Sands Whitewater & Scenic River Trips

Jackson, United States

4.8

Closed now

19 reviews

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Telephone:
+1 800-358-8184
Website:
www.sandswhitewater.com
Address:
1450 South Hwy 89, Jackson, WY, 83001
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Bussiness info

Good for Kids
Yes

Today

Today 7:00 am – 10:00 pm
Closed now
Local time (Jackson) 03:38 Friday, 27 June 2025

Business hours

Monday 7:00 am – 10:00 pm
Tuesday 7:00 am – 10:00 pm
Wednesday 7:00 am – 10:00 pm
Thursday 7:00 am – 10:00 pm
Friday 7:00 am – 10:00 pm
Saturday 7:00 am – 10:00 pm
Sunday 7:00 am – 10:00 pm

Description

Specialties

One of the original raft outfitters in Jackson Hole! With over 50 years of experience on the river, Sands Whitewater & Scenic River Trips is ready to give you an adventure you won’t soon forget!

History

Established in 1964.

Our years of Snake River experience begin with our hard-​working boatmen. They have floated the Snake River hundreds of times, giving them a deep knowledge of every turn, rapid, and current, which means they know where it’s safe to go, and where not to go. Of course, our boatmen aren’t the only ones with Snake River whitewater experience. Our entire staff is prepared to make sure your Snake River trip is safe and exciting.

We’re celebrating our fifth decade, which means Sands Whiteater is one of the most seasoned rafting companies in Jackson Hole. Sands is the only Snake River rafting company still actively owned and operated by one of the original Sultan’s of the Snake, the pioneers of Snake River whitewater rafting.

We want your entire experience with us to be positive and memorable, from the first time you call, to picking up your photograph capturing YOUR rafting experience.

Meet the Business Owner

Charlie S.

Business Owner

With over 50 years on the Snake, Charlie is one of the original river outfitters. As a ski patroller at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort when it first opened, Charlie was such a legend on the mountain that he has two ski runs named in his honor. The man, the myth, the legend eventually moved his epic-​ness to the river and has been giving visitors and local’s alike adventures on the Snake all summer long!

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19 reviews of Sands Whitewater & Scenic River Trips

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Place rating: 4
Salt Lake City, UT
Our guide was AWESOME (Marlon). He was really friendly and super helpful.
The group I went with opted for the 16-​mile combination trip. The first half of the trip was an 8-​mile scenic river raft. We basically sat on the raft while our guide paddled us along. A few of us were given paddles but we didn’t really need to ever use them. About 8 miles into the trip we stopped for breakfast, finished the scenic route, and then people who weren’t continuing got off and we continued to the white water portion of the river. None of us in our group had done white water rafting before and I was a little apprehensive. Marlon walked us through everything we would need to know and gave us very clear and direct instructions throughout the whole course. We went through about 8 rapids including some class 2 and 3 ones (which, apparently, classes are different depending on the river).
It was a great trip and I’d highly recommend it to anyone interested in white water rafting!
We booked our trip through the ranch we were staying at and there was some confusion as to whether or not our booking included a wet suit (we were told by the ranch it did, but Sands had no idea), after some confusion, we were given the wet suit, which I would probably recommend. We all got very wet.
Place rating: 5
Tupelo, MS
Great time in the river with Kyle who kept us entertained and pointed out the abundant eagles and other wildlife. We were the first breakfast trip of the season and the cooks were fantastic too as was the food. Recommend this company highly.
Place rating: 5
Manhattan, NY
Amazing time for kids ages 7 & 9 and adults too! Troy was a great guide. The kids loved his corny jokes
Place rating: 5
Hingham, MA
Great family rafting experience! Scooter is an excellent guide who not only guided us safely down the rapids, but also pointed out animals (osprey, eagle, beaver) to us and showed us a beaver home (and they were home!) in the rocks. He also has a great sense of humor, the kids especially liked his jokes. We had 4 adults and 4 kids (age 10 – 12) all who had an amazing experience! Thank you!
Place rating: 4
Broomfield, CO
Our guide was Chris was excellent. He made the trip fun. He was very knowledgeable of the river. He engaged my whole family in conversation and was super funny. The rest of the staff was excellent as well. The owner was a bit of a grump especially to his staff.
Place rating: 5
Pasadena, CA
My family of 6 with 4 teenagers in our own 8 passenger raft had an awesome time rafting down the Snake River today. Our guide, Troy, made the trip not only safe but so memorable and fun for all of us. We would take this trip again if we had more time! Sands is a quality organization with a great emphasis on safety. Definitely recommend the smaller raft and have everyone paddle.
Place rating: 5
Austin, TX
Matt is Da Man! He took us through every rapid on our two hour Snake river trip safely. Even «The Big Kahuna» a Class 3! We watched four people being tossed out from the raft in front of us. (Note to novices: Do not hang one leg out of your raft. You will be flipped out.)
Saw beautiful Bald Eagles, Osprey and other smaller birds during our two hour trip. Towards the end, five jets from the Naval Academy (which is not that close by but when you are in a jet… you can move quickly) flew above us one by one each completing a barrel roll at the end of the bend in the river. A wonderful, fun and safe experience.
Sands Whitewater has been around since the 1960s and is the oldest and most professional of all the companies that provide whitewater rafting in Jackson. Do not go any other place. These are the pros.
Place rating: 5
Roseville, CA
Scooter, Matt, Ben, Oscar, & Lucas were all top notch professional guys. Charlie was a bit rough and not so professional, but he has great staff that made our trip awesome.
We elected to do the 8 mile scenic, camp breakfast, & 8 mile whitewater. My 8 & 10 year olds had a blast and wanted to do it again. Scooter was our guide and really took interest in the kids and what they did and liked to do. This made it really fun and memorable.
We will definitely be back and continue to refer Sands to our friends.
Place rating: 4
Sandy, UT
Booked using groupon, I initially called to ask about it and the girl basically treated me like a second class citizen because I was using a groupon. She said I had to go with another group that was already going because it was a groupon and just had poor customer service. I like to save money, sorry bout it.
When we arrived everyone had water shoes. Seriously everyone. Wtf? How was I the only non prepared one? Lol anyways I rented some for like $ 4.25 or something after tax, and I’m glad I did cause my shoes would have been soaked. The older gentleman who owned the company yelled a lot while we were waiting, very off putting but probably because he’s hard of hearing. Come with clothes that dry quickly, but don’t get cray like a few in our group and come in a full on wet suit. Unnecessary. We didn’t even need chums to hold our sunglasses on.
The bus ride was kinda long down, when we arrived the guides took us through the procedures and safety, etc. Thankfully our group didn’t have kids. Our guide, Everett, was very good, entertaining as well. Apparently you can drink on the river, i didn’t know this. Next time I’ll bring libations. Couple guys in our group had whiskey haha. You don’t have to have much experience to do this, though I wish it was a bit more adrenaline pumping than it was. The rapids were good, only one was intense, I think it was called lunch counter or something.
Whitewater rafting is awesome, everyone should do it. It is on the pricey side, but once in a while it’s worth it!
Place rating: 5
Kirklin, IN
We did the 8 mile whitewater trip today. Many outfitters to chose from in Jackson. Appears that everyone has the same 8 mile trip on whitewater, and have some variation on other trips such as their float trips or combo trips.
Daughter 1 and I have done rafting in Colorado a couple of times. The rapids were more enjoyable here in Wyoming. Wife and daughter 2 have not had recent rafting experience other than a float trip last year in Tahoe. Everyone walked away smiling, and this was probably the highlight of our vacation. There isn’t a ton of paddling — personally would have preferred more, and a longer trip would have been nice, but 8 seems to be the size most companies in this area do.
Also, we did an 8 man raft, as there is more excitement. It was worth the extra cost.
The guide was good. Like everywhere, they have a repertoire of really bad jokes.
Place rating: 4
London, United Kingdom
Came to Snake River to raft on white water with Sands. We had a fantastic couple of hours, and felt safe and in the hands of professionals at all times. Although the course of the river we went on was fun, we would like to go somewhere a bit more challenging and thrilling. we would certainly explore that possibility with Sands if we returned to the area, based upon our experience with them.
Place rating: 5
Superior, CO
Everything about Sands’ operation is first-​rate. The guides make for a fantastic experience and put safety first. This should be the first stop for anyone wanting to get out on the Snake and hit the rapids.
Place rating: 5
Tempe, AZ
Brought my eight year old cousin, my parents, and my aunt and I had the best time of my life: D everyone had a blast. Not too challenging, but definitely a rush :) Well worth the money, I give my word :)
Place rating: 5
Austin, TX
We went on a scenic tour this afternoon and had a blast! We saw a moose and 8 bald eagles. The guide was friendly and very informative and lunch was good.
Would do it again in a heartbeat!
Place rating: 5
Los Angeles, CA
My family took a trip down the Snake recently with Kate as our guide. It was marvelous. First half of the trip was a scenic float downriver to our breakfast stop, where the Sands team made a great strawberry/​banana pancake breakfast. Maybe it was altitude or the fine funk music being played by the chef that added to our enjoyment, but breakfast was fantastic and when we were full, we were ready for white water and some great sightseeing as we completed our journey. Everyone at Sands was friendly and helpful and made the trip wonderful at every turn. I’ll ride with Sands anytime I’m in the region.
Place rating: 5
Honolulu, HI
We loved out two trips we made with Sand’s while in Jackson. We first did the scenic float with lunch and then the whitewater trip a few days later. Both guides were extremely entertaining and knowledgable about the area. Everyone please tip your guide well, they deserve every penny and they are there for your enjoyment.
Great scenery and great wildlife sighting opportunities. We say a bunch of bald eagles on our two trips. This was great fun and I would highly recommend it to everyone. And the prices are very reasonable for such extensive trips and awesome guides.
Place rating: 5
Houston, TX
I have had the opportunity to sample Sands Whitewater over time. The first time I floated with Sands was in 1978 on a whitewater trip with Charlie himself as our guide, it was my first whitewater trip and I loved it.
I returned 30 years later with my wife and child for the 13 mile scenic (our son is not quite old enough yet for the rapids) and we had a blast. We had lunch by the river, near Harrison Ford’s ranch… sitting on driftwood surrounded by beautiful river rocks and views of the Tetons. We saw at least 3 bald eagles. Everyone in our group was cool and fun to hang out with.
Sands Whitewater is still family owned. Charlie still runs the show. It is a good feeling to be able to return to Jackson Hole and find an familar friend after all these years.
Great trip… great pricing… my son is still talking about it months later.
Tom was our guide. Great river-​side manner, good stories, a very nice young man. Thanks Tom… and good to see you again Charlie. Hope to float again with you soon.
Place rating: 5
Brooklyn, NY
I went on the 13 mile Scenic Float trip on the Snake River. You don’t need to dress as if you’re going to get wet and you can bring your camera.
It’s a pretty tame raft ride. You have a guide who shows you scenic things. be prepared to see LOTS of bald eagles, ospreys, and other wildlife.
However, it will get boring after a while. Next time, I’ll go on a rougher ride, but then you can’t bring a camera. Trade offs ya know?
We went on the lunch one. They pulled the raft over to the side and we ate a picnic lunch while sitting on some logs and rocks. Nice trip! We got to meet some neat people from all over the world. We got to chat on the raft and also on the lunch.
Remember to bring your hat and wear sun block. It’s helpful to bring a water, too.
They have parking on site and provide life jackets.
Place rating: 5
Antioch, CA
I went on the 13 mile Teton Views Scenic Float Trip. It takes you on a 3 hour ride down the Snake River. When its over, a van picks everyone up and takes you back to town. This is a very calm/​peaceful ride. No «wild water». Two young men take turns rowing for you. Not one drop of water got on me or my fancy camera equipment. I loved every minute. Saw a lot of wildlife and the guides were very knowledgeable. Got to see Bald Eagles in three different locations! This trip is good for kids, non-​swimmers, older travelers. Getting in and out of the boat is easy. Great views of the Tetons in the beginning.