Selway River

About

Wild & Scenic designation came to the Selway in 1968 as one of the original eight rivers protected under the act, flowing 100 miles through the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness in Idaho County. The Nez Perce called this homeland for millennia before Lewis and Clark noted the river's power in 1805. At 3,200 CFS average flow with optimal levels between 2,000–6,000 CFS, the Selway runs Class III–IV from Paradise to Selway Falls through roadless wilderness that requires advance permits. Below Selway Falls to Lowell, the river moderates to Class II–III with road access for day trips. OARS Idaho runs commercial trips on the permitted wilderness section, which books years in advance. The upper wilderness stretch demands strong Class IV skills and wilderness experience — rescue is measured in days, not hours, from this remote drainage. USGS gauge 13336500 tracks the flows that determine whether the Selway runs pushy and technical or becomes a horizon-line nightmare for unprepared boaters.