Float Down the Snake River in Wyoming

My cousin disappeared into her garage to pack up her inflatable stand-up paddle board, the paddles, and an emergency safety kit which included a fire starter and a safety blanket. When she told me she was packing this emergency kit, my initial response was that I, too, was packing for emergencies. I pulled out a protein bar from my pocket. Needless to say, my provisions were far less useful than hers. 

When it was time to go, we climbed into her black truck to drive down to the river. She technically lives within the boundaries of the park, but her house is located outside of the official entrance. So, we moved along, slowly driving through the entry where a park ranger had to check to make sure we had our National Parks Pass.

The ranger working in the booth was in his seventies with gray hair under his campaign hat. He searched her car for a sticker and was about to ask to see her pass when she cleared her throat. “It’s me,” she said, giving him a wave, “it’s Morgan.”

They’d recently done this same river float together as an activity for the rangers after work. He hadn’t recognized her, but upon seeing her wave and hearing her reminder, he seemed to recall her as his coworker and waved us through.

We drove along the winding roads, through the parking lot, all the way through to the boat ramp. There, we unloaded the stand-up paddle board, deflated and folded on the cement sidewalk.

Our gear consisted of the paddleboard, a seat/life jacket, two paddles, and a backpack.

Hooking up a tube and motor to the truck, we began the process of inflating the paddleboard. It took longer than I had anticipated, and it was difficult for us to determine when it had been inflated sufficiently. The number that was provided in the manual seemed far too high as the board felt fairly filled a few notches down from that number.

Satisfied with the firmness of the board, my cousin went to park the truck in the lot while I attached the chair to the top of the board and prepared to carry it down to the water. I was wearing a pair of borrowed Chacos and felt like I was living up to my role of Wyoming lady.

Floating the Snake River

Ten minutes later we were officially sailing. I sat cross-legged up near the front of the board while my cousin was back against the inflatable seat.

We passed fly fishers who were knee-deep in the water, their gaiters keeping them dry, casting for trout that swam peacefully below us. The water may have looked green from the shore, a testament to the plantlife and river rocks down below, but it was clear and glassy as we moved and the fish with their gray-green scales slipped by like whispers.

Our Snake River Route

We stuck to an easy route, moving with the current. My cousin was in charge of paddling the first half, and she moved them easily as we followed the current. The paddles were assembled like a kayak with two usable sides rather than a traditional stand-up paddle, and she moved them back and forth, scooping back the water on either side of us.

We passed more fishermen who were grumbling with each other from their seats in kayaks. They were not having much luck despite the trout we could see swishing below.

We moved at a leisurely pace, passing a beaver’s cottage and catching sight of a bald eagle resting on the upper branches of a nearby pine. Every few minutes, fish would break the quiet face of the river, jumping for insects that rested on the surface.

It was far from spring, but hatching seasons for insects differ from most animals, so this was prime time for trout to come and eat the little bugs. 

At the halfway point, we split the power bar I had brought (my provisions ended up useful after all!) and I realized that my bladder was about to burst. Cowboy coffee can really go through you!

We paddled over to a small island with a gravel-like beach, and parked our board on its shore. Then I waded out into the cold water until my torso was completely submerged. Relief circled through me as I let out the liquid, and I trotted back to the stone-covered shore, pushed the board out into the water, and we relaunched toward Ox Bend.

Paddling around ox bend on the snake river

It was at this point that I took over paddling. I felt as though I were an early explorer, discovering the beauty of America and the West (though with none of the focus on conquering that my predecessors had). 

I was less capable than my cousin at paddling, needing to switch from a sitting to kneeling to standing position because my hips hurt from sitting cross-legged for so long. Finally, we reached the landing where we would exit from the float.

There was a bit of a current and my cousin had to take over, steering with the paddleboard by placing the paddle behind us and to the left so that we would turn in that direction to head toward the shore. 

Once we’d arrived at the shore, we hauled the paddleboard up, making conversation with some of the fishermen from earlier who had caught up. They joked, saying that they hoped their party hadn’t been bothered us too much, and we laughed and asked them if they’d caught any fish. They hadn’t but it had been good fun anyway.

Up near the parking lot, we waited for my parents to pick up my cousin so that she could drive back with them to retrieve her truck. When we’re not in town, she usually has to load the deflated paddle board onto her electric bike and bike back to the beginning of the float where her car is parked. This was a treat to get a ride back with my parents. 

We deflated the paddle board and folded it up. I waited while my parents took her back to her car. Once they returned, they parked in the loading zone, and we helped put everything back into the truck. Then we said our goodbyes. 

It was time for us to drive through Yellowstone up to Montana where we’d be staying for the next few days. 

It had been a short but eventful two days in Grand Teton National Park and I had a new appreciation for this smaller (but just as mighty) national park. It was hard to say goodbye, but the four-hour drive was calling us away. 

I’d visit again, soon, and with that we were gone. 

Watch the video recap below!