about an hour and a half. The listing runs to three and a half. Everything else here is good — a guide, transport, a life jacket, rain gear, hotel pickup, thirteen miles of flat water with the range alongside — but book it understanding that the headline duration is the outing, not the float.
Christina’s hour and a half
Start with the timing. Christina wrote that the actual length of the outing did not match the details and that they were on the water about an hour and a half, against a listing that runs three and a half hours.What I can tell you is where the other two hours go on a trip like this: hotel pickup, the drive to the put-in, the safety briefing and getting a group into life jackets, then the take-out, the shuttle and the drive back.All of it is time you are not on the river.
So do the arithmetic the way you would for any purchase. At $109 this is the cheapest tour on this site, and if Christina’s experience is typical, you get roughly ninety minutes of floating with transfers around it, which is still good value for the view. Ask the operator to confirm the water time when you book, and if the answer matters to you, get it before you pay rather than at the take-out.
What the other reviewers found on the river
The float itself reads well. Jeanne reported sightings of beaver, bald eagle and osprey — the most specific wildlife list on either of the two river listings. Diana’s guide was Corey, who pointed out bald eagles for the boat. Danielle called it a great way to start her trip, which is exactly the use I would put it to: a low-effort first morning that gives you the range from water level before you spend the rest of the week looking at it from roads. Kay J, Kathy and Larry fill in the rest. 4.8 from 105 reviews is a better score than the busier 7-mile float manages, on roughly half the base.
This is a scenic trip rather than a safari. Both floats sell scenery, and the animals are whatever happens to be standing on the bank as you pass. If the wildlife is the reason for the trip, the guided wildlife tour exists for that and has 695 reviews saying it works. The realistic list of what shows up, hedged, is at what wildlife will I see.
Cost, and the gate
Nothing here includes park entry. Only the eco safari does, and even that covers the vehicle pass rather than a non-resident’s per-person surcharge. If your trip involves driving into the park on any day — and it should — you pay the vehicle pass at the entrance station, currently $35 and valid seven days per the NPS fee page, plus the surcharge if you are visiting from abroad. Where and how to buy it, including the fact that the park takes cards and not cash, is on where to buy tickets.
What works
- The cheapest tour on this site at $109
- 4.8 from 105 reviews — a better score than the busier 7-mile float
- Jeanne saw beaver, bald eagle and osprey; Diana’s guide Corey found eagles for the boat
- Guide, transport, life jacket, rain gear and hotel pickup all included
- Danielle used it as a first-morning opener, which is what it is best at
Worth knowing
- Christina was on the water about 1.5 hours against a 3.5-hour listing
- The listed duration covers pickup, the drive, the briefing and the shuttle back
- Scenic float only — no whitewater and no guarantee of animals
- Park entry is not included, as with five of the six tours here
- 105 reviews so far; the flagship safari carries nearly seven times as many
Ask what the actual water time is when you book, and get the answer in writing on your confirmation. One reviewer here timed it against the listing and came up two hours short, so it is worth asking before you set out.
Who it is for
Budget travellers, anybody wanting a gentle first morning, and families who would rather sit on flat water than sit in a vehicle. If the reported water time puts you off, the 7-mile float is a shorter listing with no such complaint attached, and the two are compared properly on the floats page. If you want animals rather than scenery, a wildlife safari is the better fit.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the 13-mile float actually on the water?
The listing says three and a half hours for the outing. Reviewer Christina wrote that the actual length did not match the details and that they were on the water about an hour and a half. The balance goes on pickup, the drive to the put-in, the briefing and the shuttle back. Ask the operator to confirm before you book.
Is it worth $109 if the float is short?
For a lot of people, yes — it is the cheapest tour on this site and it rates 4.8 from 105 reviews, with Jeanne reporting beaver, bald eagle and osprey. Just buy it as a half-day outing with a float in the middle rather than as three and a half hours of drifting. The alternatives are at all Grand Teton tours.
Is there any whitewater?
None. Both Snake River trips on this site are scenic floats on flat water. The two are compared on the Snake River floats page.
Does it include park entry?
No. Five of the six tours here exclude it, and the vehicle pass is bought from the National Park Service at the entrance station or online — see where to buy tickets. Non-US residents also owe a per-person surcharge, explained at the non-resident fee page.