After longtime shuttle service on Idaho's Salmon River closes shop, outfitters left 'scratching our heads'

Eli Francovich, The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
·3 min read

Jan. 5—A mainstay of river trips on the Middle Fork and main stem of Idaho's Salmon River is closing up shop.

Caldwell Transportation Company is closing after 20 years of shuttling boaters of all stripes to put-ins and take-outs on the Middle Fork Salmon River and River of No Return section of the Salmon River, both of which cut through the 2.3-million-acre Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness, according to a news release.

The closure has left commercial outfitters and private boaters looking for a solution.

"They gave their notice last summer," ROW Adventures founder Peter Grubb said in an email. "We outfitters are all scratching our heads and hoping another company steps in!"

In an effort to find another company, the Middle Fork Outfitters Association hired Steve Stuebner, an outdoor PR and marketing specialist to send out a news release looking for a new shuttle service.

"There's 40 river businesses trying to figure out what they're going to do next summer," said Steve Zettel, owner of Idaho Wilderness Company, a Middle Fork outfitter, based in Challis, Idaho, in the release. "We see this as a business opportunity for an existing bus or transportation company that might want to expand to Stanley, Idaho."

Shuttling river rats, however, is a complicated endeavor, warned Dustin Aherin, the owner and operator of Idaho River Adventures. Middle Fork and Salmon River outfitters take about 10,000 people a year on weeklong wilderness whitewater rafting trips, according to the statement. Private float parties also need shuttle services.

At the beginning and conclusion of each trip, bus/shuttle services are needed to drop off and pick up customers. For reference, Caldwell Transportation had eight buses running a day for a season that is anywhere from 90 to 120 days long.

"There is very much room to expand," Aherin said . "(But) it's a hard business. It would be seven days a week for three consecutive months."

One boon? The shuttle service doesn't need federal permits as it operates under the outfitter's permit, Aherin said. Still, it's hard and demanding work.

"My wife and I spent 21 summers in Stanley, raised three kids, loved living in the mountains, and ran the business. We just decided it was time," Mike Stephenson of Caldwell Transportation said in the release.

Transportation service is needed to the following river launch points, according to the news release:

Boundary Creek launch point on the 100-mile Middle Fork. Twenty-five miles of single-lane dirt road.

* Nearest town: Stanley.

* Corn Creek launch point on the 80-mile Salmon River, River of No Return section. Corn Creek is 40 miles from U.S. Highway 93 on the Salmon River Road. The drive features 25 miles of dirt road. Nearest town: Salmon.

Cache Bar takeout, the end of the trip for Middle Fork floaters. Cache Bar also is accessed via the Salmon River Road, 33 miles from North Fork. The drive features 20 miles of dirt road. Nearest town: Salmon.

There are other commercial shuttle operations working in Idaho, Aherin said. Historically, those companies worked in their own geographic locations, meaning Caldwell's closure leaves a hole.

"Caldwell was providing a heck of a service," Aherin said.