Idaho's Snake River stretch thrives as destination

TREASURE VALLEY (AP) - In shades and shorts, Swan Falls Excursions guide Mike Bell counts his blessings on an air-boat tour on the Snake River.

"The heck of it is, I get paid to do this," Bell, a Nampa native and lifelong boating enthusiast, tells a bevy of passengers along for the ride from Walters Ferry to Swan Falls Dam. "That's what I just can't figure out."

In a state long-known for world-class outdoor recreation, local recreation-oriented businesses say this 14-mile stretch of river has gained stature as a destination for both locals and tourists. Leading tours through a canyon strewn with melon-rock boulders and sagebrush, Bell and several other partners started Swan Falls Excursions last summer to offer customers an up-close look at the area's historic and natural attractions.

Another tour operator on this stretch of river, Birds of Prey Expeditions, recently ended a 31-year run offering educational tours this season, although owner Steve Guinn is optimistic about reopening next year. Guinn said the area's popularity has grown steadily in the years since Snake River Birds of Prey was designated in 1993 as a national conservation area.

The operation has traditionally relied heavily on out-of-state tourists, and Guinn said demand has dropped off during the recession.

Swan Falls, meanwhile, hopes to tap into a broader market by offering the only air-boat tours in the western United States. After a slow start to the boating season this year because of weather, the company has expanded its offerings to include kayak tours, air-boat shuttle services and guided fishing trips. Next month they plan to begin offering air-boat tours that also include lunch and a guided tour of Swan Falls Dam.

On the river, Bell enthusiastically recounts snippets of river lore and other details gleaned over years of boating this stretch. Aside from the riverside attractions, which include old mining settlements and unique wildlife, he and Swan Falls co-owners Mark Yates, Gale Anderson and Brandie Lincoln are also drawn to the technical challenges of this stretch of river. Bell, who also has experience guiding tours in Hells Canyon, describes one narrow spot, nicknamed "Suicide Bend," as the most challenging he's ever navigated. Aside from boating, the area has also gained attention as a destination for fishing, floating and camping in recent years.

"There's 700,000 people in this valley, and it's right in their back yard," Bell said. "I've been going out there since I was a kid, and I've never understood why more people don't go out there. It is getting pretty popular now, but you bet it will keep growing."

Rick White, now training to become a licensed Swan Falls guide, has boated this stretch of the Snake for decades. As longtime operator of a boat-repair business in Meridian, Western Whitehouse Repair, White also credits this stretch of river for 20 to 30 percent of his repair business every year.

"I'll get five or six boats (a season) that go down there and bump into rocks, just because of the low water and the technical aspects of it," he said.

Local tackle-and-bait shops say this portion of the Snake is also becoming more of a fishing destination. Wayne Johnson, owner of Angler's Habitat in Caldwell, said most of his business has traditionally stemmed from fly-fishing activity on the Owyhee River and the South Fork of the Boise River. But lately, he said more customers have set their sights on the Snake.

"It's kind of a hidden treasure," Johnson said. "It used to be people didn't float it much, but it's becoming much more popular. It's one of the greatest treasures in the valley that not a lot of people use. And the small-mouth bass fishing can be phenomenal."