From the base of Jackson Lake Dam through the heart of Grand Teton National Park to the Class III whitewater of the Snake River Canyon below Jackson.
About the River
The Snake River rises at 8,200 feet on the Two Ocean Plateau, just inside the southeast corner of Yellowstone National Park, then flows south through Jackson Lake, a natural lake enlarged by a dam at its outlet. From there it winds through the broad valley floor of Jackson Hole, threading the base of the Teton Range through Grand Teton National Park as one of the only rivers in the Lower 48 designated Wild and Scenic for its entire length within a national park. South of the town of Jackson the character changes: the valley narrows into the Snake River Canyon, where the current picks up and the river drops through eight miles of Class II-III whitewater before slowing into the backwater of Palisades Reservoir near Alpine, Wyoming, a few miles short of the Idaho state line.
Every pursuit on this list of a river guide shows up somewhere on the Snake. The stretch through Grand Teton National Park is the classic Jackson Hole scenic float: flat, braided, and thick with wildlife, moose, otters, bald eagles, and the occasional grizzly along the banks, best fished and floated from a raft or drift boat rather than waded. Below Jackson, the Snake River Canyon is the region's whitewater and commercial rafting hub, built around named rapids like Lunch Counter and Big Kahuna. Underneath all of it swims the Snake River fine-spotted cutthroat trout, a subspecies found nowhere else on earth, native to this exact run of river between Jackson Lake and Palisades Reservoir.
The gauge near Moose is the reference point for the upper float sections; a separate gauge near Alpine tracks the canyon whitewater below Jackson, since the Snake picks up the Gros Ventre, Hoback, and Flat Creek along the way and runs meaningfully higher there than at Moose. Boating through Grand Teton National Park (Jackson Lake Dam to Moose) requires a park boat permit and Wyoming AIS decal; the Bridger-Teton National Forest requires a separate Snake River Special Recreation Permit for the corridor from Wilson down through the canyon, in effect May through October. Peak flows arrive with snowmelt in late May and June; late summer and fall bring lower, clearer water that favors wade and drift-boat fishing.
Flow Guide
The table below shows recommended CFS ranges for each major activity at each section. The upper Grand Teton float sections track the Moose gauge; the Snake River Canyon whitewater section runs meaningfully higher and tracks a separate gauge near Alpine, since several tributaries join downstream of Moose.
| Pursuit | Dam to Pacific Creek | Pacific Creek to Deadman's Bar | Deadman's Bar to Moose | Moose to Wilson | Wilson to West Table | Snake River Canyon |
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* Flow ranges are general guidelines. Conditions vary; always assess local hazards before launching. Grand Teton National Park requires a boat permit north of Moose; the Bridger-Teton National Forest requires a separate Snake River Special Recreation Permit from Wilson through the canyon, May 1 - November 1.
Interactive Map
River Sections
Related Rivers
Check real-time flows at every station on the Snake before you drive to the put-in.