BANKS, Idaho — The North Fork of the Payette is an infamous river that attracts kayakers from all over the world. It's a training ground with fifteen miles of class five whitewater — and it's right in our backyard.
"My fiancé and I moved here five years ago because of this river," said Ryan O'leary, a local kayaker. "We wanted to move to Idaho to enjoy beautiful, fun, flowing rivers in the area, and having this an hour from the doorstep is unbelievable."
The North Fork is running around 3,000 cubic feet per second as paddlers have an opportunity to get on this expert run at higher flows than they would normally see later in the summer when the warm water attracts kayakers when other rivers around the west dry up.
"Yeah, it is definitely a different beast early in the season with the cold water, and it makes it feel a little bit harder," said local paddler Kyle Irby. "It is spring season, water is high, stoke it high, and it was great, man."
I caught up with Irby, O'leary and their friend from out of state. This trio took on the Lower Five of the North Fork, which features Hounds Tooth, Otters, Juicer, and Crunch.
"Juicer is my favorite," said Irby. "It’s got a lot of gradient and power. There is a big feature on the bottom left, and it just feels great when you get through it."
The upper two sections are even more ferocious than the Lower Five, but the entire run is rated as class five, suitable for experts only. However, for those with the skills, it's always a treat to have the river flowing at this level.
"I love it at this flow because none of the lines change, you can run it normally. It is just a lot faster, a lot pushier and a lot bigger," said O'leary. "You definitely don’t want to be upside down, and you definitely don’t want to be swimming."
This time of year, just about all the rivers in our area are flowing high. It's not a good time to be near the water, whether that is the Boise River, the Snake River, or the Payette, unless you have the proper equipment and skills.
Most of the incidents that have happened in the last few years have happened at high water, with most of those being tubers, recreational kayakers, and people jumping off bridges. If you do go near the water, please wear a life jacket.
