BOISE, Idaho — Summer is here and many are excited to float the Boise River, but when exactly can people expect to enjoy the float season?
Normally, the season starts around mid-June to early July, but due to the dangerous conditions of the river Boise officials said it is still to early to pinpoint a start date for this season.
Back in April, the flow rate of the Boise River was at 6,000 cubic feet per second, which is about four times what's considered safe for river floating.
The flow rate has decreased significantly — to about 2,500 cfs as of Wednesday afternoon — but that's not enough to allow the Boise Fire Department to clear the river of hazards that have been there since last float season.
"Our team does not have the visibility on the river needed to clear out potentially dangerous hazards like fallen trees and branches until the river drops closer to typical float season range," Boise Fire Division Chief Paul Roberts said in a news release.
Typical float season range is between 500 and 1,500 cfs.
Officials won't announce an opening day until the river's flow rate drops within that range and the fire department has completed the hazard mitigation work.
"We know there's a huge desire to start this really popular summertime activity in Boise," said Bonnie Shelton, communications manager for Boise Parks and Recreation. "Once some of these different steps fall into place. We'll have everything ready to go at Barber Park and Ann Morrison Park to make that official float season announcement and get people on the river."
Officials want to remind everyone that it is still very dangerous to swim or play in the river. There are signs posted all along the river about the dangerous conditions.
Boise Parks and Rec says the average opening date for official Float the Boise season over the past 20 years has generally been late June. However, the season didn't start until July 1 or later in seven of those years, including the 2019 and 2020 seasons.
Boise Parks and Recreation has partnered with Ada County Parks and Waterways to launch the Float the Boise website, where they will have updates on the official opening date as well as safety tips and other information.
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