I'm normally hesitant to declare us the best at anything. First of all, I can fail to be objective sometimes. Hey, at least I'm honest. But, I think I can prove with science that Idaho is the best place in the world to packraft. I'll try to explain.

If you hear "packrafting" and think "what?", here's what I'm talking about according to Wikipedia.

Packraft and trail boat are colloquial terms for a small, portable inflatable boat designed for use in all bodies of water, including technical whitewater and ocean bays and fjords.

I will admit that I had to look up "colloquial". Hmm.

To my point, what state has more opportunities to packraft than Idaho? I'll wait while you think about it. Correct answer? NONE. Check out this map of Idaho's rivers from Geology.com.

The only states that come close to Idaho when it comes to bodies of water where you can packraft are Colorado, Washington and maybe Oregon.

The difference between Idaho and those other gnarly places can be summed up in one key word: accessibility. Sure, Colorado has lots of waterways. But, many are hidden away in mountain areas that aren't easy to get to. Oregon comes close to Idaho, but there's the big, boring middle part of Oregon which should be turned into a big NASCAR track. As for Washington state, I'm gonna play the "we probably won't die from a nearby volcano" card again. (Please don't mention Yellowstone...AGAIN)

In the Magic Valley alone, there are zillions (slight exaggeration) of easy places to get your inflatable packraft out and hit the water.

It would seem to me that Idaho is tops in the world of packrafting. If you disagree, please feel free to comment with a better place. I, for one, can't think of one.

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