The Selway River flows through portions of north-central Idaho within the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. The Selway is unique because it is the only river in the United States that received instant inclusion as a wild river, in both the National Wilderness Preservation System and the Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The natural beauty of the canyon, combined with the challenge of the rapids and the outstanding opportunities for solitude, make the Selway one of the highest quality whitewater rivers in the nation.

The main fork of the Selway is about 100 miles in length, from the headwaters in the Bitterroot Range of the Rocky Mountains to the confluence with the Lochsa River near Lowell, Idaho. It is a tributary of the Middle Fork of the Clearwater River and drains 106,977 acres of Idaho County. It begins above 9,000 feet in elevation and ends at more than 1,400 feet.

The river flows for 47 miles through the heart of the wilderness. From the Paradise Launch Site to the Race Creek Take-out, the river drops an average of 28 feet per mile, creating a technical whitewater experience that challenges even expert boaters. Numerous exposed and barely submerged rocks, and stretches of unbroken whitewater with very few quiet recovery pools, require a high level of skill and expertise. Immediately below the confluence with Moose Creek, the increased gradient of 50-feet-per-mile combines with a major increased volume of flow, creating an extremely demanding technical section of the river. 

While the river was designated an official recreation river when the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act was passed by the U.S. Congress in 1968, the Idaho Legislature recommended the Selway and its five tributaries as Outstanding Resource Waters in 2002. The relatively new designation commemorates the river's powerful discharge. 

The Selway River employs a permit system to protect it from excessive human impacts. As part of the protection plan, we ask you to learn and practice “Leave No Trace” ethics. Because of the remote location, man’s presence in the area was somewhat limited, leaving it in the condition we see today. Though there are trails, private ranches, a Forest Service Station and a few landing strips, access is limited and opportunities for solitude abound. 

Tools For Selecting Launch Dates

The below resources can be helpful when determining which lottery dates to apply for based on your level of expertise. 

1. Study the flow chart found here .

The "Summary Hydrograph" tab shows average flows by date. 

NOTE: this link refers to the Lowell gauge and reads in CFS. The Lowell gauge does not correlate to the Paradise foot gauge. A conversion sheet can be found here 

2. The Natural Resources Conservation Service provides a Snow Water Equivalent map , updated daily, for Idaho. This compares the amount of snow in the basin to the average amount for that calendar day. This can be a good indicator of how much water we may have over the course of a season.